| NEWS | Fallen from p 21 went in [to the hospital], and then they never saw them again.” At the memorial event, photos of loved ones were displayed on altars, with flowers arranged around them. The memorial also marked the start of a new exhibit at the Arizona Heritage Center, which is run by the Arizona Historical Society. Through August, parts of the Covid Memorial Quilt will be on display at the center in Tempe. The Covid Memorial Quilt was inspired by the AIDS Memorial Quilt, a tapestry of 50,000 panels memorializing those who died of complications of HIV in the 1980s. The project, begun by a middle school student in California, has bloomed into a nationwide living memorial project. Currently, other pieces of the memorial quilt are on display in three other states. Twenty-four panels, each memorial- izing 25 people who died of COVID-19, are avail- able to view in Tempe. Todd Bailey, the muse- um’s special projects director, said that the partnership with Marked By Covid came out of “trying to connect and share our experiences when we really didn’t have much leadership” from the state. His mother, Joyce, sang at the opening of the memorial. She and her sister, both in their 70s, had contracted COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic, Bailey told New Times. Only his mother survived. Initially, she had lost her voice. But she has since recovered enough to sing. The quilt and projects like Marked By Covid remind us of the humanity often lost in the numbers of people who have died of the virus, Krebbs said. Arizona has seen more than 28,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic. In Maricopa County, records show, these included a 1-year-old child, a 26-year-old who had dreamed of opening a reptile business, a beloved grandmother with 19 grandchildren, and thousands more. The pandemic, as Urquiza has empha- sized, has taken a more serious toll on communities of color. In the Phoenix area, Latino communities were hit hard by the first waves of the pandemic. The impact on these communities lingers. Now, Marked By Covid’s focus has turned to pushing for a national COVID-19 memorial day, partnering with other advo- cacy groups to do so. This initiative has garnered success, so far. U.S. Representative Greg Stanton of Arizona, a former Phoenix mayor who represents much of the East Valley, is the lead sponsor of a congressional resolution that would create this COVID-19 memorial day, House Resolution 174. Advocates have suggested the national day of remembrance fall on the first Monday in March, around the anniversary of the virus’ onset in the U.S. in 2020. Support for the legislation has fallen along strict party lines. Not a single Republican has signed on as a sponsor, though the resolution has support from nearly 70 Democrats. That’s not for lack of trying, Urquiza said. Marked By Covid has reached out to dozens of Republican offices, but received little interest, despite her emphasis that their work is nonpartisan. At a local level, she said, Republicans in cities and some states have embraced the work. Katya Schwenk Tara Krebbs speaks at last week’s Marked by COVID event. She said the group is in ongoing talks with Republican Representative David Schweikert, who represents a swath of northeast Maricopa County, including Cave Creek and Fountain Hills. But he has not yet committed to supporting the bill. A representative from his re-election campaign did not reply to inquiries from New Times regarding Schweikert’s stance on the issue. Urquiza emphasized, though, that the group has not forgotten that the pandemic still exists. “I believe deeply that this work is an essential part of not only healing — but helping to unite us,” she said. Krebbs said she believes it is possible to memorialize at the same time as fighting for people who are still living through the pandemic. As Urquiza did when, in her father’s obituary, she demanded political action. As Kristin Urquiza’s mother, Brenda, told New Times last summer, Mark Urquiza would have been proud. “He would love it. He loved the attention,” she said. “He’s telling God and everyone up there, ‘That’s my daughter, raising hell.’” 23 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES MARCH 17TH– MARCH 23RD, 2022
