Together We Stand, United We Rise

At the end of May 2020, Red Hat made a statement in solidarity with the Black community and Black Lives Matter movement following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. In early June, protests had spread nationwide, including demonstrations in Raleigh NC, home of  Red Hat Tower, the global headquarters. The Red Hat Tower had been mostly empty since mid-March due to COVID-19. After suffering some damage to the lower street facing windows of the Tower, Red Hat decided to have them boarded up. We realized that this created a giant canvas ready for a message in our local community to show that we stand in solidarity with the Black community.

 

Red Hat Open Studio collaborated with Red Hat's B.U.I.L.D. (Blacks United In Leadership Development) community to make a statement. Over the course of two days, we met new faces (socially distanced and masked), we laughed, we listened to music, we shared stories and we finished the mural together. This mural serves as a testament to Open Studio’s commitment to listen and learn from the Red Hat B.U.I.L.D. and Black communities, and that creativity can bring communities together in the face of adversity.