A new mural, The Seeker by Danny Simmons, pays tribute to lives lost
The rhythm of remembrance reverberated through Germantown as poet Ursula Rucker took the mic, her voice rising and falling like prayer. Backed by the ethereal guitar work of Tim Motzer, her words opened the mural dedication not as a ceremony, but as ritual. Their performance transformed the gathering into something greater—a reckoning with loss, a call to healing, and a tribute to lives cut short. Just across from a busy corner store at Germantown Avenue and Crowson Street, neighbors gathered to witness the unveiling of a new mural by renowned visual artist and poet Danny Simmons. Titled The Seeker, the work was commissioned by Mural Arts Philadelphia and honors Laure “L.J.” Williams and Amanda Washington, two beloved young people whose lives were taken by gun violence.
“I didn’t know the story of this block when I chose it,” Simmons reflected. “But when I heard about L.J., it gave the mural more meaning. Art needs to live where people live.”
Mural Arts Executive Director Jane Golden spoke to that ethos directly. “We call our murals the autobiography of Philadelphia,” she said. “They’re how we say: You are here. You matter.”
That message struck a deep chord with Michelle Bristster, mother of L.J., who stepped to the podium with quiet resolve. “My baby had a smart mouth,” she said with a tender smile. “But he was mine. He loved his bike. He loved this block. And this Mother’s Day was hard—but I thank y’all for keeping his name alive.”
The ceremony wove personal testimony with public purpose. Douglass Rucker, Executive Director of Chew and Chelten Community Development Corporation, neighborhood historian, and lifelong Germantown resident, brought a fierce honesty to the moment.
“People think I don’t carry trauma,” Rucker said. “But I do. I’ve got bullet holes in my office walls. I think about these kids every night. This is my neighborhood—and I’m proud we’re honoring our own.”
Jude Hussen, representing State Senator Art Haywood, placed the mural into a broader timeline of civic responsibility and historical opportunity. “We’re approaching the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding,” he said. “This is our chance to invest in communities like Germantown. We may never get that chance again.”
As speeches continued, it became clear this was not simply an art installation—it was a collective act of witness, of restoration, and of legacy-building. “This is what it means to show up,” Golden affirmed. “Not just with paint – but with presence. With love. With memory.”
For Simmons, who co-founded Rush Arts and has spent decades cultivating creative space in underserved communities, the project is part of a larger mission. “Give artists space, and they’ll change everything,” he said. “You don’t have to give them much—just the freedom to create. That’s how we transform neighborhoods.”
Golden pledged that Simmons will return for another mural, bringing his Philadelphia total to five. “We’re not done,” she said, “and neither is he.”
Simmons is represented exclusively worldwide by WESTWOOD GALLERY NYC, a partnership that extends his reach while remaining rooted in community-driven work.
As the crowd slowly dispersed and the light softened over Germantown, The Seeker remained—vivid, rooted, and resolute.
A visual promise that Germantown counts.
That Black lives and memories matter.
That grief can bloom into color.
And that art, rooted in community, still heals.
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