Before another monument goes up, somebody needs to ask who it’s really speaking for
DC is more than monuments, politics, and tourists taking pictures. For a lot of us, this is home. It’s neighborhoods, churches, culture, history, struggle, and people trying to hold on in a city that keeps changing around them.
That’s why President Trump’s proposed “Triumphal Arch” is already getting people talking.
The design has been approved by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, with plans for a 250-foot arch near the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Supporters see it as a patriotic statement ahead of America’s 250th birthday. But for many people in and around D.C., it’s bigger than how it looks.
It’s about who gets heard.
The Lincoln Memorial means something. It’s tied to civil rights, Dr. King’s dream, and the fight for justice that still isn’t finished. Arlington is sacred ground. So when you talk about putting a massive new monument in that space, there should be real conversation, not just another decision made at the top.
For young Black people in the city, this hits a familiar nerve. We’ve watched buildings go up, neighborhoods change, and history get repackaged while the people who actually live here are barely included in the conversation.
This isn’t about being against patriotism. It’s about wanting a version of patriotism that tells the whole truth. Because monuments don’t just sit there. They say something. And before this one goes up, D.C. deserves to be heard.
Trump’s Proposed D.C. Arch Moves Forward, But DC Has Questions was originally published on praisedc.com
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