Five Mile neighbors and students repaint the mural that tells their community's story

A horse, a winding creek and a small schoolhouse have fresh color again along Lancaster Road. Five Mile residents worked with Dallas artist Lakeem Wilson and student volunteers to restore the Five Mile Community Mural in the 5700 block of Lancaster Road. Sunday, Oct. 18, was the third and final day of the work.

Five Mile is a historically Black community in southern Dallas. Its roots go back to formerly enslaved people who became landowners, and the mural celebrates the neighborhood's history as a freedmen's town. The Five Mile Neighborhood Association spent four years organizing the restoration.

The mural first went up in 2017. According to the association, the community had tried and failed to put up a Five Mile welcome sign on private land or Texas Department of Transportation property. Association president Felicia Sewell said former Dallas City Council member Erik Wilson, who represented District 8 and served as deputy mayor pro tem, helped the group get the Lancaster Road wall for the original mural.

For residents, the mural does more than show neighborhood landmarks. It reminds people of a history they have worked for decades to keep alive. "This community over here has been left behind for decades," Sewell said. Repainting the wall is one way neighbors are making sure that history stays visible.

Wilson hopes the restored mural will get more people interested in the community's history and in the people and places that shaped it. Next time you're driving down Lancaster Road, slow down and take a look.

This story is based on reporting by Michael Cuviello of The Dallas Morning News, published by NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth.