Controversy has erupted in Southington over a proposal to paint over a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.racial equity mural in the center of town.

The proposal calls for a new mural to be painted over the MLK mural on the side of a building at 76 N. Main St. The large mural called “Joy” is highly visible to traffic coming onto North Main Street and was painted in 2021 as part of the MLK39 Mural Project with RiseUp for Arts, according to RiseUp president Matt Conway.

The MLK39 Mural Project celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s life with 39 murals painted across communities in Connecticut.

The mural depicts several local Black children engaged in different activities such as reading, kicking a soccer ball, fishing and running. The mural, created by local artist Emida Roller, celebrates racial diversity.

“This mural brought so many people together,” Roller said. “The process was very engaging and several people from the community helped paint the mural with me over several weeks. It was made to celebrate the diversity in the town. I remember when it was completed, we had a beautiful celebration with hundreds of people that turned out.”

A newly proposed fundraising idea by the Southington Chamber of Commerce seeks to raise money for a new mural honoring Friends of Southington Animal Control, a non-profit dedicated to helping rescue and foster animals in town, according to a town official. But in an email to the Hartford Courant, the FOSAC said it is not involved with the mural project.

“Friends of Southington Animal Control has no involvement in the mural project,” FOSAC President Kitty Lukonis said in an email. “Our mission is to provide assistance to Southington Animal Control and its residents, support the Southington Community with education/allocation of resources and the general well being of animals in Southington.”

Meanwhile, several residents are criticizing the plans as being racially insensitive. A Facebook page created to save the mural garnered over 100 followers on the first day it was created.

“These are kids of color depicted on this mural, and they are real life kids in Southington,” Conway said. “No one reached out to the parents of these kids to my knowledge. This mural celebrates the diversity in the community. It’s really frustrating.”

The mural cost approximately $16,000 and took about two months to complete, Conway said. The mural was also a community-led effort and brought dozens of Southington residents together to help paint the mural with food trucks and festivities. The art piece was dedicated to longtime Southington artist Mary DeCroce, who founded Southington Community Cultural Arts.

“What is most sad is that this mural is in memory of Mary DeCroce, who led the initiative in Southington to get this mural painted,” Conway said. “She died a week before we did the dedication for this mural. That’s just another layer of disappointment to this.”

The Courant reached out to Southington Chamber of Commerce President Barbara Ann Coleman Hekeler but did not receive a response.

It is unclear if any money has been raised for the project so far. The town manager’s office told the Hartford Courant the project is not affiliated with the town. The Southington Chamber of Commerce is a private organization, according to the town manager’s office.

“This mural, a tribute to joy and love, represents the Black and brown children that live in Southington. I have lived here for over 20 years, and I believe that this mural created a sense of belonging and brought people together,” Southington resident Christina Simms said. “It has empowered our children by having their likeness highlighted in our downtown area, allowing them to be seen. This mural is connected to a statewide initiative, and it is something to be proud of. Losing this mural would be devastating to our children and our community.”