BOSTON (WHDH) - Activists placed more than 300 names and faces of Black people killed due to racial injustice at Boston Common this weekend to memorialize the dead and call for action to prevent further deaths.
The Say Their Names project began in Portland, Oregon, as family members of those unjustly killed shared names and stories. The memorial is intended to call attention those stories, said organizer Haeyoung Koh.
“It’s obviously incredibly tragic, but also a constant reminder that it’s happening every day. even if we don’t experience it, it’s definitely an every day experience for other people in America,” Koh said.
Mansa Semenya, who was helping with the memorial, said fear that her son could be killed is never far from her mind.
“It really hits home for me. My son is really young, he’s an African-American. he’s going to grow up in this country as an African-American boy, and no matter what my personal history is, or no matter how I grew up, this could still be him in the future,” Semenya said. “I’m just sad, sad and tired and exhausted that this is still happening.”
The memorial will be at the Common until at least Nov. 22 and organizers are looking to extend that time.
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