670,000 Flags Placed at the National Mall to Honor Covid-19 Victims

This month, volunteers and landscapers placed more than 670,000 white flags in the ground at the National Mall in Washington DC, one flag for each person who has died of Covid-19 in America. Conceived by artist Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg, the installation allows the families of victims an opportunity to process their grief; many have come to the installation to write the names of their departed loves ones the flags. The installation serves another purpose as well. Due to the psychological phenomenon referred to as psychic numbing, we have a difficult time comprehending tragedies that affect large numbers of victims. The individuals lost become mere statistics. The slow-moving nature of the pandemic compounds this difficulty in emotionally appreciating the loss. By representing each person who has died of Covid with a flag, we are granted an opportunity to understand on an emotional level, just how devastating the pandemic has been.

The installation will be up until October 3. You can read more about the creation of the installation and its effect on the families of victims and passersby in this National Geographic article: 670,000 flags on the National Mall pay tribute to America’s devastating COVID-19 losses

Photograph by Ted Eytan, CC BY-SA 2.0