Mayor Ras Baraka, the City of Newark, British artist Killy Kilford and Newark youth from four schools began the posting of hundreds of street signs to motivate and inspire residents with hope and optimism, under the “Happy Street” initiative, at a ceremony in Newark’s Central Ward in a high foot-traffic area.
The signs, being designed by the artist and Newark youth from Central, HS Arts HS, Sojourn HS, and St. Benedict’s, will contain inspirational and positive messages, and be posted all across the City, including in City Hall, starting today. The signs will have messages like “Less Drugs, More Hugs,” and ‘Follow Dreams, Not Crowds,” and other slogans created by participants, who are coming from Newark schools and youth detention centers.
“We are really looking forward to working with Killy Kilford to bring Happy Street signs to Newark. We hope that these signs will provide our residents with motivation and inspiration as they read them while walking through the streets of their neighborhood. The part about this project that makes me most excited is that we were able to engage our youth to come up with the wording that will go on the signs. Some of these slogans and phrases are really positive and uplifting. This is a great way to give residents a sign of hope and optimism…with an actual sign to remind them of hope and optimism,” says Mayor Baraka.
Mr. Kilford’s interest in Newark began arbitrarily, having never set foot in the City, from reading crime stories. He reached out to Mayor Baraka three months before the mayoral election, impressed by the Mayor’s work as a poet, and Mayor Baraka readily agreed to support the program.
100 signs will be installed on October 15, and in the remaining months of 2014, 100 more signs will be installed across the City.
