The Rams partnered with Latina born artist, Michelle Guerrero, better known as 'Mr. B Baby' to beautify Payne P-8 STEAM Academy in Inglewood with a 1,200 square foot mural, titled "The Victory Ride."
The hand-painted piece features Mr. B Baby's signature style that uses elements of her heritage, vibrant colors, and traditional imagery influenced by her Chicano culture. She aims to bring happiness and joy to her community through her work, while also having strong messages intertwined. "We really wanted to celebrate the Hispanic culture. A lot of my work is inspired by my culture, I really wanted to give something beautiful to the school," said Mr. B Baby.
Rams executive vice president of community impact and engagement, Molly Higgins, elaborated on the impact of the mural at the school. "We wanted to leave a lasting impression and celebration of Latino Heritage Month that the kids can enjoy not only this month but throughout the year."
Describing the importance of creating the mural at this school, Mr. B Baby said, "It's important to celebrate the Chicano culture. All the work that I create is to show representation and to make people feel a sense of ownership, a sense of community. I want people to see themselves in the work and feel they're being represented."
Talking about the significance of the mural, Payne principal Shonda Calhoun said, "It reflects who [the students] are. They need to see themselves in everything that they do. It's important for us to [do] this in honor of them."
Working alongside local artist Mr. B Baby, the Los Angeles Rams curated a custom mural for Payne Elementary School to celebrate Latino Heritage Month. Take a look through photos of the event as Rams Cheerleaders, staff, and mascot Rampage celebrated the new mural and gifted copies of 'Ride with Rampage' to the students.
The collaboration with the artist and the school made the Rams proud. "We're really excited for the kids to see this today and have sense of pride for their school and their community," said Higgins.
During the mural unveiling, kindergarten through first grade students at Payne Elementary took part in a Rams Readers session led by mascot Rampage and Rams Cheerleaders. They read the team's children's book, Ride the Rampage, to over 140 students, all of which got to take home a copy of the book and a Rams bookmark.
"We're truly excited to have this opportunity. Our students are excited about the literacy program the Rams [are] sharing with us," said Calhoun.
"[Rams Readers] is designed to spark a love of reading within the kids. We've been to every Inglewood Unified School within the district and throughout the region," added Higgins.
The Rams Readers program is designed to encourage elementary school students to discover the excitement and adventure that reading provides and inspire the imagination of students across Los Angeles. Ride with Rampage serves as the key component of the team's literacy initiative. The book takes readers on a journey with Rampage on a Rams-branded double decker bus around the Los Angeles region, picking up young Rams fans and cheerleaders at each stop along a scenic route to SoFi Stadium. Copies of Ride with Rampage can be purchased at www.ramsfanshop.com, Amazon, as well as online and in select Barnes & Noble locations across Los Angeles. All proceeds from retail purchases will benefit the Los Angeles Rams Foundation.
The mural creates a sense of belonging and something for the students to be proud of, not only during Latino Heritage Month, but all year long. For more information about the Rams' community outreach efforts, visit www.therams.com/community.
