A step closer: 3 finalists are in the running to design the 5/14 memorial [Video]

“Whoever the designer is has to be an African American. They have to be a melanated Black man,” says Grady Lewis, one of the few survivors of the deadly massacre. “It has to be. If not, it’s going to be a smack in the face.”

The 5/14 Memorial Commission announced three finalists, two of them from Western New York, that have been chosen for their design.

Kristen Locke with Beehyyve is one. They’re a Chicago-based architectural company.

Jin Young Song is another. He’s a professor at the University at Buffalo.

Then there’s Ed Watts with Watts Architects and Engineers from Buffalo. 

“What this community dealt with that day, our ideas, we can convey something that resonates with the community,” Locke said. 

Jin Young …