Amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, protests after the murder of George Floyd, and social and political tension in the final year of the first Trump administration, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser commissioned the creation of Black Lives Matter Plaza.
Overnight, local artists took to 16th Street NW and painted a 48-foot-wide piece, with bright, bold yellow letters saying “Black Lives Matter” leading right in front of the White House. On the morning of June 5, 2020, the mayor and other local leaders unveiled the mural to the District, nation and world.
For almost five years, Black Lives Matter Plaza served as a symbol to promote justice and equity, not only in the nation’s capital but nationwide and throughout the world.
“When we created Black Lives Matter Plaza in June 2020, we sent a strong message that Black Lives Matter, and that power has always been and always will be with well-meaning people,” Bowser said in an October 2021 statement announcing the completion of the permanent installation of Black Lives Matter Plaza.
However, for the second Trump administration and some Republican leaders, Black Lives Matter Plaza was not a sign of hope, but became a major target as part of continued efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), parts of Black history (sometimes called critical race theory) and the District’s limited sovereignty through the Home Rule Act of 1973.
Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) introduced legislation that would force D.C. to rename the site “Liberty Plaza” and remove all references to Black Lives Matter Plaza from city records. If the city refused, Congress could have stripped at least $185 million in transportation funding this year alone. Moreover, Clyde has repeatedly pushed to strip Washington, D.C., of its limited self-governance.
With federal threats and District workers losing jobs due to federal furloughs, Bowser decided to remove the famous Black Lives Matter mural.
“The mural inspired millions of people and helped our city through a very painful period, but now we can’t afford to be distracted by meaningless congressional interference,” Bowser said. “The devastating impacts of the federal job cuts must be our number one concern. Our focus is on economic growth, public safety, and supporting our residents affected by these cuts.”
From the first day the installation was unveiled to the day workers began demolishing the mural in March, below are photos chronicling Black Lives Matter Plaza.
