Día De Los Muertos Ofrendas Honor COVID-19 Victims

Speaker 1: 00:00 This year, the annual observance of El DIA de Los Muertos has taken on a special meaning in San Diego and across California. Traditional alters, welcoming the spirits of deceased loved ones are now filled with pictures of people lost a COVID-19 that pandemic has hit Latinos, especially hard with 62% of total positive coronavirus cases and 50% of deaths in San Diego County affecting the Latino community. The COVID 19 Memorial of friend does honor those deaths and also serve as a pointed reminder that not everyone has suffered equally during the long months of this pandemic. Joining me is former state assembly woman and co-creator of the COVID-19 victims Memorial project, Laurie Saldania and Lori, welcome to the program. Speaker 2: 00:47 Thank you for having me are Speaker 1: 00:49 The alters for COVID-19 victims. The same as traditional old friend us Speaker 2: 00:55 In the case of our project, our Corona victim's Memorial project. We've added information about how people can protect themselves from getting the virus and in English and Spanish. So they are different that we've added an educational element to them. And some of the items we put on the altars, actually, we put masks on the skulls. We've reminded people with backdrops that not everyone, as you said, is affected by this essential workers are being killed more often by this virus than other people in San Diego. It's the day Speaker 1: 01:28 Of the dead. Typically a sad occasion. Speaker 2: 01:31 Laurie, it's a combination. I think if deaths are recent, people are still mourning and grieving, and that's certainly the case with COVID, especially if they weren't able to be with their loved one when they passed. But often we honor people who have lived, you know, a hundred, you know, decades ago, a hundred years ago. And I think that's a little more joyous celebration of their lives well lived and often long lives. So this year it definitely has. We've lost so many young people. I think it is a different type of observance. Speaker 1: 01:59 Why did you want the community to remember, especially the loss of COVID-19 victims in this? Speaker 2: 02:06 Well, as the website makes clear and scenario Valasquez, who's a website designer and did a great job getting data from the County shows that there are certain zip codes where the rates are extremely high alcohol. And I was surprised to see the alcohol, zip codes, the highest in the County, others are very low. And the irony is we see those areas with the low turnout clamoring to reopen, but the people who live in the high areas, they are often the ones that pay the price for reopening too quickly. They are essential workers in restaurants, many work in healthcare, and they can't do their work remotely. So what we are seeing is a real disparity in who's being impacted by the deaths in this pandemic, Speaker 1: 02:50 As you mentioned, many of the victims of COVID-19 were not able to be surrounded by loved ones at the time of their deaths, they were isolated in hospitals. What impact does that have on families? Speaker 2: 03:02 Well, there there's this disconnection. They weren't able to wish them off, so to speak. And I think welcoming their spirit back is even more important this year. And I've heard that from many families that the fact they couldn't hold a hand, they couldn't say goodbye in person was really troubling to them. So they're looking at alters as a way to reconnect in a, in a spiritual way. And I think that's made these people who died in isolation from COVID even more welcomed back to these altars that we see going up around the community. Speaker 1: 03:34 You mentioned that there is a disparity in zip codes. And I mentioned in the beginning of this, that a large number of people in the Latino community who've been affected by this disease. In what ways have you seen the pandemic affect San Diego's Latino community? Speaker 2: 03:49 Well, it certainly hitting families financially. If they lose somebody who is the sole provider of the family, we see a lot where people living in poverty and there are free food countries set up some near Sherman Heights near the altar that we set up at the community center. But we also see it in Filipino families. We've set up an altar in national city and they have one of the highest rates. So we're the largest Filipino population in the County by far. And many of them are healthcare workers. So in the Latino community, I would say communities of color, um, African-American Latino. We are seeing the disproportionate impacts in all of those neighborhoods. And we have altars spread around in those South County areas, national city, Chula Vista in city hall, Euclid health center at Euclid and market. We really wanted to reach out to those communities and do the education as well as the observance of the people who have died. Speaker 1: 04:43 And when people go and stop by and visit, what should they do? Should they bring something? Should they just stand quietly? What should they do? Speaker 2: 04:53 Oh, well, some people, if they want to bring a photo of a family member or a friend who has passed, I've seen people add photos to the altars. They might bring a favorite beverage. I see bottles of beer. I see favorite foods. I see writings about that person. Sometimes I see in our altar instrument Heights, it's near the sidewalk and I've seen families drive up and the older adults stay in the car to stay safe and socially distance. And the younger people make it out and take photos. So I think this is such an extraordinary time and people are, are doing different things that alters, but often it is a personal memento. That meant something to the person that's being honored at that altar. Speaker 1: 05:34 You mentioned that the website that accompanies this project, and in addition to the data about coronavirus deaths, there are also some biographies of those who are lost to this epidemic. Can you tell me about one of those people who've been profiled? Speaker 2: 05:51 Well, um, there was a woman who was a social worker for the County of San Diego. She raised our, she fostered 25 different children. Um, and you know, I have to say I haven't memorized a lot of their names. I was surprised at how challenging working on this project was because we would, we would do sort of the, uh, the nuts and bolts of it the way we would do many volunteer projects. And then it was start to hit me just what we were dealing with is the loss. And especially someone who fostered over 20 children or, uh, you know, made other significant contributions to our community. So unlike other projects, which I've I've are often very personal. I I've kept a little bit of this at a distance. Um, it's just been, I found it harder than other projects. I've worked on Speaker 1: 06:44 Question for you, Laurie, what is the support from the community been like for this product? Speaker 2: 06:49 I think people have been overwhelmed. I started reaching out proposing this several weeks ago and what I found is people are really overwhelmed and I'm really grateful that scenario Valasquez has stepped up to help with this. You know, even she is overwhelmed, but she found a passion in doing this. Um, and I think once we have set this up and we've explained that we were honoring a loved one, I think they're very grateful and they appreciate having that information be out there because sadly it can be very expensive and difficult to put a Memorial in a public place. The newspaper ads are extremely expensive. So this is one way to let the community know this person has passed. And, and in fact, when we were setting up one of the alters, one of the volunteers saw a photo of a friend and said, Oh my gosh, I had no idea. So a lot of these deaths are happening quietly, you know, in isolation. And I think people are, are grateful that we are making this more of a public, uh, grieving process. Speaker 1: 07:54 And I've been speaking with Lori, Saldania the co-creator of the COVID-19 victims Memorial project. Lori, thank you very much. Thank you for having me for more on this project. You can go to their website, Corona victims, memorial.org. [inaudible].