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CNN
24-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Colleges are canceling affinity graduations due to anti-DEI policies. Here is how students are preserving the traditions
Elyse Martin-Smith began meeting with her classmates at Harvard University last summer to plan the annual Black student graduation hosted by a campus group she leads. The ceremony was set to be a celebration of Black culture, featuring musicians, poetry readings, messages about the historic struggle for racial equality, and a speech by Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator of the '1619 Project,' Martin-Smith said. Students had reserved Harvard Memorial Church on campus for the event, she said. But in early May, Martin-Smith said she received an email from university officials saying she would not be allowed to host the Black graduation on campus. Harvard is among several universities across the country that have canceled affinity graduations amid threats from President Donald Trump to block medical research funding and revoke accreditation from schools that don't end diversity, equity and inclusion practices. Trump decries these programs as 'illegal and immoral discrimination.' Affinity graduations are optional events typically led by students to celebrate different student identities and ethnicities. Commonly held ceremonies often honor Black, Hispanic, Asian, first-generation and LGBTQ+ students. Students say the events are significant because they honor the music, apparel, food, history, language and traditions unique to their identity. Harvard and other elite universities have also clashed with Trump over his demands for crackdowns on student protests, including pro-Palestinian demonstrations and purported antisemitism. The lost support for affinity graduations — coming just weeks before most universities were set to hold their commencement events — left some students scrambling to find ways to still host the events. Martin-Smith said she was 'disappointed but not surprised' when the school canceled the Black student graduation hosted by her group, Harvard Undergraduate Black Community Leaders. In late April, Harvard announced it was renaming its diversity, equity, and inclusion office and rescinding all funding from affinity group commencement celebrations. The move came after the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in federal funding for Harvard when the Ivy League school initially said it would not follow policy demands from the administration. 'This isn't the first time the university has catered to PR (public relations) concerns rather than student concerns,' Martin-Smith said. Martin-Smith was determined to hold the Black graduation and spent time between finals study sessions calling venues to secure a space off campus, she said. She ultimately found a venue and obtained support from the Black Graduate Student Alliance and the Harvard Black Alumni Society. The event will be held on May 27 and will still feature a similar program to the initial event, Martin-Smith said. 'It's an undue burden that continues to be placed upon Black students to create the change that we want to see,' Martin-Smith said. Students at the University of Kentucky faced a similar dilemma when the school announced earlier this year it was canceling all affinity graduations. 'Following a number of federal and state policy changes and directives, the university will no longer host identity-based or special-interest graduation celebrations,' university spokesperson Jay Blanton said in a statement. 'In the past, these were held outside of our official commencement ceremonies as optional celebrations and social events. We will continue to comply with the law, while celebrating all students and their distinctive achievements at our official commencement ceremonies.' Kristopher Washington, a University of Kentucky graduate, said he was disappointed to learn that there would no longer be a Black student graduation on campus — an event he had looked forward to throughout his college career. Washington collaborated with his fraternity brothers from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to find an off-campus venue where they could still host a cultural graduation for their peers. He secured support from the Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center in Lexington, where they held the event dubbed 'Senior Salute,' Washington said. The ceremony was open to all graduates and Washington's fraternity encouraged students to wear items signifying their identity or culture. 'I feel it's important to show that there are people coming from other places, underprivileged areas and many different backgrounds and struggles and still making it over to UK (University of Kentucky) and still getting their degree,' Washington said. 'It's a tremendous achievement.' One expert said graduations celebrating students' ethnic identities are important because most main commencement celebrations have European roots. Antar Tichavakunda, an assistant professor of race and higher education at the University of California, Santa Barbara, pointed out that 'Pomp and Circumstance' — a song commonly played at graduations — is by English composer Edward Elgar. He also noted that the tradition of wearing graduation gowns originated in Europe during medieval times. Many Black graduations have embraced Black culture by incorporating West African drums, strolling by Black Greek letter organizations, and featuring guest speakers who understand the Black experience, Tichavakunda said. 