Emmanuel

The piece she had was so big. She had to hold it with two hands. It was a piece of the letter T in the word matters. And the woman holding it, JC, she's a politico, lives in DC. She told me she was sitting at a cafe nearby when she saw someone else who had a piece and was like, oh, I want one of those. You just walked right up. You were just like, oh, can I?

The piece she had was so big. She had to hold it with two hands. It was a piece of the letter T in the word matters. And the woman holding it, JC, she's a politico, lives in DC. She told me she was sitting at a cafe nearby when she saw someone else who had a piece and was like, oh, I want one of those. You just walked right up. You were just like, oh, can I?

Because otherwise it's just a piece of concrete.

Because otherwise it's just a piece of concrete.

Oh, do you have kids right now? Oh, okay, you're talking about future kids.

Oh, do you have kids right now? Oh, okay, you're talking about future kids.

So I started seeing other people who were doing this too, right? Just like grabbing these pieces of the mural for future generations that did or didn't exist. There were these two women who were in town for work.

So I started seeing other people who were doing this too, right? Just like grabbing these pieces of the mural for future generations that did or didn't exist. There were these two women who were in town for work.

One of them was scared that they were actually going to miss their flight because her friend was waiting so long for the construction workers to break off just the right piece of the mural, like as a souvenir. What time is your flight?

One of them was scared that they were actually going to miss their flight because her friend was waiting so long for the construction workers to break off just the right piece of the mural, like as a souvenir. What time is your flight?

So I actually lived in D.C. when they first painted this street. And I got to say, at the time when I first saw it, I totally understood how meaningful it was to some folks. But personally... Honestly, I just kind of rolled my eyes and laughed about it with the other black people that I knew. It just felt kind of performative.

So I actually lived in D.C. when they first painted this street. And I got to say, at the time when I first saw it, I totally understood how meaningful it was to some folks. But personally... Honestly, I just kind of rolled my eyes and laughed about it with the other black people that I knew. It just felt kind of performative.

Just like one of the same with a lot of the stuff that was happening back then, right? Like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and co. kneeling in Kent Day Cloth in the Capitol. All those black squares people were posting. But now that I was actually here, seeing them tear this message out of the ground, It just, I don't know, I was just like, oh, right.

Just like one of the same with a lot of the stuff that was happening back then, right? Like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and co. kneeling in Kent Day Cloth in the Capitol. All those black squares people were posting. But now that I was actually here, seeing them tear this message out of the ground, It just, I don't know, I was just like, oh, right.

It maybe didn't matter that much when it was first put in. But, like, it definitely mattered now that it was being taken out. Yeah. Across the street, I saw this older white guy who worked in urban design. He was so excited to have a piece of the thing.

It maybe didn't matter that much when it was first put in. But, like, it definitely mattered now that it was being taken out. Yeah. Across the street, I saw this older white guy who worked in urban design. He was so excited to have a piece of the thing.

So you're getting a piece of it kind of as a memento of a thing that you didn't like?

So you're getting a piece of it kind of as a memento of a thing that you didn't like?

Okay, so talking to this guy, it hit me. He's here to mark the end of something, which I realised, oh, we all were, right? Like, I think it was clear to absolutely everybody there on that street that one era has ended and, like, we're in some very new moment right now. And lots of us were just trying to puzzle that out in real time, like, what this means.

Okay, so talking to this guy, it hit me. He's here to mark the end of something, which I realised, oh, we all were, right? Like, I think it was clear to absolutely everybody there on that street that one era has ended and, like, we're in some very new moment right now. And lots of us were just trying to puzzle that out in real time, like, what this means.