01 Aug Parchester Village Mural Project Brings History Alive and Community Together

Parchester Village is a majority and historically Black neighborhood in northwest Richmond.

Story and photos by Denis Perez-Bravo

A 2,800 square foot mural, spanning 88 soundwall panels and multiple blocks in Parchester Village, will reportedly be the largest in Richmond history, once completed.

The mural features large lettering spelling out Parchester Village, as well as imagery of activists who helped preserve the local environment.

“Parchester fought a lot to be part of the city of Richmond,” lead artist Richard Muro Salazar said.

The project is a collaboration among the city of Richmond, the Richmond Arts and Culture Commission, Richmond Love Your Block, the Parchester Village Neighborhood Council and Meritage Homes company.

Hundreds of volunteers came together to paint on multiple Saturdays in June and July.

“When the people are involved, they value it that much more,” Salazar said. “So it gives the mural longevity for the next generation to enjoy.”

During the community paint days, volunteers check in with organizers. They are offered pastries, fruit, coffee and juice.

Volunteers can pick up a cup of paint with a number. The number on the cup is then used to identify what wall and where to paint.

On the July 13 paint day, Goretha Johnson could be seen with a sign encouraging passersby to hop off their cars and join the painting.

“I just want the people to know that Parchester is here,” said Johnson, who has been the Parchester Village Neighborhood Council president for eight years.

She saw the beginning of this mural project back in 2016 when Salazar was awarded a grant from the Love Your Block program.

He began with a mural at the entrance sign to Parchester Village.

“The next year, we got another grant to do the other side,” Johnson said.

Then, in 2022, a 94 single-family home development by Meritage Homes was approved by the Richmond City Council.

“When you put up a development, part of their money, 2%, should go to the public,” Johnson said.

The Parchester Village council was approached by Meritage Homes and given that 2%, or $451,000, according to the Richmond Standard.

“So what we decided to do was beautify the whole soundwall, put in sidewalks, lights and to redo the road,” Johnson said.

Previously, there wasn’t a sidewalk or lights, making the trek into Parchester Village unsafe at times, she said.

“So that was one of the conditions that we wanted to beautify the soundwall, put in a sidewalk and light so people could really enjoy it.”

San Pablo resident Anthony Billaran, 16, was a volunteer July 13.

Leading up to this summer, Billaran has gotten more involved in community volunteerism.

“We painted a little storage area in Richmond. After that, we just kept doing activities,” he said.

Billaran is part of a workforce development program and his mindset for community development is continuing to shift as he becomes more involved.

“It was more like, I’d rather do stuff for sports. But then once I did those activities, it sparked interest for a lot of things,” Billaran said.

This time he reached out to mentor Ivonne Malare to seek out a spot to volunteer in the Parchester Village mural.

He painted tree bark in one of the mural’s 88 panels with red paint out of a red cup.

“It feels good because there’s more people out here doing it,” he said.