Say Their Names NYC

A digital monument in Central Park honoring 212 lives lost to racial injustice

A permanent memorial could never have been built in Central Park — but an augmented one could. Sited in the park's historic Seneca Village section, Say Their Names placed 50 virtual pillars honoring 212 people who lost their lives to racial injustice and systemic violence. Visitors walked among the pillars with the Membit app, tapped into each person's story, and took part in a social ritual: recording themselves reciting the names aloud and sharing the videos with #SayTheirNamesMemorialNYC. Covered by NBC New York, PIX11, TheGrio, and 6sqft, the project demonstrated AR's singular ability to place memory — at scale, with dignity — in public space no physical monument could occupy.