WASHINGTON – Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) introduced legislation on Wednesday to rename Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., in honor of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was recently assassinated. The proposed bill would redesignate the two blocks of 16th Street leading to the White House as “Charlie Kirk Freedom of Speech Plaza,” requiring at least two street signs to mark the change and directing federal laws, maps, and official records to adopt the new name.
The bill comes amid a wave of Republican efforts to commemorate Kirk, who has already had a street named after him in California and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Earlier this year, both the House and Senate passed resolutions recognizing his “life and legacy,” and a Florida lawmaker proposed a bill to make Oct. 14, Kirk’s birthday, “Charlie Kirk Day of Remembrance.” The move to rename Black Lives Matter Plaza highlights continued Republican opposition to the site, which was painted with large yellow letters reading “BLACK LIVES MATTER” during the 2020 George Floyd protests and permanently named by the D.C. Council later that year. While Mace emphasized that the renaming would honor Kirk’s commitment to the First Amendment, it remains uncertain whether the bill will receive a House vote or gain the Democratic support needed to pass the Senate. This proposal follows other efforts by Republicans in Congress, including a separate bill to rename another D.C. street “Charlie Kirk Way” and legislation directing the U.S. Treasury to mint commemorative coins in his honor.