'Giving us a space to celebrate like we'd like to and not be policed, play music that feels more affirming and culturally responsive in a smaller setting really just makes that moment of completing a degree that much sweeter,' said Tichavakunda, who is also author of 'Black Campus Life: The Worlds Black Students Make at a Historically White Institution.' 'It definitely speaks to pride and not having to dim part of your identity to be palatable to others.' Members of the LGBTQ+ community have also seen their traditional Lavender Graduations canceled at schools across the country due to anti-DEI policies at both the state and federal levels. Last year, Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs from higher education, the public education system and government employers. Jacey Thornton, executive director of Project Rainbow Utah, said that the law led to the closure of resource centers focused on gender, race and identity at colleges and universities. It also meant that universities would no longer support the Lavender Graduations that celebrate the achievements of LGBTQ+ graduates. Thornton said Project Rainbow helped LGBTQ+ students at Weber State University and the University of Utah find ways to gather with their community. For example, Thornton said Project Rainbow sponsored an event at a church for the University of Utah's LGBTQ+ community where they hung pride flags and graduates wore the lavender stoles and rainbow tassels that are traditionally worn at Lavender Graduations on college campuses. Students from Westminster University and Salt Lake Community College were also invited, she said. It's important for LGBTQ+ students to be able to celebrate their graduation in a space where they feel welcome and embraced, Thornton said, who graduated with a master of social work from Weber State this spring. 'We are holding space to celebrate the obstacles we have overcome as queer people,' Thornton said. 'It's important that we stand up and stand strong. A lot of us lose biological family in the process of transitioning or coming out as queer. This supports that space for us to come together and find a new chosen family.' Tichavakunda said universities' withdrawal of support from affinity groups signals to students that they should consider schools that fully embrace their identity and offer programs to help them navigate college. For Black students, he recommended considering HBCUs. Students who choose to attend universities despite the loss of DEI practices will need to work harder to preserve cultural traditions, Tichavakunda said. 'For future classes, I think this administration is forcing students and faculty to think creatively beyond the university and work around it,' he said. 'But I don't think this will be the end of culturally specific graduations. I just think it might be the end of universities supporting them.'
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colleges are canceling affinity graduations due to anti-DEI policies. Here is how students are preserving the traditions
Elyse Martin-Smith began meeting with her classmates at Harvard University last summer to plan the annual Black student graduation hosted by a campus group she leads. The ceremony was set to be a celebration of Black culture, featuring musicians, poetry readings, messages about the historic struggle for racial equality, and a speech by Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator of the '1619 Project,' Martin-Smith said. Students had reserved Harvard Memorial Church on campus for the event, she said. But in early May, Martin-Smith said she received an email from university officials saying she would not be allowed to host the Black graduation on campus. Harvard is among several universities across the country that have canceled affinity graduations amid threats from President Donald Trump to block medical research funding and revoke accreditation from schools that don't end diversity, equity and inclusion practices. Trump decries these programs as 'illegal and immoral discrimination.' Affinity graduations are optional events typically led by students to celebrate different student identities and ethnicities. Commonly held ceremonies often honor Black, Hispanic, Asian, first-generation and LGBTQ+ students. Students say the events are significant because they honor the music, apparel, food, history, language and traditions unique to their identity. Harvard and other elite universities have also clashed with Trump over his demands for crackdowns on student protests, including pro-Palestinian demonstrations and purported antisemitism. The lost support for affinity graduations — coming just weeks before most universities were set to hold their commencement events — left some students scrambling to find ways to still host the events. Martin-Smith said she was 'disappointed but not surprised' when the school canceled the Black student graduation hosted by her group, Harvard Undergraduate Black Community Leaders. In late April, Harvard announced it was renaming its diversity, equity, and inclusion office and rescinding all funding from affinity group commencement celebrations. The move came after the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in federal funding for Harvard when the Ivy League school initially said it would not follow policy demands from the administration. 'This isn't the first time the university has catered to PR (public relations) concerns rather than student concerns,' Martin-Smith said. Martin-Smith was determined to hold the Black graduation and spent time between finals study sessions calling venues to secure a space off campus, she said. She ultimately found a venue and obtained support from the Black Graduate Student Alliance and the Harvard Black Alumni Society. The event will be held on May 27 and will still feature a similar program to the initial event, Martin-Smith said. 