Ode to West Philly

Ode to West Philly by Ras Malik is located in the West Philadelphia neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The mural honors West Philadelphia through a montage of familiar local sites, including Mercy Hospital (the mural’s sponsor), a number of Market Street storefronts, and the Market-Frankford elevated train.

The mural was first created in 1997 and then reenvisioned in 2002. In the original mural, there was just one boy and he was raising a basketball over his head. According to one community leader, this was symbolic of the community aiming for a brighter future. In 2002, the young man was changed from basketball player to graduate and is shown holding a diploma instead of a basketball. A young woman was also added next to him.

There are two stories explaining why the mural was changed. The first story is that the artist ran into the boy who posed for the mural several years later and wanted to paint a more recent image of him. Another story is that a neighborhood woman wanted the mural to encourage young people to reach for scholastic goals rather than athletic goals and worked to have the mural changed. Both stories have elements of truth to them.

Location Note: Mural is located on the east side of the health center building.