Sign with "Destroy All Monsters" used in the Unite the Right counter-protest: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A handmade protest sign by Justin McBrien used during the Charlottesville, Virginia counter-protest to the Unite the Right rally on August 12, 2017. The sign is constructed from two (2) pieces of foamcore held together with six (6) black, blue, and red binder clips with the slogans "Destroy All Monsters" on the front, and "Alt Right=Capitalist PAWNS" on the back. The front of the sign is dominated by a hand painted graphic of a black power fist. The fist is red and is outlined with black, peach, dark pink, blue, yellow, and black. The fist is accented with orange marks around the fist. Painted below in red and black is the text [DESTROY ALL MONSTERS] with each word underlined. The back of the sign features hand painted text that reads [ALT RiGHT = / Capitalist PAWNS] The word "pawns" is painted in white paint and the other text is mix of blue, red, and yellow paint. The sign heavily painted and depicts a scene of violence. Just left of center in the foreground is a large green dollar symbol wearing a black top hat that stands in a red river. In the right foreground, facing the dollar sign, is group of white figures with round heads and triangular shaped bodies. Two (2) dead, white figures at the front are depicted laying on the ground with "x" symbols for eyes. Behind the dollar sign and white figures is a fence topped with concertina wire. In the background, are black mountains on the left and black smoke on the right. Rising above the smoke are red flame-like figures with black eyes. The letter "C" in the word "Capitalist" is the open mouth of a green alligator.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: August 12, 2017
• Created by: Justin McBrien, American
• Type: posters
• Medium: poster color on Fome-Cor (TM) with metal
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 16 1/8 × 20 1/16 × 9/16 in. (41 × 51 × 1.4 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: 2018.42.1
• 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.