'It's an undue burden that continues to be placed upon Black students to create the change that we want to see,' Martin-Smith said. Students at the University of Kentucky faced a similar dilemma when the school announced earlier this year it was canceling all affinity graduations. 'Following a number of federal and state policy changes and directives, the university will no longer host identity-based or special-interest graduation celebrations,' university spokesperson Jay Blanton said in a statement. 'In the past, these were held outside of our official commencement ceremonies as optional celebrations and social events. We will continue to comply with the law, while celebrating all students and their distinctive achievements at our official commencement ceremonies.' Kristopher Washington, a University of Kentucky graduate, said he was disappointed to learn that there would no longer be a Black student graduation on campus — an event he had looked forward to throughout his college career. Washington collaborated with his fraternity brothers from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to find an off-campus venue where they could still host a cultural graduation for their peers. He secured support from the Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center in Lexington, where they held the event dubbed 'Senior Salute,' Washington said. The ceremony was open to all graduates and Washington's fraternity encouraged students to wear items signifying their identity or culture. 'I feel it's important to show that there are people coming from other places, underprivileged areas and many different backgrounds and struggles and still making it over to UK (University of Kentucky) and still getting their degree,' Washington said. 'It's a tremendous achievement.' One expert said graduations celebrating students' ethnic identities are important because most main commencement celebrations have European roots. Antar Tichavakunda, an assistant professor of race and higher education at the University of California, Santa Barbara, pointed out that 'Pomp and Circumstance' — a song commonly played at graduations — is by English composer Edward Elgar. He also noted that the tradition of wearing graduation gowns originated in Europe during medieval times. Many Black graduations have embraced Black culture by incorporating West African drums, strolling by Black Greek letter organizations, and featuring guest speakers who understand the Black experience, Tichavakunda said. 'Giving us a space to celebrate like we'd like to and not be policed, play music that feels more affirming and culturally responsive in a smaller setting really just makes that moment of completing a degree that much sweeter,' said Tichavakunda, who is also author of 'Black Campus Life: The Worlds Black Students Make at a Historically White Institution.' 'It definitely speaks to pride and not having to dim part of your identity to be palatable to others.' Members of the LGBTQ+ community have also seen their traditional Lavender Graduations canceled at schools across the country due to anti-DEI policies at both the state and federal levels. Last year, Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs from higher education, the public education system and government employers. Jacey Thornton, executive director of Project Rainbow Utah, said that the law led to the closure of resource centers focused on gender, race and identity at colleges and universities. It also meant that universities would no longer support the Lavender Graduations that celebrate the achievements of LGBTQ+ graduates. Thornton said Project Rainbow helped LGBTQ+ students at Weber State University and the University of Utah find ways to gather with their community. For example, Thornton said Project Rainbow sponsored an event at a church for the University of Utah's LGBTQ+ community where they hung pride flags and graduates wore the lavender stoles and rainbow tassels that are traditionally worn at Lavender Graduations on college campuses. Students from Westminster University and Salt Lake Community College were also invited, she said. It's important for LGBTQ+ students to be able to celebrate their graduation in a space where they feel welcome and embraced, Thornton said, who graduated with a master of social work from Weber State this spring. 'We are holding space to celebrate the obstacles we have overcome as queer people,' Thornton said. 'It's important that we stand up and stand strong. A lot of us lose biological family in the process of transitioning or coming out as queer. This supports that space for us to come together and find a new chosen family.' Tichavakunda said universities' withdrawal of support from affinity groups signals to students that they should consider schools that fully embrace their identity and offer programs to help them navigate college. For Black students, he recommended considering HBCUs. Students who choose to attend universities despite the loss of DEI practices will need to work harder to preserve cultural traditions, Tichavakunda said. 'For future classes, I think this administration is forcing students and faculty to think creatively beyond the university and work around it,' he said. 'But I don't think this will be the end of culturally specific graduations. I just think it might be the end of universities supporting them.'
