West Oakland Mural Project

Taylor was awarded a grant to join the West Oakland Mural Project as the Creative Producer to document the first ever public installation commemorating the women of the Black Panther Party on the facade of a victorian home on Center Street and Dr. Huey P. Newton Way in West Oakland, the founding place of the party.

“There would have been no Black Panther Party without women.”

— James ‘Jamali’ Bedford, SF Chapter

The Mural

Unbeknownst to many, women made up nearly 70% of the Black Panther Party at its peak. They were the foundation of the party serving as organizers, artists, educators, and so much more. So in 2020, when the world was examining heroes and who is deserving of monuments, the West Oakland Mural Project was formed to honor these unsung heroes. The community project resonated with people around the world, picking up earned media from The Guardian, The Mercury News, SF Chronicle, PBS News Hour and more.

Watch here

Draft by James Shields

Mural by Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith inspired by Stephen Shames Photography

The Event

The founding principal of the Black Panther Party was to serve the people. And they did so with the 60+ community survival programs that each chapter created and led all across the U.S. and beyond. Some of the most well known programs were the Free Breakfast Program for Children and the Free Food Programas. In the spirit of serving the Bay Area, in partnership with Gold Beams and the East Oakland Collective, Taylor supported the event production of a food drive and the unveiling of the public art installation on February 14, 2021 that garnered over 1,500 views. The drive successfully distributed over 200 chickens and 300 bags of food.