Black Lives Matter street murals stand as an enduring reminder of protests against racism

In 2020, after a summer of protests rocked U.S. cities, the words “Black Lives Matter” went from the rallying cry of racial justice demonstrators to words lining the very roads along which they marched.

After the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, towns and cities nationwide commissioned artists to paint BLM street murals in solidarity with the reckoning on police brutality and racism prompted by the unprecedented, multiracial mass rallies.

Five years on, many of the murals are still maintained by activists and community groups, while wear and tear, construction and vandalism spelled the end of others. And the mural widely thought to have inspired them all — 35-foot-tall (11-meter-tall) yellow capital letters painted on a street one block from the White House — is gone.

Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, D.C., ordered crews to remove the BLM mural in March under pressure from the Republican-led Congress. Bowser noted that the mural — an act of defiance against President Donald Trump's first administration — “inspired millions of people and helped our city through a painful period.”

Keyonna Jones, one of seven artists who painted Black Lives Matter Plaza, said she understands why Bowser acted and that the mural's removal doesn't take away from its historic importance.

“To see it replicated all over the world within 24 hours,” Jones said during the demolition of the plaza. "I think is what really speaks to the power of art and so that is my favorite part about the whole experience."

According to Urban Art Mapping, a database of public street art, nearly 150 “Black Lives Matter” murals remain.

Lindsey Owen, an art historian in Chicago, said each one represents the shared cultural and political purpose of a community.

“Even as BLM Plaza is dismantled, the reciprocal mirroring of these murals ensures their persistence,” Owen said, “now also reflecting the absence of spaces that have been removed.”

Here are details of some notable BLM murals:

Alabama
In 1899, Hobson City became Alabama's first self-governed all-Black municipality. In 2020, residents including Mayor Alberta McCrory painted “Black Towns Matter” on its main street, Martin Luther King Boulevard.

In Montgomery, a temporary installation was established around Court Square Fountain, once the site of a slave market. City officials said the mural will be washed away once wear and tear begin to show.

Michelle Browder, the artist, said her design reflects the history of the area, and that the community signaled a readiness to address racial inequity by uniting to complete the mural.

“It gives us a sense of uniqueness and shows that our statement has not only significance but also invites people to look down, read and reflect on what happened in this space,” Browder said.

California
In downtown Oakland, residents and community groups painted “Black Lives Matter” along three blocks of 15th Steet. A month later, another mural was erected by The Queer Healing Arts Center honoring Black Trans and Queer Lives.

The city council in neighboring Berkeley then approved a BLM painting in front of city hall.

A rainbow-colored mural along the center lane of Los Angeles' Hollywood Boulevard states "All Black Lives Matter" in celebration of the BLM movement and transgender people of color.

Mural designer, Luckie Alexander, said its message resonates stronger than ever today.

"Seeing the BLM Plaza (in Washington) destroyed feels like we are going back in time, when Black folks and LGBTQ+ had to struggle just to exist," Alexander said. “With the one here in Hollywood still remaining, it gives me hope that California is still a safe place to live.”

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