CNN
24-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Colleges are canceling affinity graduations due to anti-DEI policies. Here is how students are preserving the traditions
Elyse Martin-Smith began meeting with her classmates at Harvard University last summer to plan the annual Black student graduation hosted by a campus group she leads. The ceremony was set to be a celebration of Black culture, featuring musicians, poetry readings, messages about the historic struggle for racial equality, and a speech by Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator of the '1619 Project,' Martin-Smith said. Students had reserved Harvard Memorial Church on campus for the event, she said. But in early May, Martin-Smith said she received an email from university officials saying she would not be allowed to host the Black graduation on campus. Harvard is among several universities across the country that have canceled affinity graduations amid threats from President Donald Trump to block medical research funding and revoke accreditation from schools that don't end diversity, equity and inclusion practices. Trump decries these programs as 'illegal and immoral discrimination.' Affinity graduations are optional events typically led by students to celebrate different student identities and ethnicities. Commonly held ceremonies often honor Black, Hispanic, Asian, first-generation and LGBTQ+ students. Students say the events are significant because they honor the music, apparel, food, history, language and traditions unique to their identity. Harvard and other elite universities have also clashed with Trump over his demands for crackdowns on student protests, including pro-Palestinian demonstrations and purported antisemitism. The lost support for affinity graduations — coming just weeks before most universities were set to hold their commencement events — left some students scrambling to find ways to still host the events. Martin-Smith said she was 'disappointed but not surprised' when the school canceled the Black student graduation hosted by her group, Harvard Undergraduate Black Community Leaders. In late April, Harvard announced it was renaming its diversity, equity, and inclusion office and rescinding all funding from affinity group commencement celebrations. The move came after the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in federal funding for Harvard when the Ivy League school initially said it would not follow policy demands from the administration. 'This isn't the first time the university has catered to PR (public relations) concerns rather than student concerns,' Martin-Smith said. Martin-Smith was determined to hold the Black graduation and spent time between finals study sessions calling venues to secure a space off campus, she said. She ultimately found a venue and obtained support from the Black Graduate Student Alliance and the Harvard Black Alumni Society. The event will be held on May 27 and will still feature a similar program to the initial event, Martin-Smith said. 'It's an undue burden that continues to be placed upon Black students to create the change that we want to see,' Martin-Smith said. Students at the University of Kentucky faced a similar dilemma when the school announced earlier this year it was canceling all affinity graduations. 'Following a number of federal and state policy changes and directives, the university will no longer host identity-based or special-interest graduation celebrations,' university spokesperson Jay Blanton said in a statement. 'In the past, these were held outside of our official commencement ceremonies as optional celebrations and social events. We will continue to comply with the law, while celebrating all students and their distinctive achievements at our official commencement ceremonies.' Kristopher Washington, a University of Kentucky graduate, said he was disappointed to learn that there would no longer be a Black student graduation on campus — an event he had looked forward to throughout his college career. Washington collaborated with his fraternity brothers from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to find an off-campus venue where they could still host a cultural graduation for their peers. He secured support from the Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center in Lexington, where they held the event dubbed 'Senior Salute,' Washington said. The ceremony was open to all graduates and Washington's fraternity encouraged students to wear items signifying their identity or culture. 