Like cities across the country, New York has seen nearly non-stop protests since the police killing of George Floyd. Now, the Museum of the City of New York is calling on activists to help them preserve this important moment.
The museum is asking protestors to tag images and stories about Black Lives Matter protests throughout the city with #ActivistNY and @museumofcityny. Curators will review these tagged images and select pictures that reflect the impact of the protests on city life to share on the museum’s digital media feeds. Participants will be contacted to grant permission for the museum to use their images.
#ActivistNY is a part of the museum’s long running exhibition Activist New York. This exhibition explores activism in New York from the 1600s to the current day. Activist New York aims to highlight the diverse New Yorkers who fight to shape the city they want to see.
President & Ronay Menschel Director of Museum of the City of New York Whitney Donhauser described the museum’s motivation for documenting stories of these protests. In a statement she said, “Given the destructive and disproportionate impact of the global pandemic on Black and brown communities, and the unprecedented logistical challenges to protesting created by social distancing, the Museum is documenting these #ActivistNY stories — part of our long history of documenting this city’s diversity, struggle, resilience, and reinvention. Through these efforts, we hope to contribute to a better future for all New Yorkers.”