Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has dismissed a proposal from U.S. Representative Andrew Clyde (R-GA) to rename Black Lives Matter Plaza, calling it “meaningless congressional interference.”
Clyde introduced a bill on March 3 seeking to redesignate the downtown landmark as “Liberty Plaza,” but Bowser made it clear that the initiative would not be entertained.
The plaza, located on 6th Street NW in the nation’s capital, was established in 2020 amid nationwide protests for racial justice. Its iconic yellow mural reading “Black Lives Matter” became a powerful symbol of the movement.
Bowser, the second Black woman to serve as D.C.’s mayor, took to social media to reaffirm the plaza’s significance.
“The mural inspired millions of people and helped our city through a very painful period, but now we can’t afford to be distracted by meaningless congressional interference. The devastating impacts of the federal job cuts must be our number one concern,” Bowser wrote on X.
Clyde’s bill, H.R. 1774, seeks to withhold certain federal transportation funds from D.C. unless the Black Lives Matter signage is removed from the plaza and all official city materials.
The congressman argued in an interview with the Daily Caller that the plaza’s current status is harmful to businesses and an unnecessary expense, while also stating that “the Black Lives Matter movement in and of itself should be All Lives Matter.”
Clyde’s focus on the issue has raised questions given that his 9th Congressional District in Georgia faces its own challenges.
According to Census Reporter, the district has an education rate below the national average, with only 86.1% of residents holding at least a high school diploma. Additionally, 11% of the district’s population lives below the poverty line, and 33% earn less than $38,000 annually.
Despite Clyde’s push, D.C. leaders and many residents continue to stand by Black Lives Matter Plaza as a lasting symbol of the fight for racial equity.
