COVID-19 memorial proposed for Albuquerque

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – There’s a push to create a New Mexico COVID-19 Memorial in Albuquerque. Organizers said it would be the first statewide memorial of its kind in the country.

The project could cost millions to build, but organizers said it will be priceless for those who lost loved ones to the pandemic.

“I lost my only sister to COVID in 2020. October 6th, 2020, before vaccines, before anyone really knew what to do,” said Eleanor Bravo, volunteer with Marked by COVID, “She was not sick, she had had knee replacement surgery, so I thought, ‘She won’t get it, cause she won’t go anywhere.’ But she fell at home and then she had to go back in the hospital, and then she was released to rehab, and she was infected in rehab by a staff member. We never got to see her. We only had a memorial service for her last month. Two years after she died.”

“I lost my dad last May. He was 62 years old, still full of life, healthy, and unfortunately we lost him just two weeks before he was going to be able to access the vaccine and come visit his grandchildren,” said Marked by COVID New Mexico Hub Leader Janeth Nunez del Prado, “It’s very painful, like most others who lost someone to COVID, I couldn’t be with him in the hospital, couldn’t hold his hand, couldn’t say goodbye. We still haven’t been able to get enough for a funeral.”

To honor the memories of all of those in New Mexico who lost their lives to COVID-19, Bravo and Prado are on a mission to create a statewide memorial. Through the project, people lost to COVID won’t be forgotten as time goes on.

“In order to process grief and sadness and loss, it needs to have a place. You need to be able to express it, and having a physical place will help people like me to contain the grief and know there is a place they can go that they can be with others also that lost a loved one to COVID,” Prado explained.

The memorial design features both physical and virtual elements.

“The conceptual work has been going on for over a year with a wonderful volunteer landscape architect. We are working with Bernalillo County Parks, Rec, and Open Space because we have a piece of public trust land,” Bravo said.

The pair said it is designed like a pilgrimage with New Mexican cultural elements. Those include papel picado walls lining a walk with flowers and a wall with shelves to leave offerings at.

At the end, there is a pedestal where an augment reality experience awaits. “When you’re on the memorial site, you can hold up your phone near the plinth, and actually see an array of photos and names spiraling towards the sky through your phone,” Prado said, “We’ve partnered with Snapchat who has developed a Snapchat filter, so people can upload the names and photos of their loved ones that have died.”

Prado said many families had to say goodbye to loved ones through Zoom or FaceTime, so phone usage has been incorporated to help serve as an object of healing. She also explained that seeing names and faces helps give the public a better look at those lost.

Bravo and Prado have secured an acre of public trust land near the Isleta Amphitheater on Mesa Del Sol.

“The place is beautiful. It’s the view of the Sandias. You look down on the Rio Grande Valley. You can look; you can see the Manzanos. You can look north to see Santa Fe. So, I mean it is such a wonderful fitting area to represent New Mexico,” Bravo said.

Now, they’re looking to collect support from regional officials.

“We do already have a resolution from the Village of Corrales and from the Sandoval County Commission,” Bravo explained.

They are trying to include the Albuquerque City Council to their list of supporters.

“I can’t imagine that anyone would not support a fitting memorial for the victims of COVID. I am co-sponsoring this memorial with Councilor Jones, and I know that both of us fully support it,” said District 7 Albuquerque City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn.

Organizers said the project will cost about $2 million, and they’re looking to get that funding from the state in the next legislative session.

“These are important steps to take when you want to communicate with lawmakers because you want to show them that this is what constituents want,” Bravo said, “We know that lawmakers want to keep their funding in their districts, but this is something for everyone.” She said it’s a non-partisan issue, and everyone was affected.

Organizers are saying, if all goes to plan, they could be breaking ground on this project late next year.