Massive MLK mural unveiled on Iowa parking lot

A massive mural of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was unveiled Sunday on a parking lot in Iowa.

The mural, touted as the largest in the United States, is more than 370 feet long and 215 feet wide, WHO-TV reported. Artist Michael Bowser had a dream and began work on June 1, enlisting the help of 35 volunteers and at least 300 gallons of acrylic paint, the television station reported. It is made up of gray slate and black woodchips.

It covers three parking lots in Des Moines, WOI reported. Fittingly, the mural is located at 300 W. Martin Luther King Jr, Parkway, the television station reported.

“I wanted to do the biggest thing I could possibly do myself to send that message of love,” Bowser told WOI, adding that people visiting the mural can scan a code on their phones to learn more about the message behind the mural.

“How many people’s lifetimes do we have to go through before people are treated equal?” Bowser asked the television station.

He said there will be a video to accompany the mural; that can be found here.

“If everyone does the biggest thing they possibly can to push toward equality, to just love one another, and to get rid of the drama, the fighting … we can get there in a very short amount of time,” Bowser told WHO.

Cox Media Group