On Tuesday, Jan. 19 Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury and Commissioner Lori Stegmann led a moment of silence to remember and honor the nearly 500 lives lost in Multnomah County and over 2 million deaths worldwide to COVID-19.
Similar events are being held across the country today, hours before a candlelight vigil tonight hosted by President-elect Joe Biden, who will be inaugurated tomorrow. Board members will participate in individual candle lighting later in the day and encourage others to participate as well.
“It’s difficult to digest all of the hardship that our country is experiencing, from economic uncertainty, social and civil unrest, to wildfires and other natural disasters. We are hurting and we are grieving. And the ones that we love most, we are unable to feel their embrace, feel their kiss on our forehead, and feel the reassurance of their love when their hands used to wind tightly around ours,” Commissioner Stegmann said in a statement before the moment of silence.
“So today, we join our hearts together and embrace one another with our words to honor the lives who have been lost to COVID-19. We remember how each one of those individuals impacted our lives. We remember how they loved us and how we loved them. And if we are to truly honor them, then we cannot let their passing be in vain. We must be vigilant to protect more from needlessly dying. We have the power and the knowledge to do that. And it is up to each and every one of us to care for one another as if our lives depended on it, because indeed it does.”
Since the start of the pandemic, 1 in 800 Black Americans have died from the virus and more than 3 million Americans have lost a close relative. In her statement, Commissioner Jayapal highlighted these tremendous impacts on families and communities of color.
She also stressed the importance of continued safety precautions, reminding the public that a quarter of COVID-19 deaths have occurred in the last five weeks.
“With the vaccine in sight, it may feel as though we’re at the end of the tunnel, but these numbers remind us that we’re not,” Commissioner Jayapal said.
“This virus is still very much with us. This is not the time to let down our guard. As difficult as life in the pandemic is, this is not the time to pretend we can go back to normal. In fact, the next few months may be the most difficult of all, exactly because it feels as if the end is in sight.”
Chair Kafoury also called attention to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color, calling it the result of “generations of discriminatory and racist choices that continue today.”
“Multnomah County mourns and honors the hundreds of thousands who have been taken from us by the virus. We hold and stand by everyone who has been affected by the pandemic,” Chair Kafoury said.
“We thank the scores of healthcare workers, support professionals, and frontline workers who have risked so much over the last year and we resolve to do everything we can with every tool we have to overcome the challenges we face today.”
The virtual candlelight vigil is scheduled to take place at 5:30 p.m. EST (2:30 p.m. PST) and will take place at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.