The Pacoima community gathered on Saturday, March 26 to honor a cherished local icon — showcasing a new mural that celebrates the legacy, family and accomplishments of Hillery T. Broadous, while also documenting the landmarks and history of his beloved hometown.
Principal Victoria Littlejohn helped unveil the new mural at Hillery T. Broadous Elementary School. The centerpiece of the 145 feet x 27 feet artwork is a portrait of Broadous and displays the contributions he and his family made to the community.
Broadous ‘ leadership helped grow Pacoima — one of the San Fernando Valley’s oldest communities — from a small agricultural town to a bustling, unique, diverse suburban corner of greater Los Angeles.
“The Broadous name remains a symbol of giving for the San Fernando Valley, and all of Los Angeles County,” former L.A. City Councilman, state Senator and Assemblyman Richard Alarcón said in a statement. “The Broadous family has cut across all sectors of the community, including business and social justice issues. I think it’s extremely important to document that history, not only of the prominence of Latino and African-American communities in the San Fernando Valley, but also how Hillery represents the foundation of this community.”
Broadous founded Pacoima’s Calvary Baptist Church in 1955. He also helped lead the fundraising effort to create Hubert H. Humphrey Memorial Park. And he helped organize the San Fernando Valley Chapter of the NAACP.
The mural, created by Juan Pablo Reyes and a team of artists, features a portrait of a beaming Broadous as its centerpiece.
“Easter eggs” featured in the mural include a heart-shaped rose pin on Broadous’ lapel — representing his wife, Rosa L. Broadous — and 33 butterflies representing the extended Broadous family. Rosa, who joined her husband in founding Calvary Baptist, was also a significant religious, community and cultural figure in Pacoima.
The artwork also serves as a testament to the community’s history, including images of orange groves, the “Pacoima rock” welcome sign and a reference to the tragic plane crash that claimed the life of rock ‘n’ roll pioneer and hometown hero Ritchie Valens.
At the request of the school’s students, images were included to reflect the school’s devotion to the STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art Mechanics) program. And a Bronco, the school’s mascot, is also prominent.
Students got the chance to fill in the spaces on special “coloring page” versions of the mural on Saturday.