COVID-19 memorial event is March 6 at Arizona Heritage Center at Papago Park
Staff Reports | Digital Free Press
A Day of Resiliency and Hope is from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday March 6, at the Arizona Heritage Center at Papago Park in Tempe.
Proponents of the creation of the National COVID Memorial Day are using the March 6 event to help illustrate the impact of the tragic events that unfolded in 2020 during the global pandemic.
Those in attendance for this special day of reflection are expected to include Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs; Kristin Urquiza, co-founder of Marked by COVID, and members of the Arizona Historical Society, according to a press release.
“For the last 3 years, Arizonans have grieved alone and in isolation for the loss of loved ones from COVID-19. On what will be the third anniversary of COVID-19 Memorial Day, the Arizona Historical Society is honored to welcome friends, family, medical experts, community partners, and leaders for an afternoon of mutual commemoration and reflections,” said David Breeckner, executive director of the Arizona Historical Society.
The events will include an exclusive screening of “2020 Chaos and Hope” — a new documentary from Oscar and Emmy-winning filmmaker June Beallor, which is presented by ABRAMORAMA and ACE91, and produced by Ceci Chan and June Beallor.
A time capsule of a year unlike any other, “2020 Chaos and Hope” takes viewers through the dramatic events that unfolded in 2020, bringing the audience face-to-face with the riveting moments of the year.
The film, which will soon be available on streaming services, brings together a diverse group of individuals and features new key interviews with world-renowned experts, along with frontline workers, everyday citizens, educators and activists as they reflect on the year 2020.
COVID-19 memorial event is March 6 at Arizona Heritage Center at Papago Park
Immediately following the screening, there will be a brief panel featuring Valley native Kristin Urquiza of Marked By COVID; Todd Bailey from the Arizona Historical Society; Sarah F. Senk of Marked By COVID Board of Directors; and Michael L. Zirulnik, assistant vice president for Phoenix Development.
“We need to do more than what we are doing right now. I think we need to bring radical imagination in order to ensure that the people who have been most impacted, the people who have literally been forced to sacrifice their lives as a result of COVID-19 see some sort of justice and justice is served to them and their families,” said Kristin Urquiza, in a prepared statement.
In 2021, Arizona Congressman Greg Stanton (D-AZ); Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA); Edward J. Markey (D-MA); and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced a resolution to memorialize those lost to the COVID-19 virus and recognize the suffering of COVID-19 survivors. The resolution would designate the first Monday in March as “COVID-19 Victims and Survivors Memorial Day.”
As part of the afternoon events, attendees will also have the opportunity to share their personal stories and view and reflect on various art displays, including the COVID Memorial Quilt, ASU’s COVID Memorial, the Singing Tree Project, the Floral Heart Project, and an interactive healing workshop with the Requiem Project 4.
A special closing healing ceremony will be performed by Darren Thompson who is an Ojibew and Tohono O’odham flute player and journalist from the Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe Indian Reservation in northern Wisconsin.