Rikers Public Memory Project

The Rikers Public Memory Project collects and makes visible the stories of people most impacted by Rikers Island, to mobilize action toward repairing its generational harms and interrupting the dehumanizing narratives about people harmed by Rikers. By preserving an oral history told through the voices of directly impacted people, we challenge the current narrative about Rikers, who educates the larger public, and who analyzes its lessons for future policy. This helps prevent abuses and racial disparity from recurring, and promotes a new system that is based on restorative justice, community care, and healing. We have 3 pillars: Remember, Repair, and Redress. Interviews are collected, transcribed and uploaded to the RPMP Digital Archive, which is the largest public archive about the legacy of Rikers [REMEMBER]. They are also activated through our social media and multimedia exhibit that takes art and community healing workshops around NYC [REPAIR], and a public health initiative that documents health impacts that justify community reinvestment [REDRESS]. At the Rikers Public Memory Project, we see an opportunity to make sure those who have been most impacted by Rikers can write and reclaim history. These histories have also been shared with the New York Public Library to ensure long term preservation.