The Wall of Respect

“The Wall of Respect is, hands down, the most recognizable urban mural in the United States. It tells an incredible history of Black creativity and struggles for freedom, dignity, and power. Yet, its own history has never been told—until now. An extraordinary work of reconstruction and illumination, The Wall of Respect is one of those rare books that reveal the deep links between art and politics, movement and imagination, and community and creativity.”
—Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination

“Finally, the Wall of Respect gets the comprehensive attention it deserves! With this volume, Alkalimat, Crawford, and Zorach have made a tremendous contribution to both art and African American studies, and set an impressive benchmark for the study of public art in social movements. The editors have breathed new life into the poetic words of Gwendolyn Brooks, ensuring that, ‘All worship the Wall.’ ”—Jonathan Fenderson, associate editor of The Black Scholar

“Long overdue, The Wall of Respect is a major work that chronicles the transformation of the concept of public and mural art in America. Original and remarkable, this book illuminates the love of art and history expressed by Black families, community leaders, activists, and artists’ collectives.”—Deborah Willis, author of Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers 1840 to the Present

“The Wall of Respect makes a valuable contribution to discourse about this important mural, the Black Arts Movement, the history of Chicago, and broader histories of civic engagement. This book will undoubtedly have a significant impact on future scholarship in these areas.” —Greg Foster-Rice, coeditor (with Katherine A. Bussard and Alison Fisher) of The City Lost and Found: Capturing New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, 1960–1980

"This book recovers The Wall of Respect, a pivotal piece of public art conceived by Chicago artists and neighbors that effectively spurred a new mural movement nationwide in the 1960s.  Detailed analysis and personal recollections of this incredible object and its milieu provide nothing less than a new and expansive framework for understanding the impact of this vital work.  A dazzling collection of primary documents—poetry, letters, articles, and photographs—are at the book’s core. The significance of photography, as part of The Wall itself and as indispensable documentation, sheds light not only on the role of photography in shaping our understanding of this public project and its context, but illuminates the influence of Chicago’s photographers and other artists in the postwar era." —Kellie Jones, associate professor of art history and archaeology, Columbia University