Jordan Edwards, Betty Jones, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Emmit Till are some of the names and faces hanging along the fence at the Kingston YMCA Farm Project’s greenhouse and farm.

What You Need To Know

  • The Youth Crew at the Kingston YMCA Farm Project hung up 200 pictures of Black people killed by racial violence and police brutality

  • The project was part of their anti-racist learning and action program that they participated in over the summer

  • It is part of the "Say Their Names Project," a national campaign created by Joy Proctor, an events planner from Portland, Oregon

It is all part of the program’s Youth Crew “Say Their Names Memorial.” The group hung up 200 pictures and names of Black people that were killed due to racial violence or police brutality to bring awareness to the issue as part of this year’s Artwalk Kingston.

“When people look at these faces, see these Black faces smiling, they get to read some of their stories. I feel like they're not going to leave here without thinking to themselves, 'why is this happening without them,' wanting to, you know, make change I hope,” says Youth Crew member Jessica Alonso.

This was all part of their anti-racist learning and action program that they participated in this summer. They say that there are a lot more names of Black people who have been killed that no one knows or talks about.

"It's important to honor them, because what happened to them was wrong and there was no justice for them," said Alexander Rios, another Youth Crew member.

“People tend to focus on a few names," Alonso said. "But this shows that there are many, many names; many, many people who have lost their lives.”

One visitor to the memorial said it really opened her eyes to the seriousness of police brutality.

“It really brings it home, what goes on. And I wish that more people could see it for that reason, because I think even a lot of people who may be paying attention or hearing the news right now, don't realize the full, the full depth and breadth of police brutality,” said Kingston resident Lucy Miller.

Along with the memorial, as part of the program, the group also painted a utility box on Schwenk Drive.

“I'm hoping that it'll remind them that racial injustice is still around, and we have a lot of work to do. And that it's very important for people to not just claim that they're not racist, but to show that they are anti-racist,” says Alonso.

The memorial is part of the “Say Their Names Project,” a national campaign created by Joy Proctor, an events planner from Portland, Oregon.