Street paintings advocating for Black Lives Matter serve as lasting symbols of protests against racial inequality.
Amid a wave of racial justice protests in the United States in 2020, the slogan "Black Lives Matter" transcended the realm of rallies and demonstrations, finding a permanent place on the nation's streets. The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery sparked a national conversation on police brutality and systemic racism, which led towns and cities to commission public artists to paint Black Lives Matter (BLM) street murals as a symbol of solidarity.
Five years on, many of these murals remain, maintained by activists and community groups. Others have succumbed to wear and tear, construction, and vandalism, including the mural thought to have inspired them all - a 35-foot-tall (11-meter-tall) yellow capital letter mural painted on a street just one block from the White House. Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered its removal in March 2025, under pressure from the Republican-led Congress. Bowser acknowledged the mural had inspired millions and helped the city through a difficult period.
Keyonna Jones, one of seven artists who painted the BLM Plaza, understood the motives behind the removal and recognized the historical significance of the mural. During the demolition of the plaza, she reflected on its global impact, stating that its replication around the world within 24 hours spoke to the power of art.
According to Urban Art Mapping, a database of public street art, nearly 150 BLM murals still remain across the U.S. Each mural serves as a visual testament to the shared cultural and political purpose of the community it represents, embodying the resilience and historical significance of the movement.
In Hobson City, Alabama, residents painted "Black Towns Matter" on its main street in 2020, drawing attention to the city's historic significance as Alabama's first self-governed all-Black municipality. In Oakland, California, residents and community groups painted a series of BLM murals along three blocks of 15th Street, followed by another mural honoring Black Trans and Queer Lives. In Chicago, a 100-foot (30-meter) "Black Lives Matter" display was vandalized to read "All Lives Matter," only to be later restored.
Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, where a bystander recorded the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, 16 artists participated in the creation of a 24-foot-high (7-meter-high) BLM mural on a street outside the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum. In Dallas, six murals were painted in 2020, with private funding secured to ensure their maintenance for 10 years. And in Seattle, a permanent mural was installed in Capitol Hill, with the city and the Vivid Matter Collective repainting and maintaining it every year.
While some BLM murals have been removed, their legacy endures. They continue to inspire conversations about race and justice, serving as powerful symbols of resistance and activism in the fight for racial equality.
Funding for the maintenance of Black Lives Matter (BLM) street murals has been secured through community groups and private sources, ensuring that these visual testaments of solidarity persist for years to come. The political significance of BLM murals has transcended local news and general-news coverage, becoming a global symbol of the movement's resilience and historical impact.
