"Be the Bridge," Community Mural Institute Master Class with GoodSpace Murals, 2023

"Be the Bridge" is a mural honoring the late Jafet Robles as well as the Connecticut River Valley YouthBuild. According to Joesiah Gonzalez, Director of NNCC Youth Services and member of the Springfield School Committee, “This mural is a tremendous opportunity to celebrate the young people of YouthBuild and the importance of both reaching out to help others and to take hold of the hands that are extended to you. By partnering with Common Wealth Murals we were able to involve the students, family, and the neighborhood in the painting of this mural which we hope will inspire others for many years to come."

Jafet Robles was a North End resident who was murdered in 2017. Maria Elena Letona, the executive director of Neighbor to Neighbor at the time of Jafet’s murder, wrote “Jafet was our Springfield Chapter lead organizer. More than that, Jafet was the heart of N2N’s organizing work. He was fierce, fearless and relentless in his work to end mass incarceration. He had deep, passionate love for Puerto Rico, her people, and her independence. He quickly would become curious, find out on his own, and readily embrace the struggles of all people, keenly understanding that all our struggles are connected deep at the roots. His love for his work was only surpassed by the love for his people. He fought for your liberation, for my liberation, for the liberation of us all. Jafet challenged us all to think deeply and intentionally on our legacy: “What do you want to be remembered for?”

The mural was designed by GoodSpace Murals and painted by 6 local artists participating in a Community Mural Institute Master Class. Jafet’s family and friends, and hundreds of North End residents helped to paint the mural. The Community Mural Institute is co-facilitated by GoodSpace and Common Wealth Murals and trains artists in community-engaged mural making.

This mural was painted using the GoodSpace Murals method of community-engaged mural making.

IG: @community.mural.institute @goodspacemurals

This mural is located at 197 Plainfield St.