'I feel it's important to show that there are people coming from other places, underprivileged areas and many different backgrounds and struggles and still making it over to UK (University of Kentucky) and still getting their degree,' Washington said. 'It's a tremendous achievement.' One expert said graduations celebrating students' ethnic identities are important because most main commencement celebrations have European roots. Antar Tichavakunda, an assistant professor of race and higher education at the University of California, Santa Barbara, pointed out that 'Pomp and Circumstance' — a song commonly played at graduations — is by English composer Edward Elgar. He also noted that the tradition of wearing graduation gowns originated in Europe during medieval times. Many Black graduations have embraced Black culture by incorporating West African drums, strolling by Black Greek letter organizations, and featuring guest speakers who understand the Black experience, Tichavakunda said. 'Giving us a space to celebrate like we'd like to and not be policed, play music that feels more affirming and culturally responsive in a smaller setting really just makes that moment of completing a degree that much sweeter,' said Tichavakunda, who is also author of 'Black Campus Life: The Worlds Black Students Make at a Historically White Institution.' 'It definitely speaks to pride and not having to dim part of your identity to be palatable to others.' Members of the LGBTQ+ community have also seen their traditional Lavender Graduations canceled at schools across the country due to anti-DEI policies at both the state and federal levels. Last year, Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs from higher education, the public education system and government employers. Jacey Thornton, executive director of Project Rainbow Utah, said that the law led to the closure of resource centers focused on gender, race and identity at colleges and universities. It also meant that universities would no longer support the Lavender Graduations that celebrate the achievements of LGBTQ+ graduates. Thornton said Project Rainbow helped LGBTQ+ students at Weber State University and the University of Utah find ways to gather with their community. For example, Thornton said Project Rainbow sponsored an event at a church for the University of Utah's LGBTQ+ community where they hung pride flags and graduates wore the lavender stoles and rainbow tassels that are traditionally worn at Lavender Graduations on college campuses. Students from Westminster University and Salt Lake Community College were also invited, she said. It's important for LGBTQ+ students to be able to celebrate their graduation in a space where they feel welcome and embraced, Thornton said, who graduated with a master of social work from Weber State this spring. 'We are holding space to celebrate the obstacles we have overcome as queer people,' Thornton said. 'It's important that we stand up and stand strong. A lot of us lose biological family in the process of transitioning or coming out as queer. This supports that space for us to come together and find a new chosen family.' Tichavakunda said universities' withdrawal of support from affinity groups signals to students that they should consider schools that fully embrace their identity and offer programs to help them navigate college. For Black students, he recommended considering HBCUs. Students who choose to attend universities despite the loss of DEI practices will need to work harder to preserve cultural traditions, Tichavakunda said. 'For future classes, I think this administration is forcing students and faculty to think creatively beyond the university and work around it,' he said. 'But I don't think this will be the end of culturally specific graduations. I just think it might be the end of universities supporting them.'
