Woodland Youth Use Mural to Express ‘Beautiful Struggle’ of Life

Woodland, CA - This week, a group of students at Cesar Chavez Community School, located at 255 W Beamer St. in Woodland, completed an outdoor mural they say captures their spirit of resilience amid the challenges of school and home life. Painted on the side of a classroom module, the mural displays the words “Beautiful Struggle” surrounded by roses.

Elyse Doyle-Martinez, Brown Issues advisor, local artist, and adult lead for the mural project said the mural took about 7-8 days to complete, with students painting during and after school. Brown Issues is a statewide youth-centered leadership organization building the next generation of Brown leaders through civic engagement, social-emotional health support, and narrative change.

On one end of the mural, a fist emerges with a diploma in hand. Asked about its significance, Doyle-Martinez said, “For students at Chavez, graduating is their main goal no matter what their struggle looks like on or off-campus. Once you graduate, no one can take your diploma away from you.”

County Superintendent Garth Lewis met with some of the student artists on Wednesday, January 26. Lewis said, “The mural speaks to the resilience of our students without denying the hardships they have taken on.” Funding for the paint and materials was provided by a mini-grant awarded by the Yolo County Office of Education.

The mural will now greet all who enter the campus and is visible from the main street. School leaders plan to host an open house to debut the mural once local health conditions improve.

Additional information on Cesar Chavez Community School is available on the Yolo County Office of Education website at www.ycoe.org.