HOUSTON – The John Biggers' mural at the Blue Triangle Multicultural Association building in the 3rd Ward has withstood the test of time but Monday U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee looked to preserve it.
The paint is cracked and the roof over the mural is incapable of withstanding a major storm.
"If there was a heavy snow like what we're experiencing in Washington (D.C.), literally this roof would collapse," Jackson Lee said.
However, the sentiment of Biggers' mural will last a lifetime. It depicts the journey of black women when they came to America and endured years of slavery.
"Harriet Tubman's really at the top of the list because she had the pride and she had the stamina and she was brave enough to do what she did with the Underground Railroad," said Charlotte Kelly Bryant, the executive director of Blue Triangle.
The center began as a place for black women and girls to meet and learn but has evolved to include all races and genders.
"Our young people need today to know and link from the past to this point and that's what this mural does. It shows you what the early days were in America," Bryant said.
On Monday, Jackson Lee wanted to get the ball rolling and the money flowing to help restore what Biggers created.
'Today I'm calling on the people and corporate Houston to embrace an iconic fixture," Jackson Lee said.
All told, to fix the roof and restore the mural it's going to take an estimated; $1 million to $2 million.
Congresswoman looks to preserve local historic mural.