CNN
24-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Colleges are canceling affinity graduations due to anti-DEI policies. Here is how students are preserving the traditions
Elyse Martin-Smith began meeting with her classmates at Harvard University last summer to plan the annual Black student graduation hosted by a campus group she leads. The ceremony was set to be a celebration of Black culture, featuring musicians, poetry readings, messages about the historic struggle for racial equality, and a speech by Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator of the '1619 Project,' Martin-Smith said. Students had reserved Harvard Memorial Church on campus for the event, she said. But in early May, Martin-Smith said she received an email from university officials saying she would not be allowed to host the Black graduation on campus. Harvard is among several universities across the country that have canceled affinity graduations amid threats from President Donald Trump to block medical research funding and revoke accreditation from schools that don't end diversity, equity and inclusion practices. Trump decries these programs as 'illegal and immoral discrimination.' Affinity graduations are optional events typically led by students to celebrate different student identities and ethnicities. Commonly held ceremonies often honor Black, Hispanic, Asian, first-generation and LGBTQ+ students. Students say the events are significant because they honor the music, apparel, food, history, language and traditions unique to their identity. Harvard and other elite universities have also clashed with Trump over his demands for crackdowns on student protests, including pro-Palestinian demonstrations and purported antisemitism. The lost support for affinity graduations — coming just weeks before most universities were set to hold their commencement events — left some students scrambling to find ways to still host the events. Martin-Smith said she was 'disappointed but not surprised' when the school canceled the Black student graduation hosted by her group, Harvard Undergraduate Black Community Leaders. In late April, Harvard announced it was renaming its diversity, equity, and inclusion office and rescinding all funding from affinity group commencement celebrations. The move came after the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in federal funding for Harvard when the Ivy League school initially said it would not follow policy demands from the administration. 'This isn't the first time the university has catered to PR (public relations) concerns rather than student concerns,' Martin-Smith said. Martin-Smith was determined to hold the Black graduation and spent time between finals study sessions calling venues to secure a space off campus, she said. She ultimately found a venue and obtained support from the Black Graduate Student Alliance and the Harvard Black Alumni Society. The event will be held on May 27 and will still feature a similar program to the initial event, Martin-Smith said. 'It's an undue burden that continues to be placed upon Black students to create the change that we want to see,' Martin-Smith said. Students at the University of Kentucky faced a similar dilemma when the school announced earlier this year it was canceling all affinity graduations. 'Following a number of federal and state policy changes and directives, the university will no longer host identity-based or special-interest graduation celebrations,' university spokesperson Jay Blanton said in a statement. 'In the past, these were held outside of our official commencement ceremonies as optional celebrations and social events. We will continue to comply with the law, while celebrating all students and their distinctive achievements at our official commencement ceremonies.' Kristopher Washington, a University of Kentucky graduate, said he was disappointed to learn that there would no longer be a Black student graduation on campus — an event he had looked forward to throughout his college career. Washington collaborated with his fraternity brothers from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to find an off-campus venue where they could still host a cultural graduation for their peers. He secured support from the Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center in Lexington, where they held the event dubbed 'Senior Salute,' Washington said. The ceremony was open to all graduates and Washington's fraternity encouraged students to wear items signifying their identity or culture. 'I feel it's important to show that there are people coming from other places, underprivileged areas and many different backgrounds and struggles and still making it over to UK (University of Kentucky) and still getting their degree,' Washington said. 'It's a tremendous achievement.' One expert said graduations celebrating students' ethnic identities are important because most main commencement celebrations have European roots. Antar Tichavakunda, an assistant professor of race and higher education at the University of California, Santa Barbara, pointed out that 'Pomp and Circumstance' — a song commonly played at graduations — is by English composer Edward Elgar. He also noted that the tradition of wearing graduation gowns originated in Europe during medieval times. Many Black graduations have embraced Black culture by incorporating West African drums, strolling by Black Greek letter organizations, and featuring guest speakers who understand the Black experience, Tichavakunda said. 'Giving us a space to celebrate like we'd like to and not be policed, play music that feels more affirming and culturally responsive in a smaller setting really just makes that moment of completing a degree that much sweeter,' said Tichavakunda, who is also author of 'Black Campus Life: The Worlds Black Students Make at a Historically White Institution.' 'It definitely speaks to pride and not having to dim part of your identity to be palatable to others.' Members of the LGBTQ+ community have also seen their traditional Lavender Graduations canceled at schools across the country due to anti-DEI policies at both the state and federal levels. Last year, Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs from higher education, the public education system and government employers. Jacey Thornton, executive director of Project Rainbow Utah, said that the law led to the closure of resource centers focused on gender, race and identity at colleges and universities. It also meant that universities would no longer support the Lavender Graduations that celebrate the achievements of LGBTQ+ graduates. Thornton said Project Rainbow helped LGBTQ+ students at Weber State University and the University of Utah find ways to gather with their community. For example, Thornton said Project Rainbow sponsored an event at a church for the University of Utah's LGBTQ+ community where they hung pride flags and graduates wore the lavender stoles and rainbow tassels that are traditionally worn at Lavender Graduations on college campuses. Students from Westminster University and Salt Lake Community College were also invited, she said. It's important for LGBTQ+ students to be able to celebrate their graduation in a space where they feel welcome and embraced, Thornton said, who graduated with a master of social work from Weber State this spring. 'We are holding space to celebrate the obstacles we have overcome as queer people,' Thornton said. 'It's important that we stand up and stand strong. A lot of us lose biological family in the process of transitioning or coming out as queer. This supports that space for us to come together and find a new chosen family.' Tichavakunda said universities' withdrawal of support from affinity groups signals to students that they should consider schools that fully embrace their identity and offer programs to help them navigate college. For Black students, he recommended considering HBCUs. Students who choose to attend universities despite the loss of DEI practices will need to work harder to preserve cultural traditions, Tichavakunda said. 'For future classes, I think this administration is forcing students and faculty to think creatively beyond the university and work around it,' he said. 'But I don't think this will be the end of culturally specific graduations. I just think it might be the end of universities supporting them.'
