Jennifer Ritz Sullivan lost her mother, Earla Dawn Dimitriadis, to COVID-19 in December 2020. Now, she is one of the millions grieving the loss of a loved one to the virus, and she is working hard to make sure the impact of the pandemic is not ignored.
Following her mother’s death, the Goshen resident turned her grief into action and became the Massachusetts COVID justice leader for Marked By COVID, a national grassroots organization dedicated to pandemic justice, remembrance and prevention. The group is working to establish an annual statewide COVID Memorial Day acknowledging the ongoing deaths, grief and inequities of the pandemic.
A legislative resolution, HD.3821, would designate the first Monday of every March as COVID-19 Memorial Day. It was introduced in the Legislature by area Reps. Mindy Domb and Natalie Blais and is currently backed by 28 lawmakers.
“We see this collective grief and trauma as a way of unity… We can’t heal without remembering,” Ritz Sullivan said. “There’s no way recovery is possible without a recognition of our losses.”
If passed, the bill would not create a holiday, but rather would require that the governor annually issue a proclamation recognizing the first Monday in March as COVID-19 Remembrance Day, in recognition of those who’ve died, those who’ve suffered and are still suffering the effects of long COVID, and those who’ve served on the front lines.
“Grief is a community thing, and that’s something that was robbed from us,” said Ritz Sullivan. “This day for us, it carries a lot. It’s sacred to our community.”
As the nation enters its fourth year of the pandemic, over 24,000 people have died of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, according to data from the Massachusetts Department of Health. People of color, the elderly, immunocompromised and disabled groups have been disproportionately affected.
“We really feel there needs to be a humanization of these losses, which is really difficult to do with the scope of loss,” Ritz Sullivan said.
The resolution to establish an annual COVID day of remembrance was initially introduced to the Massachusetts Senate in September 2021. Marked By Covid has already passed 185 resolutions across cities and states in the United States and is pushing for federal recognition of a COVID Memorial Day.
Ritz Sullivan is also organizing an interfaith COVID Remembrance Day gathering at Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity in Northampton which will take place on March 11. The event will include a performance by a soprano opera singer who lost her husband to COVID, as well as speakers from the Pioneer Valley Worker Center and faith leaders.
The event is meant to bring the community together to grieve and support one another through collective loss. COVID-bereaved attendees are encouraged to bring photos of their loved ones to hold or display. The event is free and will require masking.
“It’s a lot of work to share your trauma… And it’s some of the most radical work I’ve ever done,” said Ritz Sullivan. “It’s just absurd to me that we have to fight as hard as we do to have these losses recognized.”