Movement Monuments

"The hatched chick represents the resurgence eagles made after DDT was banned. Carson’s text, on the nest, made us more aware of the fire spreading in our own nest, Earth." ~Olivia C.

"The circle represents family, with the cracks below the two wedding bands representing the fragility of the movement, because people are still trying to undermine it." ~Zack L.

"The brain with wings represents the free choice of people living with mental health disabilities. It's stuck between jail cell bars but is breaking through, symbolizing how people want to break free of punitive laws." ~Abby C.

"The hand points up, as a gun should never be pointed at a person. Instead of a bullet grow flowers, blooming instead of destroying. These forget-me-nots remind us never to forget the innocent victims of gun violence." ~Yesenia S.

"Men may have thought they were elevating women. But Ginsburg argued that the gender line 'helps to keep women not on a pedestal, but in a cage.' Here, on a pedestal, is a woman in a cage." ~Jett A.

"The BLM fist punches through a police badge, symbolizing the movement's work against the police and how George Floyd's murder affected the movement." ~Natalie P.

"He stands on the Quaker symbol, the foundation for his beliefs. The adoption symbol on his suit references how he adopted his husband in order to avoid legal trouble. The microphone/flag held above his head symbolizes that he held the movements higher than himself." ~Abby P.

"The statue's back shows the 'true' part of America being anti-immigrant, through the graffiti and barbed wire." ~Fernanda F.

"The car symbolizes movement and progress regarding acceptance of lesbians, and the protestor is sitting on top, referencing their resolve and bold outwardness." ~Maren L.

"This globe has trash shaped as the continents, and off the top is a smoke stack representing the ash that covered the air in the 1970s. It's weighing down the world, showing how the climate issue is still pressing." ~Addy P.

"The soup bowl with swords on top represents how the Black Panthers both helped people through community service and defended them with arms." ~Owen S.

"The rocks represent the rubble, and the rainbow phoenix shows how the queer community rose from the ashes." ~Sofia S.

"An unhoused person's back is being bent by the bench's armrest, showing how architects are not solving homelessness, only making it harder for people to find rest." ~Anna B.

"Instead of people in Zuccotti Park, there are phones, showing how social media made more of an impact than the actual people occupying the park." ~Joseph N.

"Kaepernick's head is bowed to symbolize his sadness. The chains at his feet depict his comparison of the NFL draft to a slave auction." ~Jacob G.

"Doves fly around the boys to symbolize peaceful protest; the anchor-shaped chair legs represent their unwillingness to move." ~Nolan T.

"The U.S. symbolically built a bridge that Soviet Jews could cross; the moss on the bridge shows how long it took to make progress." ~Alisa S.

"The high heels walking all over the globe represent the majority of the world that supported women's rights." ~Maya G.

"Just as America planted its flag on the moon to claim ownership, so is America now staking claim to a woman's uterus." ~Polina M.

"In the style of 'panhandlers,' this sign reveals that homelessness is a systemic problem, even though it appears on the surface to be a problem with individuals." ~Makoto A.

"The American nest welcomes eggs of all types, except for the Japanese vase, kept in a cage out of suspicion." ~Byron L.

"The bra tossed to the ground represents breaking free from having to cover up because of the sexualization of women's bodies." ~Sara A.

"While the concert certainly helped many people suffering from famine, a sizable sum of money disappeared from the proceeds, and it was criticized as a catalyst for white saviorism." ~Misha F.

"At the bottom of the economic ladder the steps are smaller, while at the higher rungs there is more room for error. The bottom steps hold the ladder together, but they are highly neglected, which affects the entire society." ~Vincent T.