Say Their Names

For centuries, Black Americans have faced violence rooted in bigotry in the form of slavery, lynching, and police brutality. These acts of violence have reached untold numbers, and many are undocumented. The National Civil Rights Museum honors the victims of these crimes, whose names we pledge to remember.

Located on the second floor of The Legacy Building, Say Their Names features 1,973 names of Black people killed by police since 1968. The exhibit centers around the story of Larry Payne, a 17-year-old Memphis resident shot and killed by a police officer on March 28, 1968, while marching in support of striking sanitation workers. Payne was unarmed. The officer responsible was never charged, and justice was never served. Each name displayed represents countless others lost in silence, and stands as the Museum’s enduring commitment to bearing witness to injustice.