Protest signs and artwork on the Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence, Date: 04 November 2020
Protest signs and posters on the Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence, located on the north side of Lafayette Park in Washington D.C.
There are white flags that are in the ground and a big billboard that reads “In America How could this happen… 232,657. IG: @InAmericaFlags [;] suzannefirstenberg.com IG:@SFirstenberg” These were the flags that represented the amount of Americans who died from COVID-19.
There are spray-painted words on the ground that read “Jesus loves Black people” and “Agrees that Black Lives Matter.” The word “Jesus” is the only word that is in orange and the rest have been written in white.
There is a poster that has an image of Barack Obama on the right-hand side. On the left-hand side is a black panther hidden in the grass, and Donald Trump, who is behind bars, which reads “Tick Tock Bunker Bitch” and is underneath the panther. There is also a depiction of grass as the background of the poster. In the shape of a heart reads the words “Black Lives Black Love Black Power Solidarity ” The poster also reads “No Justice No Peace!” and there are words in Obama's hand that seem to show that he is speaking, and it reads “They here.” On Obama’s tie, it has the black power fist and reads “Black Lives Matter” and the rest of the words are illegible.
There is a pink poster that reads “The Fight Against The Establishment Continues” and the Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence is in the background.
The Black Lives Matter Memorial fence was a temporary chainlink fence installed in the area north of Lafayette Park and the White House from June 2, 2020, until January 30, 2021. The fence prevented public access to the area, and it also served as an important site of protest and self-expression.
Activist Nadine Seiler played a crucial role in protecting and caring for the fence, along with Karen Irwin and other activists in a loosely-formed group informally known as the "Guardians of the Fence." Nadine Seiler and Aliza Leventhal systematically documented the fence over the course of months, and Seiler became the de facto curator of the fence.
Additional information:
Library of Congress blog post "Protest Preserved: Signs from D.C.'s Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence"
D.C. Public Library Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence Artifact Collection”
Urban Art Mapping
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MM
Photographer: Aliza Leventhal
H Street NW and 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C., USA
Send Racists Back Under Their Rocks
A poster on a utility box reading "Send Racists Back Under Their Rocks" in red, white, and blue. Graffiti next to this reads "Vote w/ bricks."
Urban Art Mapping Research Project
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Photograph by Sally Pemberton
UAM-GF_1709
Minneapolis, MN, USA