Richmond mural supporting Palestine sparks debate over watermelon imagery in Black community

[mountaineer]

Richmond mural supporting Palestine sparks debate over watermelon imagery in Black community
By Taylor Bryan
Published: Mar. 3, 2026 at 6:53 PM EST
WWBT

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - A mural is drawing attention from Black community leaders who say they don’t have a problem with the message, just the watermelon imagery.

The mural, at the intersection of Brookland Boulevard and North Avenue in Richmond’s Northside neighborhood, depicts a darker-skinned Palestinian woman holding a slice of watermelon, with the seeds spelling out “Free Palestine.”

Dr. Faedah Totah with Virginia Commonwealth University said the symbol traces back to 1967, when Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip and banned the Palestinian flag.

“The Palestinian flag has four colors, red, white, black, and green, which also happens to be the color of a slice of a watermelon,” Totah said. “So, what ends up happening when you ban the flag is that people become creative in finding different ways to express their national identity.” ...

[mountaineer]

Intersectional conundrum: Palestinian watermelon mural upsets black community
Mural creator: ‘Any similarities to harmful imagery are completely unintentional […] From the rind to the seed, Palestine will be free.‘
Posted on March 7, 2026
By College Fix Staff

An intersectional conundrum, for lack of a better term, has reared its head in Richmond, Virginia, where a pro-Palestinian mural featuring a watermelon has irked some in the black community.

The Northside neighborhood mural “depicts a darker-skinned” woman with seeds spelling out “Free Palestine” across the watermelon, WWBT 12 On Your Side reports.  ...

Southern Christian Leadership Conference Richmond Chapter President William McGee noted the watermelon actually had been a “positive” symbol in the black community, “but it was used to denigrate other people.” He said the mural could be “modified [to] help the cause for both African-American freedom and justice and for the Palestinian cause.”

Civil rights activist Gary Flowers said there’s been a “60-year alliance” between the U.S. black liberation movement and the free Palestine movement in the Middle East. He suggested the mural be replaced with one featuring both the black liberation flag and the traditional Palestinian flag to “symbolize th[e] unity of aspirational liberation.” ...

[Kamaji]

[Free Vulcan]

Oh the improper use of intersectional imagery! How shall I ever go on! I'm going to need healing time! Fiddle dee dee!