JOIN US IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

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Throughout the pandemic crisis, we have been actively watching the situation across the country and making contingency plans. We are now putting those plans into effect. 

We have rescheduled our procession and exhibition on the National Mall to October 16-17, 2021. The Soul Box Project exists to save lives, not risk the welfare of  people participating in the exhibit and procession. In addition, we don’t want to encourage people to visit the exhibit while there is a heightened risk of Covid transmission. 

The National Mall and surrounding monuments are subject to the District of Columbia’s mass gathering limitations and safety restrictions. We will continue to follow their guidance as the new date draws closer.  If the situation looks unsafe, we will postpone again.

For maximum impact we want to display 200,000 Soul Boxes on the National Mall, representing the people killed or injured by gunfire in just three years.* Meeting that goal depends on you and other Box-makers folding and sending in as many Soul Boxes as possible. 

In order to complete our display and ship it to Washington, D.C., we need you to send your Soul Boxes by September 1. That means you need to mail them or drop them off at our Portland collection points by that date. Earlier is even better for our volunteers assembling the display components. Information about shipping and drop-off in Portland.

As you can imagine, this event takes a lot of planning. We expect concerned individuals like you to join us from the local D.C. Metro area and across the country.  Watch our website, our social media@soulboxproject and our newsletter for sign-up information. 

Fly with Alaska Airlines and receive 7% off the lowest fare!

• Book online at Alaska Airlines departing from any mainland city.
• Choose a flight to and from any D.C. airport between Oct. 9-23rd.
• Use the discount code ECMD632 to obtain the 7% discount.

There are no Alaska Airlines blackout dates during the month of October, but the booking deadline is Oct. 16th. Flights must be to and from a D.C. airport in order to use the discount. This is for new reservations only. Be sure to choose fares that allow cancellations or credit.

Fly United Airlines and receive a 10% discount!

• Book online at United Airlines Meeting Travel, call the Meetings desk at 800-426-1122, or book through your travel agency.
• Choose a flight to and from any D.C airport between Oct. 13-20th.
• Use these codes: Z Code: ZK3B and Agreement Code: 822354.

Please let us know if you book with either code. Both airlines will give us a free flight for staff if 40 people use it!

OFFICIAL EVENT HOTEL, 1/2 mile from the exhibit site: 

Holiday Inn Washington Capitol - National Mall, 550 C Street SW  

We have secured  group rates of $149 (1K/2Q) & $249 (suite)/night, plus 14.95% tax.  

For dates between October 11 and 20, 2021

Cancellable with 72 hours advance notice.

Call 877-834-3613 using Group Code:  GH4 or book online.

Booking deadline: September 12, 2021 (or earlier, depending on room availability)

Also very close:

 Hilton Washington, D.C. National Mall, 480 L'Enfant Plaza SW   (202) 484-1000 

 Hotel Harrington, corner of 11th St NW & E Street NW   (800) 424-8532 

For more options, stay further out and take Metro to the site. The nearest Metro stop is Smithsonian Station (blue, orange and silver lines), 1/7 mile from the exhibit. 

Check back here and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @soulboxproject. We’ll share information as we receive it. If you definitely hope to attend, let us know now.

There’s enough shouting – especially around gun issues. We believe the spectacle of hundreds of people respectfully carrying tens of thousands of Soul Boxes in thoughtful silence aligns with our mission. The Soul Box Project is about the victims. We are revealing the number of lives torn apart by gunfire. It is up to visitors to take actions that align with their beliefs. Read our mission.

When we process with Soul Boxes, it is always a solemn, respectful event. Carrying  a bag of up to 500 Soul Boxes, walking silently to a funereal drumbeat and physically feeling the burden of the loss of and injury to victims, is much more than performance art -- it is an incredibly emotional experience for the hundreds of people participating. We insist that volunteers handle the bags with reverence. See an example of our 2019 procession at the Oregon State Capitol. 

We're planning to have at least 100,000 Soul Boxes in our procession. That means we need containers to be carried by about 200 people. We have found in previous processions that clear, waterproof bags not only reveal the Soul Boxes inside, but protect them from inclement weather.

Keep in mind, the bags holding the mostly unadorned Soul Boxes represent the unknown victims. These are mostly people who have died by suicide and those injured by gunfire. We feel it’s important that they are counted in this epidemic. Even though their names are not in the news, they are the vast majority of victims. Soul Boxes with names and powerful visuals will be displayed on panels so that visitors can see each one up close.

We will be exhibiting between Seventh Street and Fourteenth Street, in front of the Smithsonian Castle. Over 30,000 Soul Boxes hung on vertical panels will be displayed under a 200-foot open canopy spanning the width of the Mall. The bags of unadorned Soul Boxes will line the walkways surrounding the canopy.

Even though we've been bringing Soul Boxes to communities since October 2017, our event in Washington, D.C., will mark the beginning of a new phase for The Soul Box Project. After the National Mall event, the Soul Boxes will be available for exhibits in public spaces around the country. If you would like to know more about bringing The Soul Box Project to a venue in your city, contact us and watch our website, social media @soulboxproject and newsletter for more information. 

Yes! Are you in the Portland, Oregon area with some time to volunteer? You can help prepare the display for Washington, D.C. We'll be sharing more ways to get involved soon via social media and our newsletter. 

In the months leading up to the  event, we will be adding information as we get it. If you have a question, please contact us. In the meantime, check back here periodically, follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest information. 

You can donate to The Soul Box Project. A meaningful way to support the exhibit is to sponsor a panel of 98 Soul Boxes. Small or large, we appreciate your financial contributions.