I chose to write about the mural of Anne Frank painted on the side of Partner’s, because it is located on one of my favorite spots in New Haven and has sparked many conversations because of its specific placement. After reading “Diary of Anne Frank” in fifth grade, I was deeply influenced and fascinated by Anne Frank and her tragic story as many people are. In the book, she is growing up and writing about typical teenage girl experiences that I related to at the time but, simultaneously living in a situation beyond imagination in its terror and inhumanity. I got to visit her home later on and was greatly affected when I was physically standing in the home she hid in for 25 months. I love how it depicts her smiling with pure joy and the way the artist, Believe in People, used only the stark contrast of black and white to depict this iconic image that we can all recognize immediately. Independently I love this mural and what it represents in honoring her and her bravery, yet its placement in New Haven is extremely bizarre to me. After dancing at Partner’s and leaving through the front door, it’s jarring to see groups of people drinking and smoking in front her image. It feels almost disrespectful to have this serious and meaningful image placed where no one is actively looking at it and admiring it. Or maybe I have the wrong mindset, and by having her integrated into the cityscape in a place people enjoy and visit often is a move of great respect and remembrance.