Less than five years after its construction, Black Lives Matter Plaza is now being removed, following pressure from Congress. The removal of this historical mural comes after President Donald Trump’s administration pledged to eliminate “wokeness” from American society.
The deconstruction is projected to take six to eight weeks, and will cost about $610,000, according to NBC Washington. Construction workers began to remove Black Lives Matter Plaza on March 10 after Republican members of Congress threatened to cut Washington, D.C.’s transportation funding.
Located in downtown D.C. on 16th Street, Black Lives Matter Plaza was built to commemorate the historical protests that took place after the May 2020 murder of George Floyd— an unarmed Black man killed by police in Minnesota.
Republican Representative Andrew Clyde of Georgia proposed a bill that would cut millions of dollars in federal funding to the district unless the mural was removed and the area renamed to “Liberty Plaza.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser agreed to the removal of the landmark after pressure from the White House to remove the mural, to align with Trump’s campaign stance of pushing for a federal “takeover” of D.C., according to NBC Washington.
In a statement posted on X, Bowser encouraged people to focus on the impacts of federal job cuts and other pressing matters instead of the removal of the 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. The devastating impacts of the federal job cuts must be our number one concern,” Bowser said.
The mayor previously visited Mar-a-Lago in Florida to meet with Trump post-election, publicly highlighting their shared views on further developing the infrastructure of D.C.
While Bowser has vowed to support D.C. residents, she is also navigating the political landscape, where Republican members of Congress have repeatedly threatened to intervene in the district’s governance.
“Our focus is on economic growth, public safety and supporting our residents affected by these cuts,” Bowser said.
In an interview with NBC Washington, Kaye Wise Whitehead—professor at Loyola University Maryland—said the United States is witnessing a huge shift in how social movements are perceived.
Whitehead explained that with the emergence of the new administration, Americans share differing opinions about topics of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and the erasure of historic programs in black history and women’s history.
“We’re now seeing that the next step is removing or covering up these visual representations that were so important during the Black Lives Matter Movement,” Whitehead said.
Reflecting on Bowser’s decision to remove Black Lives Matter Plaza, Whitehead said that Bowser is taking the “path of least resistance.”
“Rather than fighting this, it’s easier to just remove it, but the idea that if I just play along at this moment, maybe I can be in a better position to get what I need for my city going forward,” Whitehead said.
Those who visited the mural before its demolition include members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Over 50 members visited and honored Black Lives Matter Plaza., according to NBC4 Washington.
The fraternity brothers sang ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ popularly known as the Black national anthem.
The ongoing political debate surrounding the Black Lives Matter Plaza highlights a broader tension between local governance and federal interference.
Currently, a proposal known as the BOWSER Act is under consideration in Congress, seeking to entirely revoke the 1973 Home Rule Act, which provides limited self-governance to the capital.
Copy edited by Aniyah Genama
