It's not everyday that you can spot a sign from outer space, but that's been the case since last week, when Muriel Bowser, the Mayor of Washington, commissioned a giant—and, you might say, literal—example of street art by having the words BLACK LIVES MATTER painted in huge yellow letters down the middle of 16th Street NW, a thoroughfare that runs right up to the North Lawn of the White House.
The words are so big, they can be seen from orbit—and in fact, Apple Maps updated their satellite view of the area to include the sign. Bowser's efforts drew national attention and, now, other cities are jumping in on the action.
Over the weekend, similar signs appeared in Raleigh NC, Sacramento CA and Oakland CA, each large enough to be viewed from a high altitude.
In Raleigh, the words END RACISM NOW were painted on a downtown street to protest the city's Confederate monuments.
View this post on InstagramLove on Top! #LoveBlackPeopleLikeYouLoveBlackCulture #EndRacismNow @camraleigh @beyonce
In the California state capital of Sacramento, BLACK LIVES MATTER was painted on the grass of three median streets that lead up to the statehouse.
In Oakland, the same message appeared along Webster Street, near the city's civic center.
Black Lives Matter mural downtown Oakland stretching from Harrison to Broadway on Webster. Alot of beautiful art being made all over the city on the boarded up windows. pic.twitter.com/XjFEXXRw73
— EKF Productions (@kentkessinger) June 8, 2020
In addition to the sign in Washington, Bowser also renamed part of 16th Street Black Lives Matter Plaza, part of the mayor's pushback against President Trump's heavy-handed tactics against demonstrations that took place in front of the White House a week ago. But her actions, and those in the other cities, are simply the latest pages being written in this extraordinary—and still unfolding—chapter in American history.
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