On a hot summer day, back in 1981, two children played in a grassy area outside of the Bowen Housing unit in Atlanta, Georgia. A large, fresh portrait peeks over their shoulder as the photojournalist snaps this picture. This child, this happy, painted face, is a symbol of every parent’s worst nightmare, and for many parents of Atlanta during this time, it was a harrowing reality.
Ralph Waldrop, an accomplished painter from South Carolina, is the artist behind this mural. It is one out of a series of nine, made as a tribute to the victims of the Atlanta Child Murders. As a father of two young girls, this project struck a deep chord with Waldrop. He described feeling a powerlessness when reading about the murders, and he wanted to contribute to the story in any positive way. Waldrop created these nine billboard-sized murals throughout the city of Atlanta, deliberately choosing locations where many of the victims lived. He paired each portrait of a happy child with a two-word phrase: “Care… Watch.”
