It was just a garage in a small town. Then she made it a statement about women's rights
She's not done yet. She plans to fill all four sides with messages that speak out on hot topics.
Shelly StallsmithHeidi Cox is hoping her garage will spark positive conversation.
The stay-at-home mother of two was tired of feeling frustrated over the state of current events: women’s rights, LGBTQ, immigration. So a month ago the Maryland native pulled out a paintbrush and some paint and went to town on her detached garage.
She painted her thoughts on the outside walls, visible from South Queen and Oak streets in Spry.
“It all started with women’s rights,” Cox said Wednesday afternoon. “And a lot has to do with LGBTQ. I’m just an average citizen and I thought what ‘could I do?’.”
She started simply, with the words “LGBTQ and Women’s Rights = Human Rights.”
Friends and family joined in. Her husband, sister, brother-in-law and best friend added their thoughts.
“Know your power.”
“My body my choice.”
“I raise up my voice, not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard.”
“Love thy neighbor.”
“It may be called uterus, but it’s utermine.”
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Cox hopes to fill all four sides of her garage. Her latest words are a quote posted at the base of the Statue of Liberty and the theme is immigration.
But there are more that words on her walls. There are peace signs, rainbows and the Statue of Liberty.
Cox readily admits she’s no artist. She’s a recent college graduate looking for a career in human services who has deep feelings.
“These kind of issues aren’t hush-hush,” she said. “They are our rights and are important to talk about.”
They are the kind of things she talks about with her children, Jaden (11) and Lucy (7).
Cox and her family live on the main drag in Spry, surrounded by businesses, residences and a church or two. So far, the response to her garage has been positive by those around her, she said.
A passerby stopped his truck as he was driving on Oak Street, lowered his window and said, “That looks pretty good, doesn’t it?”
“I wasn’t sure what to expect,” she said. “People stop and talk about it.”
And that’s exactly what she wants.
