Protest signs and artwork on the Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence, Date: 20 November 2020

Title

Protest signs and artwork on the Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence, Date: 20 November 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 an image of the Memorial Fence and the Washington Monument behind it and there is a bike, chairs, coolers, and bags that are in front of the fence. People are in front of the fence and one is holding a poster protesting. Multiple posters read “Stop Killing Us” “Pay A Black Woman Today” “Black Lives Matter” “Resist" “We are the Majority” “Black Trans Lives Matter” “Trump Is A Danger To Us All” “White silence Fuels Domestic [illegible]” “#DefundMPD EndSARS” “Fuck Your Fence” “Join Campaign Zero” “#Say Their Names” “Jesus knows Black Lives Need More Than Thoughts & Prayers” “BLM” “Black Power” “End Qualified Immunity”.

Multiple posters read “Families Belong Together” “All Votes Matter” “Pack Your Shit, Don” “All Votes Matter” “Your Silence is Loud #BLM say their names” “Black Trans Lives Matter” “Black Lives Matter”
There is a pink heart that reads “alvin cole should still be here” “We Keep Us Safe” ”Rest in Power”
“You’re Fired” “Do No Harm.”

There is a poster that has an image of Meagan Hockaday and it reads “Meagan Hockaday 26 Yrs Old March 28, 2015” This is the date where she was shot and killed and the poster further reads “Defund Disarm Disband the Police”

On a yellow poster, it reads “The Revolution will be Accessible [;] Black Disabled Lives Matter”
A strip of fabric reads “RIP Jordan Edwards” and “Michelle Cusseau”

Part of a poster is visible, and it reads “MPD Refund DC”

A blue poster reads “Who’s the Loser Now? You’re Fired! From a Proud Veteran” and next to this reads “You Are Fired !!” that has writing on it and reads “It’s Over [;] Start Packing [;] Time To Concede”

There’s a poster that reads “Sashay away [;] Look how fucking orange you look !” Above this is part of a red poster that reads “National Organization For Women”

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

2020-11-20

Contributor

MM

Identifier

UAM-GF_3756