Protest signs and artwork on the Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence, Date: 29 November 2020

Title

Protest signs and artwork on the Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence, Date: 29 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 a stylized poster of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. It shows her wearing pins that read “I dissent” and the symbol representing female sex. The poster itself reads “The Majority Opinion!”

Multiple posters read “Concede You sullen, irascible, misogynistic, racist MAN-CHILD” “#GunsDownFriday Maurice Scott #Say His Name” “…in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor” “Cops Support Racists #Fuck12” “Abolish Prisons Save Black Lives”.

A poster reads “11/06/2020 You’re Fired! Get out of MY House!” and there is small writing on this that reads “Amen To This”

The poster is a lavender color and has an image of an eye in the middle with a teardrop as the pupil and circles extending outwards from the eye and it reads “We Are The Ones We’ve Been Waiting For” encircling the eye.

There is a transgender flag on the fence that is pink, white, and blue and reads “Black Trans Lives Matter."

There is part of a green poster that shows an eye that is over a pyramid.

There is a poster that reads “Cops Who Murder Turn in Your Badge” which has been rained on and the color is bleeding. There is a washed-out drawing of a cop badge and with the word “murder” there are blood stains drawn.

There is a poster of a postage mailbox with two envelopes, and it reads “Thank a Postal Worker Today”

There is a poster that has names of Black Trans Women who were victims of police brutality, and it reads “Dana Martin, 31; Ellie Marie Washtock, 38; Ashanti Carmon, 27; Claire Legato, 21; Muhlaysia Booker, 23; Michelle ‘Tamika’ Washington, 40; Paris Cameron, 20; Titi Gulley, 31; Chynal Lindsey, 26; Chanel Scurlock, 23; Zoe Spears, 23; Brooke Lindsey, 32; And Thousands More. Protect Black Trans Women. Rest in Power.”

There is a poster that reads “A…racisthomophobiczenophobicislamophobiclyingthievingunfaithfulconnivingunpatriotccowardlydumballegedpedophileallegedrapistmisoginisticcrankydimwittedcravendaughter-oglingsmall-handedwhoringvaingreedydraft-dodgingwhinyAFman-baby……says what?” and it has an image of Donald Trump’s head on it with a speech bubble coming from him that reads “What?” and in the corner of the poster reads “Biden 20[star symbol]”

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

2020-11-29

Contributor

MM

Identifier

UAM-GF_3765