Hope is Vital – Lloyd District Mural

Hope is Vital Mural

Today (in walking), the “Hope is Vital” mural was my goal.  It’s colorful.

I could not remember some things on the mural.  Of course, I could have just looked at the picture, but since this blog is my excuse to get out and wander – I wandered.

The mural is located at the intersection of Broadway and Grand in the Lloyd District, right next to Starbucks and on the T-mobile business building.  If you’re heading toward the river on Broadway, you can’t miss it (just glance to the left before you cross Grand) and if you’re heading north on Grand, do the same thing just before you hit Broadway (glance to the left).

The mural implies that Portland and Mutare, Zembabwe are sister cities.  I always thought Sapporo (Japan) was the sister city of Portland (I can remember that one because of the beer).

I looked online (as all good people do nowadays) and discovered that Portland has more than one sister city tie.  The link to Sapporo is  the original sister city relationship, dating back to 1959.  Portland is the sister city of NINE cities, one of which is Mutare, Zimbabwe.  Mutare has two sister cities, Portland and Haarlem, Netherlands.

Why is that important?  I dunno.  I just thought each city could only have ONE sister city.

Due to the lower right side of the mural, one would think that it has a lot to do with Africa Aids Response.  Also, the “Hope is Vital” organization has to do with AIDS, too.

Evidently, the mural is a big deal.  Mayor Sam Adams (another name I can remember because of a beer – and a revolutionary war patriot) has presented some awards and on another web site, there is a picture of him in front of the Mural.  It seems that, at first, the corporate big-wigs at T-mobile required the mural (which was put up when Rhythm Traders rented the building ) be white-washed prior to renting the building.

T-mobile corporate staff must have relented.

Thank goodness.

The reason I like the mural?  It’s colorful.  I look forward to seeing it, and so should you.

By golly.

“Hope is vital” it says.  “It takes a planet to save a village.”