A mural in Westchester, New York, that celebrates Black history and the Black Lives Matter movement has stirred controversy for featuring antisemite and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
The 2,500-square-foot mural, located on the Manhattan Avenue underpass of the I-287 highway in the town of Greenburgh, depicts dozens of influential Black leaders including Bob Marley, Mohammed Ali as well as Farrakhan, who is illustrated speaking with an accusatory raised finger.
Farrakhan has a long history of making antisemitic remarks, which include calling Jewish people “satan” and “termites”; chanting “Death to Israel”; sharing anti-Israel conspiracy theories; calling Adolf Hitler “a very great man”; blaming Jews for slavery in the US; and publicly denying the Holocaust.
Community activist Clifton Abrams, who spearheaded the project, told ABC 7 NY that Farrakhan is an “icon” whose comments have been taken out of context. The news outlet added that the Greenburgh Town Board spent over $100,000 of taxpayer funds for the mural, which is on state property.
