Seeing Us is a memorial for victims of the Buffalo mass shooting

New York politicians announced this week that Jin Young Song and Douglass Alligood have been selected to design a memorial for the victims of the May 14, 2022, mass shooting in Buffalo. The announcement came two years to the day after the racially motivated terrorist attack on Tops Friendly Markets in East Buffalo.

The announcement was made by Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown; Rev. Mark E. Blue, president of the Buffalo NAACP and chairman of the May 14 Memorial Commission; Governor Kathy Hochul; and other local politicians. It follows a multi-year competition process led by the 5/14 Commemorative Commission.

Douglas Alligood is a partner at the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and Jing Young Song is an associate professor at the University at Buffalo. Alligood is leading BIG’s project team to design the National Juneteenth Museum in Fort Worth.

Young Song and Alligood’s proposal is called See us. The design features ten interconnected pillars for each of the ten victims: Pearl Young, Ruth Whitfield, Margus D. Morrison, Andre Mackniel, Aaron Salter Jr., Geraldine Talley, Katherine Massey, Roberta A. Drury, Heyward Patterson, and Celestine Chaney.

Each pillar will be clad in stone and have its own arch and height. Each will bear the names of the victims and survivors. The interconnected pillars cluster around a support building that will host educational programs, exhibits, community activities, gatherings and events. There will also be a raised memorial walk on the roof of the support building, which will also serve as a park space and reflection point.

“I hope that with this May 14 memorial we can provide some sense of healing, peace and hope for the future,” Mayor Brown said at a press conference.

“I’ve said it from the beginning of this process that we only have one time to get it right,” Rev. Blue added. “We examined the files. We spoke with the families and I am convinced that we made the right choice. What happened on 5/14 was an act of senseless violence and an act of hatred. I intend to ensure we have a memorial that families and communities can be proud of.

Young Song and Alligood’s proposal draws on a lengthy community engagement process that gathered feedback from survivors and victims’ family members. In total, the May 14 Memorial Commission received twenty applications for the project between November 1 and December 18, 2023. From there, three finalists were shortlisted. Young Song and Alligood’s design was ultimately closest to what community members had envisioned.

The project is in line with other memorials erected across the United States for similar tragedies, including the SWA-designed memorial at Sandy Hook Elementary School and in Las Vegas.

The estimated budget for the 5/14 Memorial is $15 million. Governor Hochul pledged $5 million in state funds for the project, and Mayor Brown announced that the City of Buffalo would contribute $1 million.

Following this week’s announcement, the May 14 Memorial Commission will begin a year-long fundraising campaign to raise the remaining amount.