Five local artists will commemorate the unsung heroes and history of Jackson Ward through murals they will paint in the historic Richmond neighborhood.

The artists came together to form the U.N.I.T.Y. Street Project — Upholding, Networking, Inspiring, Togetherness in celebration, Yesterday.

With the help of students from local high schools and the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Art, each artist will craft a mural to honor the legacy of Jackson Ward, which was known as the “Harlem of the South” for its thriving African-American business, entertainment and religious community during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The murals will be completed and showcased during the 28th Annual 2nd Street Festival on Oct. 1 and 2, sponsored by Venture Richmond.

The muralists are Hamilton Glass, David Marion, Michon Pittman, Keith Ramsey and Sir James Thornhill.

The panels they will paint are located at the epicenter of historic Jackson Ward — the former Consolidated Bank and Trust building, now Premier Bank, at 1st and Marshall streets.

According to Dawn Cherry, project administrator of the U.N.I.T.Y. Street Project, the murals are designed to serve as an “artistic historical fabric that weaves the noted persons back into the quilt of the neighborhood.”

For more information, including how to volunteer to help with the murals, contact Ms. Cherry at dcherry1965@gmail.com or (804) 687-8296.