New School Murals Honor LGBTQ+ Icons

James Baldwin, Sylvia Rivera, and Harvey Milk are now watching over the halls of Elm City Montessori School — in newly unveiled mural portraits that fit in well with the Blake Street charter school’s anti-bias and anti-racist values. 

Those were a few of the six mighty LGBTQ+ historical figures’ faces that were unveiled at Elm City Montessori this week for its latest mural instillation by local artist Kwadwo Adae. 

Adae partnered with the middle school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) group to make the new murals a reality.

Dozens of New Haveners gathered on Wednesday for Elm City Montessori’s Great Give gathering and mural unveiling celebration. 

Adae’s most recent school-hallway mural depicts the faces of feminist poet Audre Lorde, pioneering politician Harvey Milk, writer James Baldwin, mathematician Alan Turing, and gay liberation activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. Each portrait is roughly eight feet tall. 

Elm City Montessori Director of Anti-Bias & Anti-Racism Sade Jean-Jacques and Magnet Resource Teacher Dave Weinreb worked with the school’s GSA student members to arrange the Wednesday event celebrating the school’s anti-bias and anti-racist mission. 

“The single most important thing middle schools can do to be safe and deeply affirming spaces for LGBTQ youth is to create and sustain GSAs,” Weinreb said. 

Jean-Jacques kicked off Wednesday’s program by highlighting the work of the GSA, which last year helped bring in a $20,000 Nellie Mae grant with the goal of supporting and ​“uplifting LGBTQIA+ youth and their allies.”

With the grant support, the school’s GSA hosted ​“Genderverse” workshops for the school’s staff and families, facilitated by True Colors founder Robin McHaelen. It also commissioned the murals and supported new classroom books and $125 stipends to help ten New Haven middle schools create their own school-wide GSA groups. 

Families gathered at the event Wednesday to support the GSA students and their work. 

Illa Hiller and her daughters Hypatia and Claira Hughes showed their support by dressing head to toe in rainbow tutus and capes. 

Hiller described Wednesday’s celebration as ​“essential” for her family and the community ​“because we need to see that there’s so many different types of people.”

Adae put on the final touches to his newest and third mural in the school’s hallway before offering remarks during the program.

Jean-Jacques described the partnership between the GSA and Adae as ​“thoughtful” and ​“intentional.”

Fourth grader Corrine Scott, 9, emceed Wednesday’s program, reminding the crowd constantly of the hard work of her peers and school staff. 

As a member of the school’s GSA, Scott said she has gained many new friends and is dedicated to showing them her support. 

“I’m only nine and even I can see how important this is,” she said. 

Scott said she hopes to host a small protest with her friends in the community to teach others that ​“we all deserve to be happy.” 

During speeches at Wednesday’s event, students shared facts about the six historical figures depicted in the mural. They also read quotes from some of those intellectual and cultural luminaries, like James Baldwin, who said: ​“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” 

Fifth-grader Aiyana Adams described the stories of those portrayed in the mural as an inspiration. ​“When I look at these murals they make me feel like I’m not alone about all the LGBTQ+ related issues in our world and it makes me feel that these people are important to our community. Not just for the LGBTQ+ reasons but for our community.” 

“We all have to have a community and that makes me feel so good,” she said. 

She added that she loves that she has helped to inspire the primary students at the school.

“When a lot of people didn’t like the idea of LGBTQ+, they weren’t scared to show who they were,” Adams said the of six figures shown in the mural. ​“They did a lot for their community and James Baldwin’s words have spoke to many, now West Rock. It is so important when our school walks up there everyday, so it feels magical to get that special treat. It represents our school and nature because our school is all about nature. Everything colorful and perfect to show our community.” 

Fourth-grader Oni David read a quote from Harvey Milk stating: ​“Rights are won only by those who make their voices heard.” 

“So whenever you see something horrible going on or if something wrong, just remember to speak up because your voice should always be heard,” David said. 

When asked what the murals mean to her, David said they make her proud and ​“they make me feel happy.”

“This is impactful for people out of the area and in the area of ECMS [Elm City Montessori School] because whenever somebody new wants to come to the school and they go around to the mural, they’ll be like, ​‘Oh my gosh, this is a place for me. I’m a part of the LGBTQ community and I’m going to feel open in this space. I’m gonna feel real love here,’ ” David said. 

Sixth-grader Alison Maloney said the murals are important for all members of the community to learn about LGBTQ+ history and send a message of acceptance. 

“The murals make me happy because it means our school is a safe place for my friends who are LGBTQ+ and makes them feel safe.”

Earlier in the year, Adae completed a pride flag mural with the help of the GSA students. The mural depicts a chameleon whose multivarious hues are inspired by a variety of pride flags. He began partnering with the GSA for the two murals in January. 

“This is a very important mural,” Adae said on Wednesday. ​“If you look at the news, there’s a lot of anti-LGBTQ legislation being passed across the country and it’s really important to make sure that there are safe space for everyone.”

During the creation process for the mural, Adae said he enjoyed learning about the beautiful, poignant, and feisty lives of the six figures. ​“The fact that the people who were chosen are of LBGTQ status is really just kind of happenstance, these are people that have changed lives and changed the world and changed all of us,” he added. 

Members of the GSA took families, staff, and community members on tours of the two murals for the event’s final hour. 

New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) district executive team members Director of Student Services Typhanie Jackson and Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Leadership Paul Whyte joined the students’ tours. 

While leading the tours, students like fifth-graders Avery Beard and Pearl Webb Sterrer shared brief bios about the figures and read off their popular quotes. 

The two agreed that they enjoy being a part of supporting their community and are educating others. 

“Sometimes if someone doesn’t know about it [LGBTQ+ identities],they don’t know it’s ok,” Avery said. 

Pearl added that she hopes the murals send a message to staff, students, and families that ​“it’s not just you, and you’re not alone.” 

“We support who you want to be,” Pearl added. 

Fourth-graders Julieta and Keely Smith also led tours Wednesday for the event. 

Julieta, who is pansexual, said she is tired of being called weird and wants ​“people to be accepted for who they want to be and not who others want them to be.” 

She added that the murals make her feel more safe. 

When asked why they chose to help other schools create GSAs, Smith said, ​“It prepares you to be more accepting of other people. And it’s our responsibility to be respectful.” 

“It’s really a privilege to have a GSA,” Julieta said. 

Julieta said her favorite mural is the portrait of Marsha P. Johnson because of the stars in her hair. 

Smith said she hopes to continue helping her school to create murals and next hopes for portraits of LGBTQ+ allies, like herself. 

During the program food was provided by the LGBTQ+ owned downtown restaurant Blue Orchid. 

Weinreb added that Elm City Montessori’s GSA is open to helping other schools create GSAs, not only through the stipend but also by allowing staff and students to visit their meetings and receive support from the GSA. 

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