‘Say Their Names’: New project seeks to document Black Americans killed by law enforcement going back to 1919
CHICAGO — With the support of the Field Foundation of Illinois, a new project is being launched to identify, locate and remember Black Americans killed by police, going back to 1919.
“NON:op,” the national team of researchers behind the project titled “Say Their Names,” started their work by creating an online digital map and database memorializing Black Americans killed by law enforcement over the last ten years.
“The events of the killing of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd … There was a lot of pain then, and sadly, there is still a lot of pain,” said Saba Ayman-Nolley, project coordinator for Say Their Names. “So, we decided to create this interactive, digital map memorial … It is so that anyone and everyone, everywhere could engage with it so they can learn and they can heal.”
In terms of the nitty-gritty of the project, those who work on Say Their Names are split into two teams — One composed of researchers, and one made up of digital programmers who create and update the map as needed.
“Every time you say their names, you inspire people to check out what is wrong with the system,” said Brian Beals, a supporter of the project. “And that is the very root of accountability.”
Beals is but one example of a wrong being righted in the American justice system. He was wrongly convicted and later exonerated with the help of the Illinois Innocence Project after serving 35 years in prison.
“The way we fight it is with projects like this,” Beals said. “We humanize. We humanize the injustice, not with anger, but with love.”
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Ronald Browne, the lead researcher on the Say Their Names project, said the project aims to add context and details to the stories of those who have none in them today, and provide meaning to people gone so they are seen as more than just a number, or another name on a piece of paper.
“The project’s goal is to memorialize the stories of those who were killed and to give additional facts about their lives,” Browne said. “So that they are seen [as] more than mere statistics.”
According to those who work on the Say Their Names project, it welcomes both public input and public contributions on their website, with public input being welcomed on cases not currently on the digital map, or if there are facts people would like to include in a person’s bio, like hobbies.
For more information on the Say Their Names project, here’s a link to their website: https://saytheirnames.shinyapps.io/STNWebApp/
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