08/10/2026
Last month, Marvin Curtis and I got word from Notre Dame’s Institute for Social Concerns that a new mural was going up on South Bend’s west side, and that Rosemary Sanders would be on it.
If you’ve been following our work, you know Rosemary is the subject of our upcoming feature documentary, Invisible Player. She was the first Black musician to join the South Bend Symphony Orchestra. We were so excited to hear this was happening, and that her legacy would keep living on through public art.
On August 6th, the mural was unveiled in front of the west side community. Rosemary’s daughter Helen was there, along with family who traveled in from Las Vegas, Florida and Michigan. Rosemary’s great granddaughter was there too, standing in front of her own likeness on the wall.
Artist Oscar Joyo did remarkable work. Alongside Rosemary he painted boxer Harold Brazier, community leader Gladys Muhammad and youth leader Charles Martin, with scenes of familiar west side places woven in between them.
We’ve spent a lot of time working to make sure Rosemary’s story isn’t forgotten. Seeing the community do the same thing in with this mural is incredible.
You can see it at Faith Deliverance Center, 1415 Lincolnway West, South Bend, IN
