PEORIA, Ill. – Juneteenth-inspired artwork now adorns a CityLink bus that largely serves the African-American community.
Brenda Pagan describes the scene she created for the CityLink bus honoring Juneteenth. (Will Stevenson/1470 & 100.3 WMBD)
It’s a first time initiative for CityLink. Bus 2245 now has a city scene designed by Brenda Pagan, a founding member of the Peoria Guild of Black Artists.
It has depictions of Black residents on it, inspired in part by a picture of Pagan’s father as a child.
It also has various city scenes on it, from the Scottish Rite Cathedral to a Catholic church, and a skyscape described as both “heavenly” and “pastoral.”
“I wanted to create a scene that looked towards that hopeful future of freedom, while also celebrating how far we’ve come,” said Pagan.
The unveiling was hosted by the Minority Business Development Center in South Peoria.
Bus 2245 will have the special wrap on it for the next year. The Greater Peoria Mass Transit District says it will circulate throughout the CityLink fixed route service area, including Peoria, Peoria Heights, West Peoria, East Peoria, and Pekin.
