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Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence Oral History

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 231

Content Description

Oral history interviews commissioned by the DC Public Library Foundation documenting a subset of the activist community at the Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence in Lafayette Park who worked to protect and curate the Fence.

Dates

  • Creation: 2021-02-05 - 2023

Conditions Governing Access

Karen Irwin and Aliza Leventhal's oral history interviews are not yet available in Dig DC. These interviews are accessible in the reading room of The People's Archive.

Conditions Governing Use

Karen Irwin's oral history interview lacks a release form. Ms. Irwin's interview may only be viewed in the reading room of The People's Archive and may not be shared.

Biographical / Historical

The Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence consisted of posters, banners, clothing, photographs, and ephemeral objects attached to the fence surrounding Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C, from June 2020 to January 2021. The artifacts were attached to the fence to protest the treatment of Black and Brown communities by police and address various social issues, including racism, LGBTQIA+ rights, women's rights, immigration, international human rights violations, nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court, the 2020 presidential campaign, politicians, and elections. Activists turned the fence into a memorial, an art project, and an outpouring of grief. The BLM Fence suffered vandalism, including near destruction on October 30, 2020. The surviving artifacts were collected by activists and reattached to the new BLM Fence, which remained standing until January 30, 2021. People came from all over D.C. and the United States to add artifacts to the BLM Fence and pay their respects to victims of police brutality. The artifacts were curated and cared for by activists Nadine Seiler and Karen Irwin. Librarian and archivist Aliza Leventhal assisted Ms. Seiler and Ms. Irwin in collecting and inventorying the artifacts from the BLM Fence.

Extent

9 Files

Language of Materials

English

Custodial History

Nadine Seiler's interview was commissioned by the DC Public Library Foundation in 2021. Karen Irwin and Aliza Leventhal's interviews were commissioned by the DC Public Library Foundation in 2023.

Related Materials

208: Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence Artifact Collection
232: Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence Photograph Collection
2021.006: Black Lives Matter Panels

Condition Description

Good

Title
Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence Oral History
Subtitle
An inventory of the Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence Oral History collection at DC Public Library
Author
Laura Farley
Date
2023-11-06
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the The People's Archive, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library Repository

Contact:
901 G Street NW
4th Floor East
Washington DC 20001
(202)727-1213