Just ahead of this weekend's planned protest in the nation's capital, D.C. residents can now gaze at a giant, yellow sign reading "Black Lives Matter" taking residence by the White House. According to CNN, the mayor of Washington DC, Muriel Bowser, commissioned the work and volunteers began working on it this morning at 3am.
The project takes up two blocks of 16th Street, with each letter spanning the width of the road.
#BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/OQg6977n5r
— Muriel Bowser #StayHomeDC (@MurielBowser) June 5, 2020
The mayor also announced the renaming of a section of 16th Street. The road, right in front of the White House, will now officially be called Black Lives Matter Plaza. This morning, a new green street sign boasting the area's novel name was hung up on a lamp post outside of St. John's church—the site of a peaceful protest earlier this week.
The move comes at the heels of week-long protests and demonstrations calling for police reform and social justice following the May 25 death of George Floyd while in custody of the Minneapolis police. The events have also prompted artists from around the country to flood social media with calls for justice and tributes to the late Floyd.
This weekend's demonstration in DC is expected to be one of the largest in the nation so far.
Most popular on Time Out
- Turks and Caicos will reopen for tourism on July 22
- Waiting for your stimulus debit card? Here's how to spot it
- An artist staged a protest in the sky in honor of George Floyd
- Best drinking games to play remotely
- Artists flood social media with tributes to the late George Floyd and calls for racial justice