'This is an art exhibit commemorating this tragic pandemic': Jackson Lee visits flag memorial for COVID-19 victims

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston) was among members of Congress who visited the memorial of more than 600,000 white flags for victims of COVID-19.

The memorial on the National Mall is titled "In America: Remember," and features a sea of flags, each holding a written personalized message for loved ones lost to the coronavirus in the United States.

"Today I joined @speakerpelosi and my Congressional colleagues, participating in a commemoration that honors the 676,286 persons that have tragically lost their life to COVID-19," Lee wrote on Twitter.

The memorial is the creation of Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg of Washington, D.C. It follows a memorial of white flags she created in October 2020 outside of RFK Stadium in the District of Columbia. 

"I just felt as though someone had to do something to make a statement that with all these people dying, we had to value each of these lives as well," Firstenberg said then.

She planted 267,080 flags in October but watched the death toll increase. Inspired to recreate the memorial at the National Mall, Firstenberg purchased 630,000 white flags in June then realized she would need 60,000 more as a third surge of COVID-19 took more lives.

"So many of these deaths happened in isolation without acknowledgment," she said. "When I had an opportunity to bring it to the National Mall, even though it's an immensely greater task, there was no hesitation. I knew I needed to do it."

Jackson was moved during her visit. 

"This is an art exhibit commemorating this tragic pandemic," she wrote on Twitter. "What was so moving for me was the fact that it was placed near the African American Culture and History Museum that told, and has told, the story of the history of African American people."

The memorial is on display until Oct. 3.