Photo by Andrew Wiseman.

A couple of readers have sent emails to DCist today, curious about an installation at Freedom Plaza which involves a large array of black t-shirts with messages on them. The shirts, for those still curious, are the most visible aspect of the 2011 National ALS Advocacy Day and Public Policy Conference, which is taking place in the District. Last night, the ALS Association held a candlelight vigil in the Plaza.

The shirts on display feature the names of individuals who have been stricken with the affliction — a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord which is commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease — and some feature photographs. Tomorrow, participants in the conference will lobby members of Congress for additional funding to fight the disease, which currently affects 30,000 Americans and has no known cure.