Title

Protest signs and artwork on the Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence, Date: 30 October 2020

Coverage

H Street NW and 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C., 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.

There is a black and grey photo transfer of a child and his mother and on their shirts it reads “Don't Deport My Mom” and this photo transfer is on plywood that is on a building with red painting. Next is a poster that is a drawing of a man holding a growing tree that have blue, grey, yellow and red colors for the flowers and butterfly, and the words read “Sprout Hope” and “Que Nazca la Esperanza” which translates to Let Hope Be Born. Underneath this reads “Freedom for Migrant Children.”

There's a pole that has five stickers on it. Three of the stickers have five blue feathers and it reads “Build Peace.” The other two stickers have two hands that are held up that read “What is in your hands to build peace?” and have different statements written on the hands such as “Witness” “Discomfort” and other words that are illegible. This fence has multiple posters that read “Do You See Trump Cheating?” “Trump Is A Danger To Us All” “Remove Trump” “Axis of Evil Male Supremacy White Supremacy Wealth Supremacy”” Black Lives Matter” “Black Voters Matter” and “Black Trans Lives Matter” with the last on a trans flag. There is a cardboard poster that reads “You Can't Silence Us Black Lives Matter” that is washed out from the rain. Another poster reads “Protect Black Womxn” and another poster reads “Talk First Shoot Never.”

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

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Publisher

Urban Art Mapping

Date

2020-10-30

Contributor

MM