Sign with "Choose Love over Fear" used in the Unite the Right counter-protest: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A handmade sign by Chloe Wilson used during the Charlottesville, Virginia counter-protest to the Unite the Right rally on August 12, 2017. The sign is constructed from white foamcore with the slogan "Choose Love over Fear." The front of the sign features large, handpainted, blue, red, and purple text that reads [Choose / LOVE / over / Fear]. Each word is underlined with black paint and the word "love" is accented with small, red, marks. Two flowers, painted yellow and orange, are painted on the right side of the sign. The back of the sign is mostly blank with a small red painted mark in the bottom left corner.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: August 12, 2017
• Created by: Chloe Wilson
• Type: posters
• Medium: poster color on Fome-Cor (TM)
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 16 1/16 × 20 × 3/16 in. (40.8 × 50.8 × 0.5 cm)
• Place used: Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Resistance
• Topic: U.S. History, 2001-
• Topic: White supremacy movements
• Object number: 2018.42.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Justin McBrien
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.