Flags on National Mall Will Honor U.S. Coronavirus Victims

Politics|White flags on the National Mall volition people much than 600,000 U.S. Covid deaths.

• July 15, 2021, 3:03 p.m. ET

Hundreds of thousands of achromatic flags volition beryllium planted on the National Mall successful Washington successful September to memorialize the much than 600,000 radical who person died from Covid-19 successful the United States.

For 2 weeks, from Sept. 17 to Oct. 3, the installation, “In America: Remember,” volition broad 20 acres of national parkland onshore adjacent the Washington Monument, and those who person mislaid idiosyncratic to the pandemic volition beryllium capable to taxable dedications for the flags.

The creator who announced the task connected Thursday, Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg, planted 267,000 flags successful Washington past autumn to admit what was past the decease toll of Covid successful the United States.

The pandemic has since taken hundreds of thousands of further lives, and the coming installation volition much than treble the fig of flags. The memorial volition besides beryllium dispersed crossed a much salient location: on the National Mall and bordering the White House, the Washington Monument, the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the World War II Memorial.

Ms. Firstenberg said that an perceiver lasting connected the Truman Balcony astatine the White House would spot a “blanket of white” successful beforehand of the Washington Monument.

Placing the installation adjacent to the African American past depository was an intentional choice, Ms. Firstenberg said. People of colour were disproportionately affected by the microorganism passim the pandemic, largely due to the fact that of societal inequality. Black Americans were acold much apt to go infected, much than twice arsenic apt to dice from it, and had a harder clip getting vaccinated.

“Inequity is astatine the halfway of wherefore communities of colour person been disproportionately affected by this,” Ms. Firstenberg said, explaining that she planned to works the archetypal flags “in the shadow” of the museum.

She said that she was compelled to make the installation due to the fact that of her outrage toward nationalist officials who sought to downplay the increasing decease toll arsenic “just a statistic.” Now, she added, the 2nd iteration of the installation was meant to promote hesitant Americans to get vaccinated.

“The past happening I privation to bash is to person to bargain immoderate much flags,” Ms. Firstenberg said. “And the champion mode to bash that is to get vaccinated.”