ANGIE DURRANT – CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR
On May 24, 2022, parents in the small Texas town of Uvalde sent their elementary school students to school like any normal day, but what they were not expecting was for tragedy to strike. At around 11:30 a.m. that day, an 18-year-old man changed the lives of an entire city, and in turn, affected the entire nation. The shooting at Robb Elementary School is one of the deadliest mass shootings in American history and in modern times, with 21 innocent lives taken from the world too soon.
After the tragedy that struck the nation on that day, the city in mourning desired to do something for everyone who was lost on that horrific day. A professor at the local community college in Uvalde, Abel Ortiz, produced the idea of having a walking tour of murals to remember all the victims involved in the shooting. That idea is exactly what was brought to life. Twenty-one murals line the town of Uvlade to remember those lost by showcasing what their family and friends knew them as. Among those murals is one of a little girl by the name of Lexi Rubio. Lexi was a 10-year-old student at Robb Elementary who was full of life and knew exactly what she wanted to do in life. Her mom, Kimberly Rubio, says that her daughter wanted to follow in her footsteps and attend St. Mary’s University when she was older. She wanted to major in math, which was a subject her mom would never understand. But nonetheless, she fully supported Lexi in her desires. Eventually, down that path, she wanted to study law just like her mom. Lexi also enjoyed playing both basketball and softball with the hope of getting a softball scholarship when the time came. She was a shy person but was still incredibly competitive.
Lexi’s mura; is located near the Courthouse in downtown Uvalde. At first, it was at a different location in town, but after some convincing, Mrs. Rubio got a different building to allow the artwork to be tattoed on. Her mural now sits on a beautiful two-story building that is not only in a central part of town but is a place incredibly special to Mrs. Rubio. The painting of her daughter overlooks the very parking lot in which Mrs. Rubio parks her vehicle to go to work every single day. On days when she goes to work, she is now greeted by her daughter’s smile, which she says was “such a contagious smile”, that spreads joy to everyone she encountered.
All of the Rubios were incredibly involved in the process of creating the artwork. All featured images were inspired by the little things that Lexi enjoyed the most like sunflowers, softball, basketball, and a Libra sign because “she was a very proud Libra,” Mrs. Rubio said. They insisted that there be five butterflies on the mural, representing the number of siblings she left behind. It was both an emotional and exciting experience for everyone because they got to honor Lexi in a way that highlighted her personality and life. The whole family sat some nights and watched as the artists worked together to create a wonderful piece of art to honor their daughter and sister.
The artists that created the mural, Ruben Esquivel and Carmen Rangel, wanted to create something that gave the family “a place for healing and reflection. A place for laughs and some tears,” said Esqueviel in an Instagram post about Lexi’s mural. With all the tragedy surrounding this horrible situation in Uvalde, these murals bring a happier light to the town. As the nation moves forward in the fight to end school shootings Mrs Rubio says, “[We need to] learn from Uvalde, [have] better-trained police and remind people to use [their] voice [and] vote.”