In the early months of 2022, the United States was once again in the middle of a surge with the omicron variant sweeping through communities across the country. The Rituals in the Making team had the opportunity to observe first hand the clashing experiences and interpretations of the pandemic at that point in time through two public events: the January 23, 2022 “Defeat the Mandates” rally and the March 5, 2022 “Pandemic Remembrance Memorial.” Both took place at the same location—the Lincoln Memorial plaza.

Despite the rising death toll, a galvanized group of physicians, politicians, and citizens publicly resisted government-enforced protocols intended to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. In late January 2022, some 20,000 of them gathered to march from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial for the “Defeat the Mandates” rally.

A Pandemic Remembrance Memorial

Two months later, at that very same spot, an entirely different set of people convened in response to the pandemic’s effects. Rami’s Heart Memorial and the COVID Hope Quilt combined forces to host a candlelight vigil to mark the second anniversary of the beginning of the pandemic. Also present was Martha Greenwald, poet and founder of WhoWeLost.org. The vigil was a much smaller, somber gathering than the rally two months earlier. We paid particular attention to the material elements of the event—the use of candles and photographs, letters and symbols.

Left: Battery-operated tealight candles were handed out to attendees. Right: The Hope Quilt draws on a long tradition of quilting memorials, including the AIDS Quilt, also displayed on the National Mall. Photos by Emmy Numann.