Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence Oral History
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.
Condition Description
Good
Source
- DC Public Library Foundation (Organization)
- 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