Billboard message transcends COVID-19 to racism
Graffiti artist alters UW Credit Union advertisement in wake of George Floyd murder.
A UW Credit Union billboard promoting togetherness during the coronavirus has turned into a conversation starter about racism and social justice.
A can of spray paint turned a UW Credit Union billboard promoting togetherness during a public health crisis into a conversation starter about racism and social justice.
In March, UW Credit Union in Madison, Wis., deployed a billboard with the message, “Even when we’re apart, we stand together,” to support the community during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The billboard was due to be replaced last week, but when crews went to remove it, they found a graffiti artist had spray painted “George Floyd” over the bottom third of the billboard.
“I didn’t immediately see the vandalism or graffiti. I was just struck by how the graffiti artists chose the message and added George Floyd to it,” says Anne Norman, chief marketing officer at the $3.3 billion asset credit union. “And then it transcended the COVID-19 pandemic to the current conversation about racism and social justice.”
Protests and conversations about racism and social justice have flooded the country in the wake of the murder of George Floyd on May 25. Norman learned about the billboard in an email from the outdoor advertising company.
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