A group of fraternity brothers wants people to remember why D.C.’s Black Lives Matter Plaza was created in the first place.
About 40 members of the Eastern Province Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity gathered at BLM Plaza in Northwest on Sunday to pray, sing and honor the significance of the mural that’s about to be removed.
“We stand here in solidarity because that’s what that mural means,” said fraternity president Richard Mattox, adding that BLM is more than letters on the road, it’s a movement.
The District Department of Transportation is expected to begin the process of removing the mural from 16th street on or about Monday, according to a news release from the department.
“How can we stand by as leaders in our community and allow history to be erased,” Mattox said.
In June of 2020, Mayor Muriel Bowser dedicated the plaza to the memory of George Floyd, who was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis months earlier, launching nationwide racial justice protests. The yellow letters are 35 feet tall and stretch for two blocks north of the White House at the site where protests took place that summer.
The District plans to make changes to the plaza in response to legislation introduced by Congress, demanding that the city remove the painting or lose federal funding.
“The mural inspired millions of people and helped our city through a painful period, but now we can’t afford to be distracted by meaningless congressional interference,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser in a post on X.
The mayor’s office said that the plaza would evolve into something new.
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During Sunday’s event, Mattox led the group in prayer and in singing the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
He was asked whether he thought the plaza was being removed simply to appease President Donald Trump, who has been critical of it.
“This is not a protest,” Mattox said.
Mattox said he appreciates Bowser’s position in dealing with the White House.
“We fully support the mayor,” Mattox said. “But we recognize how important it is that we do not forget why that mural was put there.”
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