NEW mural honoring Rev. Shuttlesworth unveiled at BHM airport [PHOTOS]

New mural alert! Yesterday, members of the media and local officials were invited to the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) for the unveiling of a new mural depicting civil rights hero Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth.

Read on to learn more about the mural and the unveiling.

About the new mural, “Fred S.”

Dubbed “Fred S.,” the new mural at the BHM airport was created by New York-based artist Rico Gatson.

The 66-foot-wide, 13-foot-tall mural is located in Concourse B and depicts Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth—the civil rights icon who led the fight against segregation in Birmingham—surrounded by a vibrant array of colors.

“I am eternally grateful and honored to bring this iteration of the mural portrait of the great Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth to the airport and to the city of Birmingham.”

Rico Gatson

“Fred S.” was initially created for the Birmingham Museum of Art’s Wall to Wall series before finding its permanent home at BHM.

“A small group from Leadership Birmingham decided that a mural like this should not be temporary; it needed a permanent home in a symbolically important location in our city. The Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport was renamed in his honor in 2008 because Rev. Shuttlesworth changed Birmingham forever. And when he did, he changed the world.”

Ashby Pate, Secretary of the Birmingham Airport Authority Board

Attended by members of the Shuttlesworth family

In attendance at the unveiling were several members of the Shuttlesworth family, including his daughters Dr. Ruby Shuttlesworth Bester, Dr. Carolyn Shuttlesworth and Patricia Shuttlesworth Massengill.

“[This mural] is absolutely beautiful. I am so pleased with everything that you’ve done to honor my father. It looks just like him—I always told him, ‘Dad, you need to smile!’ and he would say, ‘I’m concentrating on the Lord’s work and what I can do for mankind.’ I am very, very pleased with this mural and all who have come to honor him.”

Patricia Shuttlesworth Massengill

Also in attendance at the unveiling were:

• Richard Arrington Jr., the first Black mayor of the City of Birmingham
• Don Siegelman, former Governor of Alabama
• Reverend Carter Gaston and Reverend Calvin Woods

Planning to see the new mural at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport? Let us know and tag us in your photos @bhamnow!