National Memorial for Peace and Justice
Cultural | CivicLOCATION: | Montgomery, AL |
COMPLETED: | 2018 |
OWNERS: | Equal Justice Initiative |
ARCHITECT: | MASS Design Group |
PHOTOGRAPHER: | © Getty Images |
DESIGN TEAM: | Keith Yancey |
Dan Weissman | |
On a six-acre sacred site in Montgomery, Alabama, this national lynching memorial recognizes the history of racial injustice in our country and serves as a remembrance of the victims and those who fled from racial terror in America. Approaching the memorial, the form is dark and mysterious. As you get closer, a glow from beyond the forest of monuments beckons. At the threshold, massive monuments rest silently on the ground. Quickly the ground begins to give way, spilling light out under each monument. Down the first ramp, each of them is lit from below by a narrow beam of light. As you transition, the monuments are no longer engaged with your body; they now fly above your head. At this point, the lighting for each monument gives way to a pattern of uplights, which create a dappled, uneven effect above.