National COVID-19 Day Seeks to Help Others Begin the Journey Through Grief to Hope
Jamie Aten and Kent Annan
Over the last 12 months, the academic performance of a grad student has suffered. One middle-aged man has had trouble sleeping. A young woman has wrestled to stay focused at work. A friend lost a loved one who had dedicated her life to helping others as a nurse to COVID-19. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, our lives have been disrupted, from quiet ways to loud intrusive ones.
In the last year, we’ve implemented safety precautions so that we, and those around us, will survive. Some of us have figured out how to work or learn from home. Others are out there on the front lines doing the jobs that have to be done for others to survive and thrive. We’ve been sick and recovered. We’ve lost loved ones. And we’ve continued to soldier on. No life has been unaffected by COVID-19. Yet the fact that our entire globe has experienced a massive trauma does not make it any less traumatic.
And that’s why our team at the Humanitarian Disaster Institute, VOMO, and World Vision have partnered to announce the first annual National COVID-19 Day, on March 11, 2021.
The day marks the anniversary of the World Health Organization’s declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic. And the intention of the remembrance is to offer an opportunity for people to collectively process what we’ve endured over the last twelve months. All are being invited to pause to navigate our collective grief, encourage one another, and embrace hope for what is ahead.
With the United States recently surpassing 500,000 COVID-19 related deaths, our country needs ways to come together virtually and safely to remind us that we are not alone and that we will eventually overcome this pandemic.
National COVID-19 Day provides opportunities for those who’ve been processing the pandemic alone to come together, grieve together, and make a difference together. By recognizing our shared experience, we can grow together in spiritual fortitude and move toward deeper healing and hope.
For those wanting to honor National COVID-19 Day, there are a number of ways to participate:
-Observe a moment of silence on March 11.
-Discover and understand the experiences of others.
-Organize or participate in a remembrance event in your community.
-Find an opportunity to serve.
Organizers have created a website with a host of resources to support those who will be participating in the first annual National COVID-19 Day. Visitors to the National COVID-19 Day website will find:
-Online support groups and caring listeners
-Ways to thank front-line workers.
-Ways to grieve by sharing memories of lost loved ones.
-A variety of resources for those who need support.
-Volunteer opportunities.
-Resources such as ebooks, articles, quizzes, toolkits, and more.
If you’re like a lot of your friends and neighbors, it’s likely that your life has been impacted, in large and small ways, by COVID-19. And you’re invited to participate on Thursday in a day of remembrance and hope. Visit National COVID-19 Day website for ideas and inspiration to support you and your community.
Jamie Aten, Ph.D. is founder and co- director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College and Blanchard Professor of Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership. Follow on Twitter at @drjamieaten or visit jamieaten.com. Kent Annan, M.Div. is co- director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute and Associate Lecturer of Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership at Wheaton College. Follow on Twitter at @kentannan or visit kentannan.com. They are also the co-founders of National COVID-19 Day.
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