King County Unveils Black Lives Matter Metro Buses

SEATTLE — Two drivers designed new art for several King County Metro buses, inspired by the ongoing fight for racial justice and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Terry White, Metro's general manager, writes:

"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."

Metro unveiled the designs Thursday, showcasing the artistic talents of two of its Black transit operators. Sandra Padilla created a portrait of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Aiyana Jones, a 7-year-old girl killed by a Detroit police officer during a raid in 2010. Metro said Padilla's design will be displayed on the outside of 200 buses.

Two 60-foot coaches are now fully-wrapped art designed by Robert Horton and feature the text "King County Metro knows Black lives matter."

Posters designed by Juan G. Hood III, who works as a custodian in the facilities division, will be displayed at Metro facilities across King County.

King County Metro said the new art is just the beginning of a community conversation and part of a more broad effort to confront systemic racism.

"At Metro, we are reimagining safety, security and fare enforcement," White said. "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."

Hear from the artists in the video below: