San Joaquin Valley College custodian with passion for art creates diversity mural honoring women

LANCASTER, Calif. (KABC) — As we continue to celebrate Black History Month, we’re putting the spotlight on a Lancaster custodian who decided to turn his passion for diversity into art for everyone to see.

Marquise Grace is a custodian at San Joaquin Valley College, but he’s an artist at heart.

The college is a family-owned, regionally accredited, private institution that’s preparing students for careers in the medical, business and technical fields.

Now, emblazoned on a wall at its campus, is a mural created by Grace, filled with a diverse group of women professionals.

“We have people from different cultures, different races, and most importantly, what I wanted to represent was women kicking butt,” Grace said of the mural.

Each face in the mural is of an actual person at the college.

“This mural, looking back at it, I can picture the names and the voices and faces of all of the different types of students who have walked into this campus, coming with all of their different challenges, backgrounds and all of the differences that any different group of students face and seeing them all come out successful,” said Campus Academic Dean Sarah Moralez.

For Grace, it’s a monumental moment in his career as an artist.

“It’s a new beginning, whether that’s for women or men, you can come here and have an opportunity to succeed,” he said.

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