Title

Protest signs and artwork on the Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence, Date: 1 August 2020

Coverage

H Street NW and 16th Street NW, Washington, DC, USA

Description

Protest signs and posters on the Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence, located on the north side of Lafayette Park in Washington D.C.

One of the paper signs on the fence reads "In 1916, Racist President Woodrow Wilson signed an executive order designating 'The Star Spangled Banner' as the national anthem. In 1931, the US Congress confirmed the decision. Here is half the 3rd verse as written by racist slave owner, Francis Scott Kelly, about the regiment of slaves freed by the English, called the Colonial Marines. 'No refuge could save the hireling and slave, From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave, And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.'" 

Source

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

Rights

Photographer: Aliza Leventhal

Images are collected in this archive for educational purposes and are not intended for commercial use. Reproduction rights for all images remain with the creators/photographers when we are able to identify them.

We seek to identify artistic creators when they want to be identified, and we respect their rights to protect their identity should they choose to remain anonymous. Please contact us if you are the creator of work in this archive and you wish to be identified or if you wish for your work to be removed from the archive.

Publisher

Urban Art Mapping

Date

2020-08-01

Contributor

LA

Identifier

UAM-GF_3658