Street sign for Black Lives Matter Plaza: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A street sign issued by the DC Department of Public Works for “Black Lives Matter Plaza,” the area of 16th Street NW from K Street to Lafayette Square.

The rectangular sign is made of silver colored aluminum with vinyl on the front. Most of the sign is black with iridescent grey and white diamond pattern letters reading [Black Lives Matter] and [PLZ / NW] on the right side in a sans serif font. The left side has an iridescent grey and white diamond pattern background with the three stars over two horizontal stripes representing the Washington, DC flag in black. The sign is thicker along the top and bottom edges than at the center.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2020
• Issued by: District of Columbia Department of Public Works
• Type: traffic signs
• Medium: vinyl on aluminum
• Dimensions: H x W x D (each): 9 × 38 × 1/4 in. (22.9 × 96.5 × 0.6 cm)
• Place used: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Government
• Topic: Local and regional
• Topic: Race relations
• Topic: U.S. History, 2001-
• Object number: 2025.32
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Transferred from the Office of the Mayor, District of Columbia Government
• 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 displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No known copyright restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.