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Relatives of the community leaders depicted in Main Street’s “Black Icons Mural” filled Capital Metro bus seats to ride alongside their family members once more.
Wrapped in a print of the downtown mural, the city’s bus runs from Elgin, through Manor and Austin, and has shared the five faces of local legends with countless passengers for the past several months.
Recently replaced with a Hogeye Festival advertisement, Barbara and Ivory Thomas, relatives of storied musician Monty Joe Thomas, wanted to bring some of the icons’ families together for one last tour.
“We wanted to just be a part of history,” said Barbara. “Riding a Capital Metro bus with my father, five black icons on the bus, I’ve never seen anyone black on the side of a Capital Metro bus. When I got on the bus I thought about Rosa Parks.”
“It feels great, eye opening to where you think something like this will never happen,” added Ivory.
The two were present when the mural was unveiled by Mayor Theresa McShan in January, proud of the step that the city has taken in recognizing black history.
“McShan is the only black mayor in 150 years, it’s a start, and a huge start to have the mural on Main Street, not a back alley,” said Barbara. “People see it. Our history should be known, it should be taught, it shouldn’t be hidden.”
Barbara, who cried tears of joy when she first saw the bus while driving on Texas Highway 290, believes that acknowledging the here and now is crucial for development.
“I didn’t know Martin Luther King, never met Malcolm X, never met Rosa Parks, I don’t know any of those. You see them in the history books. But, I can honestly say by looking at everyone that’s in this icon, I know all of them, and two of them are relatives. They will be in the history books. It’s good to equate to now who these people are.”
The mural was painted by artist Jeremy Biggers for Elgin’s sesquicentennial celebration and took five days to complete.
It is included in Elgin’s self-guided black history tour and the Elgin art walking tour.
Twenty-five feet high and 50 feet wide, the painting now rests on the side of McShan’s Barber Shop and Downtown Elgin Café & BBQ.
