When we think about how it should be built, we were reminded of Ubudehe, the building process we learned about in Rwanda.We wondered if we could fill those very columns with the soil from the sites of where these killings occurred.Brian and his team have begun collecting that soiland preserving it in individual jars with family members, community leaders and descendants.The act of collecting soil itself has lead to a type of spiritual healing. It's an act of restorative justice.As one EJI team member noted in the collection of the soil from where Will McBride was lynched,"If Will McBride left one drop of sweat, one drop of blood, one hair follicleI pray that I dug it up, and that his whole body would be at peace."We plan to break ground on this memorial later this year,and it will be a place to finally speak of the unspeakable acts that have scarred this nation.When my father told me that day that this house -- our house -- had saved his life,what I didn't know was that he was referring to a much deeper relationship between architecture and ourselves.
