We need COVID Memorial Day to heal from trauma

We lost our 62-year-old father to COVID-19, just two weeks before he would have been able to access the life-saving vaccine. We are now two of the millions of COVID bereaved who are being left behind in the rush back to “normal.” COVID has killed at least 6.31 million people globally, more than 1 million in the U.S., and 91,969 in California.

As President Biden said, “To heal we must remember.” That’s why we’re urging our elected officials to support HR 174 and SR334, which would recognize the first Monday of March as COVID Memorial Day and acknowledge COVID’s tremendous death toll: disproportionate impact on low-income, the Black, indigenous and people of color communities; and the sacrifices of frontline, essential and healthcare workers, as well as those now living with long COVID.

There is little hope for passage without bipartisan support, but to date, all co-sponsors are Democrats. This national political divide is well-illustrated here in California. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Sen. Alex Padilla have both co-sponsored SR334, along with 12 House Democrats.

It is unconscionable that our grief and suffering is a partisan issue. COVID has divided our country and we have to find a way to come back together. A COVID Memorial Day would provide a space to unite us in our collective grief, trauma and healing. We urge ALL Californians to ask their elected officials to support this critical legislation and show the nation what a post-pandemic world can look like.

— Cynthia Sanders and Janeth Nuñez del Prado