| Nearly 5 million people globally have died due to COVID-19, Johns Hopkins reported as of Sunday morning. In the U.S., more than 745,000 people have died from the virus.
Memorials to honor those we've lost continue to grow. As the world approaches another grim milestone, here are ways U.S.-based artists have contributed to remembering COVID-19 victims.
In Washington, D.C., Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg bought 630,000 small white flags in June. Each flag would represent an American who died from COVID-19. She thought 630,000 flags would be enough for the temporary memorial on the National Mall. When the memorial, "In America: Remember" opened on Sept. 17, more than 670,000 Americans had died from the virus.
“I was blown away by the willingness of people to share their grief and by the willingness of others to lessen it, to honor it,” she said. “So when I looked out on those flags, I saw hope. I really believe humanity is going to win out.”
The installation ended after two weeks on Oct. 3. At that time, more than 700,000 Americans had died from the virus.
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Rima Samman's brother, Rami, died of COVID-19 at the age of 40. In January, on what would have been her brother's 41st birthday, Samman wrote Rami’s name on a stone and placed it on a beach in her hometown in New Jersey. She surrounded it with shells in the shape of a heart.
She invited others in an online support group to join and memorialize their own loved ones. By July, 3,000 stones filled approximately 12 hearts made of clam shells.
Because the memorial was on a public beach and exposed to the elements, Samman decided to preserve it. The display is now the center of the Rami's Heart COVID-19 Memorial in Wall Township, New Jersey. It opened in September.
“I knew if we just demolished it, it would crush people,” Samman said. “For a lot of people, it’s all they have to remember their loved ones.”
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Keep a civil tongue.