Social Justice — A Photo Essay

Myka Fromm, Photographer
March 12, 2021

The summer of 2020 was full of political outcry, especially after George Floyd’s murder. DC, in a lot of ways, was the center of that attention since protesters sought justice on the legislative level. The majority of these photos were taken in June and July of last year as a way of conveying the feelings and actions of different groups during that time. The last two photos were taken months later, though, after the nation learned the results of the presidential election. To me, these show a cause and effect relationship. People fought for change throughout the summer, and they used the election as a way of enacting that change.

Metropolitan Police officers prepare to trail a group of Trump supporters at the National Mall on July 4, 2020.
A DC native discusses the Black Lives Matter movement in front of a recently defaced Confederate monument on June 27, 2020.
A man sells Black Lives Matter shirts on a DC corner in front of boarded-up windows on July 4, 2020. Even on that hot day, people were still wearing black, driven to show their support for the movement.
Don Folden, owner of Capital Buddy Tours, bumps elbows with a Black police officer in Lincoln Park on June 27, 2020. Fences were put up around the controversial monument, which depicts Abraham Lincoln emancipating slaves, and police presence was added to prevent protesters from vandalizing or tearing down the statue.
A group of police officers stands in front of fences around the White House amidst nationwide calls to “defund the police.”
The entrance to a Department of Veterans Affairs building shows remnants of the vandalism it faced from Black Lives Matter protesters. The city was largely empty on July 4, 2020, but evidence of the weeks of protests could be seen on most buildings.
Advocates protest in front of the Capitol on July 4, 2020. Groups also gathered in front of the Supreme Court and the White House, while others marched through the streets of DC.
A person holds up a Biden 2020 flag while driving through DC on November 7, 2020, the night of the confirmation of Joe Biden’s election victory.
Pro-Biden crowds gather outside of the White House on November 7, 2020. Many of these supporters had advocated for various social justice movements, including Black Lives Matter, throughout the summer. Their chants, marches and signs that night were reminiscent of those many protests.