Two years after racist shooting in Buffalo, a memorial honoring the victims is in the works

It’s been two years since the racist shooting at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New York, which left 10 black people dead.

This week, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown and the May 14 Memorial Commission revealed the final approved design for the permanent memorial, which will include a monument and a new building with ‘an elevated park on the roof.

The memorial, titled “Seeing Us,” designed by Jin Young Song and Douglass Alligood, was selected by the 5/14 Memorial Commission from among 20 other submissions. The Rev. Mark Blue, chairman of the 5/14 Memorial Commission, says the families of the victims were also consulted when selecting the final design.

“What happened on 5/14 was an act of senseless violence and an act of hatred,” Blue said. “I intend to ensure we have a memorial that families and communities can be proud of.” »

The announcement and reveal came a day before the second anniversary of the mass shooting when a self-proclaimed white supremacist opened fire on the neighborhood’s Tops supermarket, killing ten people and injuring several others.

At the press conference revealing the drawing, Governor Hochul said: “As we approach the second solemn anniversary of the moment our neighbors were senselessly massacred solely because of the color of their skin, we pledge to back to supporting the East Buffalo community, remembering. those we have lost and supporting those who have been hurt.

“New York State has committed $5 million to the $15 million project…Buffalo will contribute $1 million, and a yearlong fundraising campaign is expected to make up the difference,” NBC News reports.

Hochul said the new project building will function as a community center for education and also as a place where events and exhibitions can be held. “The memorial will also feature an elevated, park-like “memorial walk” on the roof of the new building, leading visitors to a viewpoint overlooking the monument. »

On Tuesday, the city of Buffalo also unveiled and dedicated a second memorial titled “Unity” outside the Tops store. The sculpture “features purple metal pillars representing each person killed. Three golden pillars represent those who have been injured.

Buffalo artist Valeria Cray worked with her son Hiram Cray to design the sculpture, which “is part of the new 5/14 Tops Honor Space, a small park-like space with benches, pillars and gardens.”

According to the Associated Press, “The Honor space also includes a pear tree donated to Buffalo as part of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum’s survivor tree seedling program.” Seedlings from a tree taken from the rubble of the World Trade Center after 9/11 are being sent to communities that embody the spirit of the tree.