Mural honoring musician Gil Scott-Heron unveiled in downtown Jackson

JACKSON, Tenn. — The Jackson community honors a world-renowned musician.

A new mural was revealed in downtown Jackson in honor of Gil Scott-Heron on Friday morning.

Prior to becoming a musician, author, and poet, Gil Scott-Heron spent most of his formative years here in Jackson, were he was one of the first three African American students to integrate Tigrett Middle School.

Wendy Trice Martin, President of the Society for African American Cultural Awareness (SAACA), states her passion behind the celebrations.

“We’re just excited, ecstatic to be able to celebrate him and to be able to make this an annual event,” Trice Martin said. “Because he, when young boys and girls, from Jackson, Tennessee, they need to know, know the name Gil Scott-Heron, and what he’s done, for the contributions that he’s done for this city.”

James Cherry, president of the Griot Collective of West Tennessee, tells of the example Scott-Heron leaves behind.

“Anything is possible in your life, if you make the right decisions, if you do what you are supposed to do and you work hard, the world is wide, and has many possibilities,” Cherry said. “So Gil Scott-Heron is an example of this. He comes from an era where it was segregated, but yet he was, he used his talent that he had, he was very skilled at writing and that got him academic scholarships. So from those scholarships, he continued to develop into a artist.”

Rose Newhouse is the mural artist, and she shares what doing this project has meant to her.

“I feel like I’m a part of history,” Newhouse said. “And my children and grandchildren, and great grandchildren are gonna be like, ‘My grandma painted this of this historic man, and so mom, grandmom, and great-grandmom, is a part of history too.'”

The celebrations will end with a concert at The Amp starting at 5 p.m. Saturday evening.

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