DALLAS — The Dallas City Council voted Wednesday to approve a resolution that would paint the phrase "All Black Lives Matter" at multiple intersections in southern Dallas.
The vote happened during the Dec. 8 public meeting and appeared to be unanimous, with no audible objections.
According to the resolution, Abounding Prosperity, Inc., a group whose purpose is "to respond to social and health disparities" for Black Dallas residents, would pay for the installation of the crosswalks. The group would also maintain them for the next 10 years. No taxpayer funds would be used, according to the council.
Members of the council said the crosswalks have been in the works since June of 2020, when protests pushing for racial justice were sparked by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.
Back then, the phrase "Black Lives Matter," which has become synonymous with the movement calling for an end to police killings of Black Americans, was emblazoned on the road in front of Dallas City Hall. Activists got approval from local officials to paint the saying there, though the letters were not permanent.
This time, though, the installations will be a permanent "public demonstration of art," explained District 7 Councilman Adam Bazaldua during the meeting.
The concept for the new crosswalks would be mirrored after the rainbow crosswalks near Cedar Springs in the Oak Lawn neighborhood.
These new installations would be red with a surrounding white border that would include black lettering on top that reads "All Black Lives Matter."
Bazaldua said the addition of the word "all" would help include members of the LGBTQ+ and trans communities "who sometimes gets left out of the conversation," Bazaldua said during the meeting. "I am really excited to see this come to fruition."
Councilman Casey Thomas, II, who represents District 3 and who attends worship services in the area, agreed, saying that it would create a "great sense of pride" in the community.
The new intersection installations echo those that have cropped up across the country, including Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., just steps away from the White House.
The new installations in Dallas will be at the following intersections:
- Al Lipscomb Way and South Ervay Street;
- Al Lipscomb Way and South Harwood Street;
- Al Lipscomb Way and South Malcolm X Boulevard;
- Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Colonial Avenue;
- Martin Luther King Jr. and South Malcolm X boulevards;
- Martin Luther King Jr. and JB Jackson Jr. boulevards
Officials have not yet released a timeline of when the would be installed.
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