The uses and reuses of monuments in the Black Lives Matter era

Abstract

ABSTRACT The destruction of white supremacist monuments has become a flashpoint in the Black Lives Matter mass movement. However, this essay recounts the construction of monuments by Black activists and artists, including their work to reclaim public space and monument aesthetics. Specifically, I discuss the liberatory memory work of the Equal Justice Initiative and Chicago Torture Justice memorials. I also explore how Black artists, particularly Kehinde Wiley and Kara Walker, have repurposed monumental aesthetics via blackwashing. Finally, I consider the appropriation of monument building by governments and foundations and question the motivations of these powerful entities’ entry into the “monuments movement”.