More Than 660,000 White Flags Displayed on National Mall Lawn in Honor of Americans Killed from COVID-19
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- Updated Sep 20, 2021
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Some 660,000 white flags are flying on the grassy lawn at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as a tribute to the thousands of Americans who have died from COVID-19.
The flags cover more than 20 acres of the National Mall and represent every person who has died from the disease in the United States, CBN News reports.
Artist Suzanne Brenna Firstenberg first started placing the flags with volunteers last year. She and others placed about 267,000 flags.
"We will keep adding flags every day," Firstenberg said. "I just ordered another 20,000."
Visitors can walk through the nearly 3.8-mile display, titled In America: Remember. The tribute will be on display through Oct. 3.
"Once you take one flag and think about all the grief that is embodied by that flag, then you lift your gaze. That's the power of this art – understanding the immensity of our loss," said Firstenberg, adding that the flags are meant to resemble the rows of headstones at Arlington National Cemetery.
"I was just so intent on planting all these flags and making people understand, that once people began laying on top of my art their own grief and experiences, it became truly overwhelming," Firstenberg said.
Flags are available to be dedicated to those who have died. You may dedicate in person or online.
"This exhibit honors all who have died, affecting more than one in three families. In America: Remember will provide a historic visual, reminding us for years to come that being an American means caring for all Americans. We cannot let this ever happen again. Our strength comes from the degree to which we stand side-by-side in the face of the challenges that lie ahead," Firstenberg said.
Sabila Khan, the co-founder of COVID-19 Loss Support for Family & Friends, said the display allows Americans to honor and remember the impact of COVID-19.
"There is a real fear that they will be forgotten, and that we will be left behind to suffer the trauma of COVID loss on our own. In recentering the COVID conversation around the heartbreaking human toll of this virus, Suzanne Firstenberg's art is a clarion call for this nation to never forget the over 607,000 Americans we've lost in this unprecedented season of grief."
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Al Drago/Stringer
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.