Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, D.C., commissioned eight artists to paint a mural of fifty-foot-high letters spelling out “Black Lives Matter”. The project spans two blocks of 16th Street, a central axis that leads southward straight to the White House. All 16 bold yellow letters span the width of the two-lane street, making it easy to spot by aerial cameras and virtually anyone within a few blocks.
The Washington, D.C., chapter of Black Lives Matter condemned the mural project and stated: “This is a performative distraction from real policy changes. Bowser has consistently been on the wrong side of BLMDC history. This is to appease white liberals while ignoring our demands. Black Lives Matter means defund the police.” stating that it is “a performative distraction from real policy changes.”
The mural has inspired other artists, community activists, and local officials across the nation who are looking for ways to express themselves in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pinned his knee to Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. Similar murals have been painted in big public spaces in Raleigh, N.C. and Oakland, Calif.
