“Say Their Names” — putting power in the people
Franck Ndame is creating an app along with hundreds of volunteers with the goal of furthering the #BlackLivesMatter movement in an accessible way.
We cannot shy away from what’s going on in our country right now. It even extends around the world.
I’ve signed countless petitions, educated myself on the inherent racism in our society, and donated to as many funds as I could, but I still felt like there was more to say.
Like many others, I took my thoughts to Twitter, focusing on the design world for another project in my Mobile and Social Media Storytelling class at Lehigh University. During my search, something stopped me.
Finally, I saw a clear positive come out of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. This tweet shows that there is good in the world, and I had to learn more.
We were taught to connect with people on Twitter — build our circle and start networking. So that’s what I did.
This week, I had the pleasure of talking to Franck Ndame, a computer science graduate who has been freelancing for about two years. He creates apps, and his most recent project is called “Say Their Names.”
“Say Their Names” is a project that “aims to build an open-source platform that raises awareness of the injustice and often forgotten names of racial inequality at the hands of law enforcement. [We] strive to identify and amplify verified organizations to ensure donations are reaching those who can make the most impact with it.”
Ndame already knew how to build an app, but trends die down, meaning it was imperative that the app and website launch as soon as possible.
Like many of us in #LUComm197, Ndame recently dipped his toes into the Twitter universe. He recognized the power of social media and its ability to connect him with people who had the skills needed to create “Say Their Names” as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Ndame did a quick mock-up to drive interest in the project, and with that, the tweet — which I ended up seeing — was sent.
Within the first hour, Ndame had about seven people working with him on the project. In the next hour, there were about 30. In the third hour, there were about 50. And next, Jeff Dean, a leader of Google AI, retweeted the tweet.
Now, Ndame is working on the app with over 300 people in a Slack channel. Each individual brings their own values and ideas to the table while valuing justice and remembrance.
The volunteers’ hard and diligent work on this platform has made it possible to release the website on Monday, and the app later in the week.
I believe this app brings a form of justice to each individual killed due to police brutality and violence. It’s one thing to say their name aloud, but it’s another to see their faces and hear their stories. This platform is also a way to comfort families and make changes to our criminal justice system.
I’m thankful that there is now a place where they can be remembered. Society cannot escape this physical platform. It had to be created and has to be shared.
