United South End Settlements regarding the graffiti defacement of our building

Yesterday we were saddened and angered to learn that our building, the Harriet Tubman House, located at 566 Columbus Avenue, was vandalized with graffiti containing inaccurate messages concerning the preservation of the iconic Honor Roll mural, created by the late artist Jamal Parker. Clearly this must have been done by people who do not know, care about, or respect our neighborhood or United South End Settlements' (USES) long history of service to this community.
We are thankful for the hundreds of neighbors and South End organizations who have supported USES and given constructive feedback regarding the difficult decision to sell 566 Columbus Avenue. We are grateful that this resource will preserve USES for future generations of mostly black and brown families living in low income households in Boston, while ensuring that the new development will also meet community needs important to us like nonprofit space and affordable housing. USES's mission has always been centered on disrupting the cycle of poverty. For more than a century, and in the spirit of Harriet Tubman, we have demonstrated that Black Lives Matter and promoted and showcased Black art.
For the record, preserving the iconic Honor Roll mural has always been a top priority for USES and New Boston Ventures. We have worked with the artist's widow Carolyn Parker, esteemed architect David Lee and others on how best to preserve the mural. Preserving the mural is not just about preserving public art but also about preserving an important part of our neighborhood and African American history.
A few days prior to this incident, there was a march by a small group of dissenters, many of whom do not live in this community. Their goal is to preserve a building. Ours is to continue providing much-needed services for the mostly Black and Brown families we serve today, and into the future, especially now as our families are being hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic.
We respect free speech. We respect difference of opinion. We also believe that vandalizing the public view of the mural and defacing a building is not only shameful, but also destructive and disrespectful.