CNN
24-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
The rise and fall of Black Lives Matter Plaza
'Nobody should die like that.' It was Starlette Thomas' first thought when she watched a bystander's video on social media of George Floyd dying under the knee of a White police officer. And it was the spark that propelled her out of her office and into the streets of Washington, DC, where she joined the throngs in chanting three words that almost instantly galvanized into both a plea and a rallying cry: Black Lives Matter. In the days after the murder on Monday, May 25, 2020, along a Minneapolis road, hundreds of thousands flooded streets across the nation in protest. Most had been isolating for months as the coronavirus pandemic took hold. But the death of yet another Black person at the hands of police seemed to shatter a dam in the American conscious. The 7-acre green space just north of the White House, known as Lafayette Square, had been a rallying place for change for more than a century, from women's suffrage marches in 1917 to the fight for racial equality and gay rights half a century later. And so it was where protesters gathered to mourn the death of this 46-year-old father, George Floyd. For Thomas, standing among the thousands of Americans of all races and faiths and demanding racial equality changed the way she thought about criminal justice and her role as a pastor serving a nearby church. It was 'this cathartic release, this need to demonstrate, to protest, to yell and to not hold the grief that this had triggered,' she said. As the crowd chanted the names of Black lives lost to police violence – Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor – it began to feel to Thomas like a prayer. 'That was a holy experience for me that is unmatched,' she said. The daytime demonstrations were largely peaceful. But as night fell on Washington – and other American cities – their tone changed. After nights of clashes, then-President Donald Trump, known for issuing directives and invectives through social media, fired off a series of posts shortly before 1 a.m. on Friday, May 29, 2020. He condemned protests in Minneapolis that had become violent. 'These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd,' he wrote before pivoting to a stark ultimatum: 'Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.' Outside the White House that evening, people began throwing rocks. Some tried to topple police barricades. The Secret Service rushed Trump and his family to the executive mansion's bunker. 'Nobody came close to breaching the fence,' Trump posted the following day. 'If they had, they would have been greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen.' Trump's allusions to police brutality – the very thing demonstrators were protesting – only seemed to rile them and underscore what was at stake. It was also prescient. Demonstrations kept swelling through the weekend. Offices and other buildings around Lafayette Square were boarded up. But it didn't stop the destruction. The windows of Michelle Brown and Linda Neumann's tea shop by the White House were smashed and the café set on fire, they told an influential city magazine. Even so, Brown quickly took to social media to underscore her support for those peacefully demanding change: 'Before anyone puts a single word in our mouths,' she wrote: 'Black lives matter.' 'There's insurance to cover things like this,' Neumann told the magazine. 'We are both just so sad and heartbroken about what's happening in the country and how things came to this.' Then, late Sunday night, an arsonist set fire to the basement of St. John's Church, a landmark crowning the top of Lafayette Square and often referred to as the 'presidents church' because so many have worshipped there. The physical damage was minimal. But the flames ignited a series of events that soon would alter the landscape of the district itself. The following day, officials in Hennepin County, Minnesota, ruled Floyd's death a homicide, codifying what many already sensed: Floyd's life had been taken, and someone should be held accountable. Protesters again gathered outside the White House. Only this time, they were met by police. The law enforcement presence was subtle at first. Officers observed from the park as demonstrators waved signs and chanted, 'Hands up, don't shoot!' and 'No Justice! No Peace.' But as the day wore on, the police presence grew. Journalists noticed. 'These protests until now have been entirely calm,' CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt told Wolf Blitzer. 'In fact, even as this escalation is happening, as these police come up to confront the protesters, we have not seen the protesters respond in any sort of way, by throwing any sort of projectiles … 'But Wolf, there's also a fear of escalation.' Then, the mood shifted. Hundreds of National Guard troops staged near the park. A line of mounted police officers towered above the protesters and kept watch. The White House announced Trump would make a statement in the Rose Garden. The officers, Marquardt said, began to pull on gas masks. In seconds, things went from peaceful to pandemonium. Law enforcement rushed the crowds. Protesters screamed and scattered. People fell. Others took a knee before the advancing line of police. Many retreated toward St. John's Church. As police descended, Thomas thought of the 1965 civil rights march to Montgomery, Alabama, that saw a young activist named John Lewis beaten bloody on a bridge in Selma. 'All that was missing was a water hose and some dogs,' she recalled. 'We're marching to advance a cause – to say you can't just kill people without due process – and you're pushing us back with violence.' Tear gas canisters cracked like thunder, and flash bangs echoed across White House lawns. Somehow, the Rose Garden maintained a relative tranquility, and from it, Trump spoke to the American people. 'I will fight to protect you. I am your president of law and order and an ally of all peaceful protesters,' he said as helicopters whirred. Trump called on mayors and governors across the country to 'dominate the streets' and 'establish an overwhelming law enforcement presence until the violence has been quelled.' Then, he left the stage and made his way across the park. Standing in front of the boarded-up St. John's Church, the president posed with a Bible, holding it in the air. 