Alameda participates in National Week of Remembrance

Published on September 29, 2020

Last week, our Country reached the tragic milestone of losing more than 200,000 family, friends, neighbors, frontline workers, nurses, teachers, and Americans from every walk of life to COVID-19. This week, worldwide deaths passed 1 million. Many community members and loved ones have been unable to safely mourn, which led Alameda resident Jennifer Rakowski to ask the City to participate in the National Week of Remembrance October 4-11.

“We will not be silent about their lives,” said community organizer Jennifer Rakowski. “We are coming together to honor and remember our loved ones who are gone, and resolve ourselves to prevent more deaths in the future.”

WHAT: Alameda residents are participating in the COVID-19 National Week of Remembrance.

WHERE: Formerly named Jackson Park (in the process of being renamed), 2430 Encinal Avenue.

WHEN: The first ribbon will be placed at 10am on Sunday, October 4. Everyone is welcome. Speakers will offer remarks honoring indigenous people and recognizing the disparate impact COVID-19 has had on Native, Black, Latinx, and other communities of color. Ribbons will continue to be placed by community members throughout the National Week of Remembrance, October 4-11, 2020.

HOW: Recreation & Parks Department staff will place a yellow and red ribbon around a tree located near the bandstand. Community members are encouraged to visit the park for the tree ceremony Sunday, October 4, at 10am, or at any other time during the week and tie their own ribbons to the tree to remember those we have lost from COVID-19. Always wear a mask over your nose and mouth whenever you leave home, stay 6 feet away from anyone who doesn’t live with you, and wash hands frequently. This is how we will prevent more deaths.

Please also share your memories on social media using #alamedaremembers. You can also download and print a Forget Me Not flower poster here(PDF, 521KB) or here(PDF, 199KB), or one to color in here(PDF, 232KB), to place in your window. The first poster(PDF, 521KB) includes images of 6 of the more than 200,000 Americans who have died from COVID-19.

Wilson Jerman, 91, served on the White House staff for 11 presidents beginning with Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Yu Lihua, 90, was one of the most important Chinese American writers of her day, publishing more than two dozen books across her career.

Terrence McNally, 81, was a prolific, much-honored playwright who rose to the forefront of American theater with a humane and lyrical style in works such as “Love! Valour! Compassion!” and “Master Class.”

Sundee Rutter, 42, a breast cancer survivor and mother of six, died from coronavirus in Everett, Washington, on March 16. Rutter had been a single mother since the death of her husband in 2012 her oldest son will become the legal guardian of his younger siblings.

Dez-Ann Romain, 36, was the principal at a Brooklyn high school for students who struggled and fell behind elsewhere. She pushed disadvantaged young people to succeed.

Skylar Herbert, 5, she loved dressing up and performing. She adored going to kindergarten. She had just started reading when she was 4 years-old.