This story was last updated July 5 at 12:26 p.m.
As D.C. gears up for an unusual Fourth of July in the wake of COVID-19, protests that have taken place across the region for more than a month will continue this weekend.
For the sixth weekend in a row following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, demonstrators will take to the streets to protest police brutality and racial injustice — with some specifically aimed at reframing the holiday.
Federal and local officials have been sending mixed messages about how locals should celebrate the Fourth. President Donald Trump will hold his second “Salute to America” event along the National Mall and near the White House, while D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has urged everyone to stay at or near home to help curb the spread of coronavirus.
We’ve rounded up the demonstrations taking place this weekend. This list is not comprehensive and will be updated.
Do you have an event for the list? Email Nathan Diller and Dawnthea Price Lisco.
Friday, July 3
A special edition of Moechella, a combination of D.C. slang “moe” and the music festival Coachella, will take place at Lincoln Park. The event is set to begin at 5 p.m. in an effort to demand controversial statues be taken down, including the park’s Emancipation Memorial, which has faced calls for removal in recent weeks. Participants are asked to wear face masks and black clothing.
Saturday, July 4
George Floyd Memorial March On Washington
Demonstrators will meet at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial beginning at 9:30 a.m. The march will then proceed down the National Mall, up 15th Street NW, and stop at the Ellipse, which organizers plan to occupy. Masks are required, and protesters are encouraged to bring food and water.
Million Man March On Washington
The march will also begin at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial at 10 a.m. Protesters will then make their way to the White House and the U.S. Capitol.
A Peaceful Sit-In For Black Women
The sit-in will take place on the public sidewalk outside the Supreme Court from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Hosted by the Freedom Day Foundation, a grassroots racial justice movement, the march will begin at 12 p.m. at the Capitol Reflecting Pool. Participants are encouraged to wear all black attire.
Black Lives Matter Protest and Human Flag
The march, which is not affiliated with the local Black Lives Matter chapter, will begin at 12:30 p.m. at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and participants will head to the Washington Monument. There, protesters will be given red, black, and green banners and assemble to form a Pan-African flag, which was designed to represent people of the African Diaspora and adopted by the Universal Negro Improvement Association in 1920. Demonstrators are also encouraged to wear those colors.
Juliberation: No Justice, No Fourth
The march, hosted by Freedom Fighters D.C. and Concerned Citizens of D.C., will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Park at Le Droit, located at 3rd and Elm streets NW.
D.C. Protest’s March From Malcolm X Park
The march will begin at Malcolm X Park, also known as Meridian Hill Park, at 3 p.m.
Veterans standing in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement will march from the McPherson Square Metro stop at 4 p.m. At 4:15, the group will make its way to Trump’s “Salute to America” event to “remind those attending that not all are free,” according to an Instagram post.
Black Onyx Movement March On July 4
Hosted by Black Onyx Movement, a coalition dedicated to fighting racial injustice, the march will also depart from Malcolm X Park at 6:30 p.m. and head to an undisclosed end location.
Sunday, July 5
The D.O.P.E. Tribe collaborative is opening up its monthly open mic as an impromptu rally at Fort Circle Park, 1100 Galloway St. NE, from 3:30-7:30 p.m.
The District hub of the Sunrise Movement is hosting Sunday’s Defund MPD action at Stanton Park, 226 4th St. NE, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