'We have a great country,' he told reporters. It wasn't long before pundits launched debates over Trump's sacred prop, critics argued about the use of active-duty military against Americans exercising First Amendment rights and politicians lined up to assign blame. In the office of the mayor of Washington, DC, the response was quieter as officials moved into action to make clear to the world – and the president living down the street – the city's undisputed stance on the moral moment gripping the nation. First, they called Keyonna Jones. An artist born and raised in Southeast DC, Jones – like many Americans – had been struggling to reconcile her own struggles in the pandemic with the injustice of Floyd's death, she said. All the same, she answered the phone. And in less than 24 hours, she was across town on 16th Street NW. With an army of volunteers, friends, neighbors and municipal workers, Jones began to emblazon the two blocks leading directly to the White House with 50-foot letters that spelled out the moment's words of empowerment so indelibly, they could be seen from space: On June 5 – just 11 days after Floyd took his last breath – the district officially unveiled Black Lives Matter Plaza. The date happened to coincide with the birthday of Breonna Taylor, the Black American whose life had been cut tragically short that March in an encounter with police. 'We know what's going on in our country,' Mayor Muriel Bowser said. 'We had the opportunity to send that message loud and clear on a very important street in our city … And that message is to the American people that Black Lives Matter, that Black humanity matters, and we as a city raise that up as part of our values.' Other cities followed suit. In Montgomery, Alabama, the phrase marked the spot where enslaved people once were auctioned. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, the same kind of yellow letters were painted along Greenwood Avenue in homage to the lives stolen in the 1921 Race Massacre. New York commissioned a mural along 5th Avenue, just outside Trump Tower. More murals appeared in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. They often were spurned. Many were vandalized. And some people, including Trump, saw them as divisive. He called Manhattan's mural a 'symbol of hate.' Even some within the Black Lives Matter movement declared the murals 'performative,' an attempt by public officials to absolve themselves of the immensely hard work of rooting out systemic racism. 'I think art is part of activism,' countered Jones, the artist. 'It's a universal language – people will see it, people will feel it and it's starting a conversation that may not have happened.' In its early days, John Lewis – the bloodied young activist who'd become a senior statesman representing Georgia in the US Congress – walked along DC's BLM Plaza. The 80-year-old was battling pancreatic cancer, but he was determined to see the mural in person, a spokesperson said. Forty days later, he died. The district the following year spent millions making the mural a permanent installation, replacing traditional asphalt with colored pavers to spell out its eponymous phrase. The goal, the mayor said, was to transform 'the mural into a monument.' In its quieter moments, the public art acted as a beacon, calling on Americans – together – to mourn, celebrate, argue, strategize and reflect on the ongoing fight against racism in the United States and the nation's commitment to equality. And, sure enough, it outlasted the pandemic. And the trial and conviction of Floyd's murderer. And the entire Biden administration. And Trump's return this year to the White House. Then, after nearly five years of the plaza hosting moments both horrifying and holy, a Republican congressman from Georgia introduced a bill that would have withheld federal funding from Washington, DC, unless the mural was erased. Facing political pressure unlikely to soon relent, Bowser's office ultimately announced the artwork – with the plaza's official designation – would be removed. On a Sunday this March, dozens of visitors paused at the intersection of 16th and I Streets NW to take final photos before construction crews pulverized Black Lives Matter Plaza into dust and piles of rock. 'To me, this is part of our history,' one man told CNN in those final days. 'It's showing that we are trying to make progress and then they're gonna tear it down? That doesn't make sense.' As Thomas watched the construction crews and excavators, she felt gutted and angry. In the nearly five years since Floyd's death, she'd opted against preaching from the pulpit and instead ministered directly to activists and advocates leading protest movements across the country. Witnessing the ordered destruction, she wondered: 'Are you thinking if you dig this up … you can just erase what we've done here?' Then, in full view of the workers, Thomas picked up a chunk of the mural and walked away. It was 'an act of defiance, an act of resistance,' she said. 'You can't erase memory. You can't erase conviction.' Jones felt much the same way. Five years after her artwork drew global attention, the United States has seemingly returned to its status quo, she said, with conversations about – and, more importantly, actions toward – racial equality fading again into the background. Still, the artist said, her father recently reminded her of a speech by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader who rushed to but could not save a dying Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. In the speech, Jackson invoked the biblical boy David who fells the giant Goliath and encouraged Americans to continue to fight systems of injustice and not to be brought down by the 'margin of despair.' 'We have to recognize that we're Davids,' Jones said. 'There are rocks laying around that we can use to defeat the system.' We just have to pick them up. Visual editors Austin Steele and Maya Blackstone and story editor Michelle Krupa contributed to this report.
