‘Say Their Names’ Memorial Set Up At First Unitarian Church

Neighbors recently installed at First Unitarian Church of Dallas a ‘Say Their Names’ memorial to Black lives lost.

The memorial lines the church property off Preston Road with photos and names of 200 Black people including Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Emmett Till, as well as others like George Floyd and Atatiana Jefferson. It was set up by Alicia Rico, who helped set up a memorial initially in Germany Park, with other neighbors. It will be at the church for about three more weeks.

“This memorial has brought so many people together from the Park Cities. I have met neighbors I never knew I had and made friends out of strangers. I want people to understand the effect of injustice and realize racism comes in many forms and is still present today. I hope to see more people speak out against racism and be a change in our neighborhood,” Rico said in a statement on the church’s website. “I love having my children involved in the memorials. I want them to learn to be a voice for others and to stand up for others when something isn’t right. The memorial is a way that families can educate themselves about racial injustice and see the impact on Black lives. I hope we teach our children at a young age how beautiful our differences are and how to champion and support others.”

The Rev. Dr. Daniel Kanter said church members are honored to be part of the project.

 “Black Lives Matter is not over. In fact, it has hardly just begun. As…protests about abuses in policing have subsided around the country, some might be tempted to think this was a passing fad. The fact is that building an equitable world around race will be a marathon we will run for the rest of our lives, and the issues we protested about haven’t gone away,” Kanter said. 

Rico said the memorial that was moved to Thanksgiving Square was also recently moved to Northaven Church.