An African-American family of three and railroad tracks are the first images to catch the eye in the North End Mural, which is located on the side of a building at Fifth and Park streets in Champaign. This mural was created in 1978 by Angela Rivers.

Rivers, who was born and raised in Champaign, led a discussion Wednesday about the importance of the mural.

“The mural was created to represent the struggles of the first African-American families that pioneered their way to the Champaign area after the Civil War and to show the history of the black community in Champaign,” Rivers said. “This mural has been a symbol of the black community since it was finished in 1978.”

The fact that there is no graffiti on the mural, while all of the other walls of the building have been damaged many times, shows the community’s respect for the painting, Rivers said.

“This event was a good opportunity to promote the arts throughout our community,” said Sharon Irish, one of the coordinators of the discussion. “We applied for the Frances P. Rohlen Visiting Artist Fund and received the grant, which made this event possible.”

Rivers said Champaign’s African-American community has been changing since the 1970s.

“The difference between the Champaign community now (and in the 1970s) is that back then, I lived in the typical African-American community. Everyone either knew you or knew your family. You couldn’t get away with anything,” Rivers said. “Today, the community lacks that sense of being a collective group.”

Although the community has changed over time, others who attended the event said the mural can still have personal meaning for residents. Sam Smith, Champaign resident of 25 years, said he remembers walking past the mural in the past.

“After walking by the mural every time I attend the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church for 25 years, the mural has become an important depiction of the struggle of African-Americans in the community and as a nation as a whole,” said Smith, who was also instrumental in setting up the event.

Rivers spoke Wednesday as part of a week of events educating citizens about the history of the North End community and mural.

The paint of the mural has been worn away by 31 years of weather and lacks the bright colors that it once had, Rivers said.

Smith said he was one of few people to contact Rivers about restoring the mural to its original state, though Rivers said she is still hesitant about the idea.

“At first I was completely against restoring it. It served its purpose and there was a reason for it to be done,” Rivers said. “Now, if the mural would be restored, I would want them to restore the original mural and to add a new mural that represents the community in this period of time on a wall right next to it.”