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Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence Artifact Collection

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: AmeriKKKA; A white banner that reads 'AMERIKKKA' in red and blue lettering.

: And still we stand; A white poster that reads lengthwise 'And Still WE STAND!!' and there are two red hearts and two 'BLM'.

: And yet she persisted; A piece of brown cardboard reads 'And, yet, she persisted' in black with the text 'Thank you Lady Liberty' in black in the bottom right corner. The cardboard has small punctures in its four corners. The top left corner has a white string tied through it.

: Andre' Murphy, Sr.; A rectangular white poster reads 'Andre Murphy Sr. Jan 7, 2015 / Rest In Power' in black. The poster contains a picture of two adults and one child.

: Andrea Circle Bear; Paper memorial poster reading 'ANDREA CIRCLE BEAR / 30 YRS OLD / APRIL 28, 2020'. Under her name and black and white photo with the phrase 'Defund Disarm, Disband the Police' printed in large white letters in a black box on the bottom right hand corner., Andrea Circle Bear was the first female federal inmate to die of the coronavirus. Ms. Circle Bear gave birth weeks earlier while on a ventilator.

: Angela Beatrice Randolph; Paper memorial poster for Angela Beatrice Randolph. 'Defund, Disarm, Disband the Police' printed in a black square at the bottom corner. There is a hole and a rip, along with some very minor staining in the top center of the poster.

: Anna Brown; A green piece of paper, covered in a clear sheet protector, featuring strips of white paper with black text that reads, 'Anna Brown Sept 21, 2011' and '#SayHerName,' as well as a photo of Anna Brown.

: Another world is on her way; A cardboard sign that reads 'Another World is on her way' with blue paint markings surrounding the words.

: Anthony Ashford; Faded color photo reading 'Anthony Ashford October 27, 2015' and the phrase 'Rest in Power' at the bottom, mounted on a white background., The original artifact is covered in clear packing tape.

: Antihomophobe aktion pride flag; A printed cloth Pride rainbow flag overlaid with a circular black and white logo with interior flags and rounded text that reads 'ANTIHOMOPHOBE AKTION.'

: Antonio Mays, Jr.; A white piece of paper, covered in a clear sheet protector, featuring black text that reads, 'REST IN POWER' and 'Antonio Mays Jr.,' as well as a photo of Antonio Mays, Jr.

: Any successful revolution will be lead by Black women; A white poster reads 'ANY SUCCESSFUL REVOLUTION WILL BE LEAD BY BLACK WOMEN' in red and black., There is duct tape around the board of the artifact and holes in the corners.

: [Arabic text sign]; Horizontal white and blue Amazon mailing package with red text in what may be Arabic., The original artifact is bordered in silver duct tape.

: Aren't you tired of petty racist shit yet?; White paper, on cardboard with blue handwritten text that reads, 'Aren't you tired of petty racist shit yet? Enough! SAD'., The sign is covered in tape, used in an attempt, to protect it from the rain.

: Armenia wants peace; A brown cardboard poster that reads 'ARMENIA WANTS PEACE' in black marker. Also pictured are two hands giving a peace sign. Along the bottom is the text '#st[op]azeriagression', The hands are affixed to the artifact with tape. The bottom of the artifact is stained and dirty.

: Arrest Breonna's killer / How do you spell racist?; A rectangular brown poster reads 'ARREST BREONNA'S KILLER' in black.

: Arrest, impeach, the mofo, already!; A vertically oriented poster reading 'ARREST / IMPEACH / THE MOFO / ALREADY!'. Beneath is a calendar with the days crossed out through April 7., The background is reddish orange. The text is black. 'Impeach' is crossed out.

: Arvel Douglas; A blue poster oriented lengthwise. The poster features a bluescale photo of a person with their hair braided in two cornrows looking directly at the camera. They have a mustache and a close-cut beard, and wear a dark, collared shirt. A strip of paper pasted above the photo reads 'Arvel Douglas Williams 2014'. A strip of paper pasted below the photo reads ' Rest in Power.', Black tape, some tearing, some holes punched along one edge, some wrinkling, a staple, some discoloration. The poster is housed in a clear sleeve.

: Asian American allies / Recognize systemic racism; A cardboard sign reads 'ASIAN AMERICAN ALLIES, WE, Recognize Divide and Conquer tactics! [...]2020' in black marker., The sign was ripped down the middle and repaired with clear tape.

: Askari Roberts; A sign in a plastic sheet protector features a cropped photo of Askari Roberts smiling. The sign reads 'Askari Roberts, March 2015' and 'Rest In Power' in black letters., The age of Mr. Roberts is unclear and has been reported as both 35 and 38.

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Title: Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence Artifact Collection
Date Created: 2021-01-01
Note: This collection contains strong language, references to police brutality, and violent imagery.
Abstract: The Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence Artifact Collection consists of posters, banners, clothing, photographs, and ephemeral objects attached to the Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence (BLM Fence) surrounding Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C, from June 2020 to January 2021. The artifacts were attached to the fence to protest the treatment of Black and Brown communities by police and address various social issues, including racism, LGBTQIA+ rights, women's rights, immigration, international human rights violations, nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court, the 2020 presidential campaign, politicians, and elections. Activists turned the fence into a memorial, an art project, and an outpouring of grief. The BLM Fence suffered vandalism, including near destruction on October 30, 2020. The surviving artifacts were collected by activists and reattached to the new BLM Fence, which remained standing until January 30, 2021. People came from all over D.C. and the United States to add artifacts to the BLM Fence and pay their respects to victims of police brutality. The artifacts were curated and cared for by activists Nadine Seiler and Karen Irwin. Librarian and archivist Aliza Leventhal assisted Ms. Seiler and Ms. Irwin in collecting and inventorying the artifacts from the BLM Fence.

The Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence Artifact Collection is a partnership between DC Public Library, Enoch Pratt Free Library, The Library of Congress, and Howard University. The artifacts were collected and donated by Nadine Seiler and Karen Irwin with assistance from Aliza Leventhal. Enoch Pratt Free Library completed the digitization of the artifacts. Metadata of the artifacts was completed by staff at the DC Public Library and members of the public. A portion of the artifacts are housed at Howard University and may be viewed through Digital Howard.

The artifacts in this collection are arranged in alphabetical order. Original spellings and capitalizations have been retained in the descriptions of the artifacts. Some artifacts contain content on both the front and the back. Those artifacts are grouped, and both items are reflected in the title (example: Black lives matter / Enough ). Click on an artifact to see both sides of the item. To keep as many of the original artifacts in one digital location as possible, included in this collection are 38 artifacts from the BLM Fence collected by the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. The source of these Library of Congress artifacts is noted in the description.

Help us make the Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence Artifact Collection as accurate as possible! If you see information that needs to be updated, please email us at peoples.archive@dc.gov.
Neighborhood: Downtown, Washington, D.C.
City: Washington, D.C.
Subject: Protest posters
Black lives matter movement
Black persons
African Americans
Police brutality
LGBTQIA+ rights
Women's rights
Emigration and immigration
Politics and government
Human rights
Local identifier: blmf
Rights Information: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/
No Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Only
The collection donors have made this collection material available for educational use. The collection materials should not be used for commercial activities and derivative works should not be made.