Metro officials, artists and community unveil mural honoring Z. Alexander Looby at Luby Center

Metro Nashville officials, artists and residents gathered Oct. 12, 2025, at the Z. Alexander Luby Community Center in North Nashville to unveil a new mural honoring civil-rights lawyer Z. Alexander Looby.

The mural, titled They Fought: Leaders, Lawyers and Educators, was created by nonprofit Creative Girls Rock and lead artist Alicia Mirozick with community input gathered through town-hall sessions and a participatory budgeting vote run by the mayor's office. Metro leaders and the artists described the piece as a memorial and an educational tool aimed at making local history more visible.

"We are so excited about today's event," said Brenda Haywood, who opened the program. "Just your presence here today tells us that this is an important event." Haywood introduced Mayor Freddie O'Connell and other speakers and repeatedly framed the mural as both a tribute and a community-building project.

Mayor Freddie O'Connell said the mural helps preserve stories that otherwise fade. "Some stories do wind up getting stronger because they pick up new meaning connecting to the events of the day," he said, and noted his office reopened a cold-case investigation with the Metro Nashville Police Department into an unsolved 1960 bombing tied to Looby's history.

Monique Odom, director of Metro Parks and Recreation, framed the unveiling in parks policy terms, saying the department's mission mirrors the mural's goals. "It is my hope that community members always feel welcomed in our parks, greenways, facilities, and spaces like this knowing that they are seen, heard, and valued," Odom said. Metro Parks staff oversee the Luby Center and, Odom noted during introductions, manage roughly 16,000 acres of parkland.

Ashley Batchelder, interim executive director of Metro Arts, said the mural was "rooted in remembrance, community, and our shared vision of the future." She thanked Metro Parks, the mayor's office and the Metro Arts Commission, and credited the mayor's participatory budgeting process for funding the project.

Sharman Bates, founder and CEO of Creative Girls Rock, described the mural program as a response to community need during the pandemic and stressed art's social role. "We believe in a transformative power of, creativity, not just as a form, a art form, but as a healing tool, a voice for the voiceless, and a bridge that brings community together," Bates said.

Lead artist Alicia Mirozick explained the mural's visual language and sources of inspiration, including the Akan Adinkra symbol inchinchim. "It is an Adinkra symbol that represents the twists and turns of life's journey in emphasizing adaptability, resilience, and dynamism," Mirozick said, and named the figures of lawyers, educators and local activists depicted on the wall.

Speakers highlighted the project's community and funding elements: Creative Girls Rock launched its mural program in 2021 and has completed 13 murals citywide; this wall measures about 20 feet high and 95 feet wide and took nearly three months to paint. More than 160 women have participated in the organization's programs, and North Nashville residents helped shape the mural through the participatory budgeting steering committee, which included Judge Rachel Bale as chair.

Retired Tennesseean editor Dwight Lewis provided historical context about Looby's local prominence; attorney and Tennessee Alliance for Black Lawyers president Jaquoya Smith Gollman urged the crowd to treat the mural as a teaching tool. "This mural is not just art. It is a call to action. A reminder. A mirror," Smith Gollman said.

After the program, organizers invited attendees to view the mural outdoors and join a community reception; the event included a scheduled presentation from Brian K. White on behalf of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity's Fifth District.

The dedication places a prominent piece of public art on Jefferson Street and at the Luby Center as part of ongoing revitalization efforts in District 2; council members and nonprofit partners said the mural is intended to increase visibility for local Black history and support broader community-led improvements to the center.

Photos of the mural, information about the Creative Girls Rock program, and details about the participatory budgeting process were provided to attendees and are available through Metro Arts and the mayor's office.