Agua Por Vida Murals, A Community Effort!

The Agua Por Vida murals were a 1.5 year process that has built on the Sleepy Lagoon Memorial Project. East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice (EYCEJ) led on 3 community engagement events that informed the mural elements- highlighting Sleepy Lagoon and all waterways, indigenous peoples and the Tongva peoples still caretaking this land, and Pachuco/Zoot Suit culture; all with the theme of hope, resilience, and joy.

These murals were spearheaded by Eastside of the River, with the support of the city of Maywood, YMCA, Tina & Jessa Calderon, and Communities for a Better Environment.

Arturo Gonzalez, a Chicano muralist and artivist, details his experience growing up in East Los Angeles, as he finishes a mural dedicated to the Sleepy Lagoon case of 1942, a monumental event in Chicano history.

Video by @blueaptfilms