Bellwood Coffee’s accountability built community and a better mural of Jovita Moore

At least three times a week, I drive by the intersection of Boulevard Southeast and Rosalia Street where a mural of the late local news icon was on display for almost five years.

Painted on the side of a building now occupied by Bellwood Coffee, the mural eventually became part of the background scenery during my commutes.

Some days I smiled when I passed it. Other days I barely noticed it.

But when it disappeared entirely, covered by the owners of Bellwood under a wash of dark gray paint, I felt the absence of the bright colors and Moore’s big smile.

The power of apology, accountability and community was at the forefront of my mind as local artist Tommy Bronx spent several days in the July heat repainting the mural.

Bronx painted the original mural in 2021 and said he was honored to have a second chance, even though the opportunity came out of a painful moment.

Back in April, Bellwood’s owners painted over the mural during renovations for their newest location in Grant Park. Almost immediately, Atlanta residents expressed their dismay and outrage when Moore’s name and likeness was covered with company signage.

The mural had initially been commissioned by Atlanta United as part of a citywide initiative to recognize local changemakers. Bronx painted the original black and white outline of Moore’s face against a background of colorful flowers just a few weeks after her death from aggressive brain cancer.

Moore was a reporter and anchor for Channel 2 Action News from 1998 until her diagnosis and gave much of her time and support to various Atlanta organizations. She was a familiar face in the city, and the mural comforted many residents after her untimely death in 2021 at age 53.

“We watched her every day. She felt like family,” said Bronx. “You got home and turned on the news and she was there.”

To restore community trust, Joel and Charles Norman, founders of Bellwood Coffee, apologized, vowed to act with more consideration in the future and promised to commission a new mural. They gave updates on their progress via social media.

This week, when I saw Bronx painting on lifts and ladders, I made a promise as well. I added Bellwood to the list of neighborhood businesses I support.

Bellwood Coffee is just a bit beyond walking distance for me and I don’t personally know the owners, but watching them accept responsibility instead of denying or deflecting left me with the sense that we share an understanding of the difference between being in a community and being in community.

“Over the last few months, we’ve had the privilege of spending time with the people who knew and loved Jovita Moore best,” wrote Bellwood’s owners on social media. “Their kindness, honesty, and willingness to extend us grace reminded us that community is built through listening, learning, and showing up.”

They added a new menu item, the JoMo, chosen by Jovita’s family, and will donate $2 from every JoMo sold in August to the National Brain Tumor Society.

“It’s an amazing example of how you can turn bad to good,” said Bronx. “It was great to see them do the right thing and put it back up. In the end, everyone came together and rejoiced in her legacy. And now, they are informed.”

Bronx said he wanted to make the second mural even better. He had brunch with Moore’s children and her niece and took notes as they shared memories of Moore. They talked about her big smile and her love of roses.

“I took that conversation into consideration and just started designing and applying as much as I could to the mural,” Bronx said. He captured the right tone in the very first draft of the design.

For Moore’s family, the moment was bittersweet. It wasn’t easy to see the mural painted over. “I felt a lot of feelings,” said Shelby Griffith, Moore’s daughter. “I resonated with the pain the community felt and also, I understood the curiosity and confusion everyone was feeling.”

But the process of working with Bellwood Coffee was eye-opening, she said. “They were humble and open enough to learn and hear the cries of the community, and they wanted to rectify something they had to take fault for,” Griffith said.

Though Griffith knew how important her mom was to the greater Atlanta community, she recognizes that not everyone was aware of that legacy, and she hopes repainting the mural is just the first step in helping them to learn more.

“I don’t want this to happen again,” she said. “I am hoping something more permanent could come out of this, somewhere in the city. The way things ended was abrupt for everyone. They felt like there wasn’t any closure. The community still wants to remember and honor her.”

Atlanta is a city rich with history. Some of that history we know, and some of it we don’t. Murals are just one way that we recognize and hold on to the people or events that have helped make the city what it is.

I’d like to think we can all approach these murals, especially those featuring people in our city, as pieces of history worthy of our curiosity and interest. They are just one way for us to stay connected to the city and retain a sense of pride in our communities.

By recognizing those feelings held by some community members and actively addressing their concerns, the owners of Bellwood Coffee can now share that pride.

We don’t always get second chances, but when we do, it is an opportunity to do better.

“As much as this started as a hurtful and painful story,” Griffith said, “the outcome is something that needs to be cherished and appreciated.”

This is our second chance, so let’s do better.

Read more on the Real Life blog (www.ajc.com/opinion/real-life-blog/) and find Nedra on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AJCRealLifeColumn) and X (@nrhoneajc) or email her at nedra.rhone@ajc.com.