Along Maxwell Place Pier, the Say Their Names Memorial stands out against the Manhattan skyline. Installed on August 28, this memorial was organized by Nikki Sude, a freelance event producer living in Hoboken. The memorial stands as a way to honor and pay tribute to the 216 lives lost to racial injustice and police brutality.
Originally organized earlier this summer by designer Joy Proctor in Portland, Oregon, the idea spread like wildfire. Similar memorials are popping up in Dallas, Brooklyn, Seattle, Los Angeles, and many more cities across the U.S. as a way of remembering lives lost. With names on display including Breonna Taylor, Dalvin Hollins, and James Scurlock, viewers are confronted with an intimate experience of visualizing their faces and remembering their names. Sude said, “Like many others, I have been trying to educate myself, use my voice, and all around just do and be better these past few months. I just really wanted to bring this visual of what we have all been hearing about and learning about recently, to Hoboken … to encourage people to continue to educate themselves and reflect.”
As a former employee and friend of Joy Proctor, Sude noted that it was a “no brainer for me to get involved.” In addition to the physical demands and logistical aspects of installing the memorial, such as collecting materials and seeking help from local businesses, there were also emotional demands that Sude explained she felt while completing the project. She described that “the process was honestly pretty heavy. Learning the stories of all of these Black lives taken too soon was tough. You’ll see that there are people from all different walks of light here … and they all have their own story.”
Sude was able to gather the physical materials for the memorial with the help of several small businesses in Hoboken and Jersey City — printed images were donated by Print Hoboken, and floral arrangements were donated by several floral design studios including Park & Bloom and Bloomie Flower Studio. The main sign that read “Say Their Names” was created and donated by Letter by Laura, Jersey City resident Laura Miller’s personal design brand.
Originally intended to only stay up until September 7, the memorial will continue to be up until September 15. Sude looks to the future and hopes that the memorial “encourages parents to have tough conversations with their kids and even for kids to have tough conversations with their parents … I hope that this serves as a reminder to all that are passing by that Black Lives Matter is still more important than ever.”
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