An artist says his mural of a Black woman was defaced last week in Prospect Heights by a neighboring business who decided to use the wall for advertisements.

Vince Ballentine says his mural was covered with Park Deli advertisement posters 24-hours after he painted the mural. 

The posters have been removed, and Park Deli has apologized for the incident.  

Park Deli posted on its social media page: “It was a poor decision to cover over a painting of a Black woman's face not just during Black History Month but at any point in time."

Ballentine says he accepts the apology. He is calling on the community to appreciate art and culture moving forward. He says the mural stands for survival, and he hopes it will inspire others to be resilient when faced with challenges.