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Fruitvale BART

The Fruitvale BART Peace Wall is located in the Fruitvale (Oakland, CA) Bay Area Rapid Transit station.  It was created by 3,000 children ages 10-17, one-third African American, one-third Asian American, and one-third Hispanic American. We began with between five and fifteen hours of the Peace Empowerment Process (PEP) for each class. The young people involved had a chance to taste and savor the new ideas presented to them; they could digest new ways of thinking and acting, and build up their peace muscles and bones.

A dramatically beautiful wall emerged from their work, turning a vacuous modern interior space into an inspiring, breathtaking experience for everyone who enters the train station. The continuity and power of the community is expressed in this living, breathtaking treasure.

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The wall culminates with  a soloist quilt of tiles by two Mexican muralists, Xochitl and Roberto Guerrero. Entitled “The Tree of All Languages,” it says "World Wall for Peace" in all the languages of the Fruitvale district.

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“The Tree of All Languages,” done by adult artists, supports the focal point: a solo group by fourteen-year-old Mario Padilla —"Dove Embracing the World," with a golden peace symbol laid over the earth. Some of the greatest peace tile artists have been fourteen-year-olds; they seem to have a profound depth.