Curators for several of Washington’s Smithsonian Institution – like the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Museum of American History – were collecting protest signs strung along a fence in front of the White House to preserve a slice of American history.

Curator Dwandalyn Ree told ABC News “We are telling the American story from the African American experience. We recognize the historical significance, we recognize the mood of the country and it’s very important to capture that.

Curators collected the signs from the Lafayette Square fence and talked with protesters so they can understand the stories behind the powerful signs supporting Black Lives Matter and the death of George Floyd.