Judge Hidalgo : 'Humbled to have been the inspiration' for teen's mural

A new mural in the city of Houston has been been dedicated to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo (D), who took to social media to express gratitude and praise the 15-year-old creator the the mural. According to a release by Houston CBS affiliate Channel 11, the young artist Abby Guerrero chose Hidalgo, as she is the youngest woman to serve as a Harris County chief executive.

“Humbled to have been the inspiration for your breathtaking mural, ‘Free of Judgement’ in Midtown Houston,” the county judge told the artist in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Channel 11, also known as KHOU, reported that the mural is located at 3647 Crawford St. near Axelrad Beer Garden, which is a popular establishment in the area. According to the station, Guerrero chose Hidalgo to show what she means to her and the community. Guerrero spent 40 hours in a four-month span to complete the project, KHOU reported.

Guerrero’s art teacher, Alex "Donkeeboy" Roman Jr., assisted his student with the mural, which was unveiled in a private ceremony that Hidalgo attended, per KHOU. Houston CW affiliate Channel 39 reported that the 16-by-23-foot piece of artwork occupies wall space that was completed crowdfunded, with supplies coming with a price tag of $1,000. 

According to a Houstonia Magazine article, the mural is set to a pink backdrop with the 32-year-old Hidalgo speaking into a microphone saying, “I know what needed to change and I was gonna do it.”

The publication reported that the mural has two other quotes painted: “We need different voices in the government” and “Hold her own.”

Hidalgo was born in Colombia and immigrated to the U.S. as a young girl. She was first elected county judge in 2018 and was re-elected this past fall for a second term.