Street Artist Faith47 Paints Massive New "Equalitas" Mural in Midtown East

South African street artist Faith XLVII (Faith47) recently finished a massive mural on the side of Olympia House at 279 E. 44th Street in Midtown East. Here is what the artist said about the piece, titled Equalitas:

Organized by @streetartformankind

An ode to one of the ILO’s global goals of Woman Economic Empowerment.

There has been great progress in the push for gender equality in the workplace, and we need to acknowledge and be grateful to those who have fought in the last century for woman’s rights, who in the 1920's stood firmly to bring us the right to vote and in the 1960’s introduced progressive legislations paving the way for us to be able to live independently and as equals to our fellow men.

However we understand that the process of empowerment is a something that happens over time and that there is much still much work to be done.

The statistics show that in many communities woman still face discrimination and lack the access to education and to employment that they should have.

Humanity, and the planet earth, with its animals and plants and organisms, face a critical time as it urgently calls for sustainable options moving forward. As we witness the rise of increasing polarization in society we believe that the empowerment of women will bring about solutions to some of these issues.

The balance the of masculine and feminine perspective is a necessary part of the healing process of the planet.
Not only in the role of gender, but in the psyche of each one of us.

It is a vital time for the female perspective to be heard.

This is about the Voice, the mind, the heart and developing intuition and valuing empathy. Owning the right to making decisions about our own bodies. About nurturing nature. And respecting the dignity of others.

We want to see more women in decision making positions, We want to see more representation of woman, specifically women of color in government. We congratulate Rwanda in its achievement of 61% women in congress, followed by Cuba and Bolivia, Today America sits a lowly 21% women in congress.

It is time to demand that our workplaces and institutions become more gender responsive and work in solidarity to assist in the creation of more inclusive societies.