Black Lives Matter, Street mural in Capitol Hill, Seattle, United States

The Black Lives Matter mural stretches 250 feet (76 meters) along East Pine Street between 10th and 11th avenues with 16 massive capital letters. Each letter was painted by a different artist using varying techniques and materials.

The mural was first painted on June 10, 2020, during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, after the Seattle Police Department left its East Precinct. Sixteen artists filled large white letters with individual designs over three days, funded by donations from protesters. In September 2020 the city paid the Vivid Matter Collective $50,000 to sand the street and repaint the letters, and the work is now refreshed annually.

The artists embedded symbols and references meaningful to their communities within each giant letter. These personal touches turned the street into a place where people see their own stories reflected in the art.

The mural lies on East Pine Street between 10th and 11th avenues, not near Second Avenue. Yellow posts line both sides of the painted roadway, and a four-way stop sign was added at a nearby intersection to slow traffic. Curb parking on East Pine Street has given way to slower traffic lanes, so walkers can approach the letters on foot.

The letters were etched directly into the asphalt using a special technique that makes them extremely difficult to cover up or paint over. This method transformed the street itself into the canvas rather than applying paint to an existing surface.