Metro unveils Black Lives Matter buses

King County Metro has just unveiled their Black Lives Matter buses, wrapped in art designed by one of the Metro’s transit operators.

Last year, Metro asked their employees to show them what Black Lives Matter meant to them—through art. Now, that artwork is being displayed across Metro’s facilities, with over 200 buses featuring transit operators’ art and BLM posters going up at Metro worksites.

Metro transit operator Robert L. Horton designed the mural that now wraps two 60-foot Metro coaches.

Along with the fully wrapped buses, 200 buses will feature the below artwork done by Metro transit operator Sandra Padilla. Her piece includes images of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Aiyana Jones, a 7-year-old who was killed in a 2010 police raid.

Here’s more, from Metro:

They are names that are integral to the story of the past year:

George Floyd. 
Breonna Taylor. 
Ahmaud Arbery. 

There are far too many other names, too, in recent memory and throughout our history. All of them are part of a tragic narrative: African Americans who lost their lives in large part because of the institutional racism deeply rooted in our country. 

As people from around the world marched in the streets to call for change, we in King County were reminded of our obligation to recognize and address the systemic problems that our African American — and all of our BIPOC communities — face daily. 

At Metro, we know Black Lives Matter. We also know that Black Lives Matter is a movement, not a moment. That movement is a call for all of us to stand together for racial equity — for racial justice across our community. This means we also stand with our Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) community, and grieve the tragic events last week in Georgia. 

All across King County and our country, there is an awakening taking place. An awakening of the national conscience to the brutal reality of racism and bias throughout our society. It is an awakening which we can hope, in time, will have a lasting, positive impact. 

Terry White, General Manager of King County Metro

Metro facilities worker Juan G. Hood III created the below artwork, which will be part of a poster display across all Metro worksites throughout King County.

King County Metro General Manager Terry White says that the new murals are “just a start”: “For us to make things right, we need to fully reconcile what’s gone wrong and what’s still not working.”

“At Metro, we are reimagining safety, security and fare enforcement,” White writes. “We are reaching out to members of the community, working with them to envision what a safe and welcoming Metro looks like for BIPOC members, and co-creating a system that serves and treats everyone fairly and with dignity. We are developing regular forums through which leadership can listen and learn from the personal truths and experiences of employees. “

He continues: “Confronting systemic racism, and taking the necessary steps to fight it, honors the lives lost. As we remember George, Breonna, and Ahmaud, we need to ensure that they, and so many others—both known and unknown—are celebrated, recognized, and remembered. But we also need to continue working and let our actions be the next step toward reaching Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘Beloved Community.'”