Saturday, March 12th will mark one year since Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police in her own apartment. Police officers in Louisville, Kentucky were serving a "No-Knock Warrant" during the time of the shooting.
Her death ignited the "Say Her Name" movement across the country. Tens of thousands of people took to the street, demanding justice for the 26-year-old.
The movement also sparked the creation of large-scale mural in Wynwood, located at the Bakehouse Art Complex. The public art memorial, entitled Say Their Names, honors Taylor along with hundreds of other victims of gun violence.
Miami-based artist Vanta Black spearheaded the project. Her hope was to recognizes over 500 lives lost due to gun violence.
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"I wanted to put my hand on each name, so I stenciled every single name," Black said. "There are 547 names on that wall.”
The project started in the heat of the summer, during the midst of protest and social unrest in 2020. The final name was added last December.
Black stenciled each name and received help from the local community with finishing the painting.
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Acting director of the Bakehouse Art Complex, Cathy Leff, was eager to back the project.
“It was really a participatory project and hundreds of people came and participated," Leff said. "It really providing a sense of community that brought people together.”
By the time the mural was completed, Black had spent over six months working to complete the work.
The memorial mural is located on the west facing wall of the campus along Northwest 6th Avenue and accessible to visitors 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
