This picture is of a mural that was painted near the burial site we visited. It was located close to the street, along the wall where the signs displaying the numbers you could call to hear about Gabriel were located. The mural seems to be sending an inspiring message about rising up from hate and oppression, but the thing that stood out to me wasn’t the message of the mural, but the message sent by the fact that it was defaced. The disregard and irreverence with which this mural was treated is really sad to me. And this same treatment is repeated throughout the site, with trash and litter scattered everywhere and telephone poles and lights standing right in the middle of the burial grounds. There seems to be a general lack of care given to the site. I know that there are ongoing efforts to restore and preserve the burial ground, but they seem to have an uphill battle ahead of them. I can only hope that in the future there are more resources given to those who want to protect and preserve such an important historical site, and those resources allow this important part of Richmond’s history the respect and reverence it deserves.