Grief, Loss, and the Quest for a National COVID Memorial

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This chapter discusses the tragic death of a man from COVID-19 and the anger and grief felt by his loved ones. It explores the lack of leadership from politicians in minimizing the risk of the virus and the lack of a national memorial to honor those who have died. It highlights the efforts of Kristen Urquiza and her partner to create a federally recognized COVID Memorial and the challenges they face.

When a highway gets made, there’s a clear and consistent process for doing so. Not so, public memorials. From the Vietnam Wall to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, it’s always different. Sometimes a handful of concerned citizens get together and make it happen. Sometimes a nonprofit pushes for it, or a foundation. There’s usually a lot of activism, and a lot of fraught conversations – about design, location, the story it should tell about what happened, and who it affected.

And how does one memorialize such a vast and distributed tragedy like COVID-19, which was devastating physically but also divisive politically?

Don't Forget to Remember