A website dedicated to expectant parents has shared a moving tribute to black men and women who have been violently killed in the US.
Babynames.com is usually a source of inspiration to soon-to-be mums and dads, offering lists of name ideas and meanings.
But rather than popular rankings and photos of happy babies, its website now shows a black box listing names of people who died as a result of violence by police or other indiviudals.
“Each one of these names was somebody’s baby,” a caption on the memorial reads.
“Babynames.com stands in solidarity with the black community. #Blacklives matter.”
The list begins with the name Emmett Till – a 14-year-old boy who was lynched to death in Mississippi in 1955 – and ends with that of George Floyd – the man whose death in Minneapolis on May 25 touched off an international wave of protest.
It features 105 names in total.
Social media users have praised the move, describing it as “amazing” and “powerful stuff.”
Former US Attorney Barb McQuade tweeted: “All parents give deep and loving thought to their baby’s name. They never imagine seeing it on a tombstone or a headline about victims of police violence. They were all someone’s baby.”
While US comedian Amber Ruffin commented: “Whoa. I'm so very not pregnant. Just want you to go to babynames.com and have a look and a cry.”
Another Twitter user wrote: "I love this so much because who was asking for babynames .com to speak on racism? Probably nobody. But they were still like Silence is Violence y'all, here we go."
The website’s founder Jennifer Moss said she and her colleagues were “humbled” by the public’s support for their message.
“BabyNames.com is a family owned and operated business. When we saw the names of black victims listed on NPR, we were devastated,” she said.
“Our statement is that these are not just names on a page, but loved ones.
“We are humbled and grateful for the public response and hope it helps in the conversation.”
