Detroit To Honor City Coronavirus Victims Aug. 31

DETROIT, MI — Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has declared Aug. 31 as Detroit Memorial Day to honor city residents who have died due to the new coronavirus. The city also will honor those who continue to fight the respiratory illness in hospitals, medical centers, food banks, homeless shelters and neighborhood groups across the city.

As of Thursday, more than 12,000 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Detroit. The city has reported that more than 1,400 Detroit residents have died from the virus.

Detroit officials said the city is holding a citywide memorial at the end of August to honor victims from the virus and to commemorate the city's resiliency in part because the pandemic has limited residents' abilities to gather for funerals.

The city plans to install large photo boards representing Detroit residents who died from the coronavirus along a route on Belle Isle. Families and friends will be able to say goodbye, and the photos will be given to families when the memorial is over.

The Detroit Memorial 2020 Committee, led by Director of Arts and Culture Rochelle Riley, is requesting families to send photographs of their loved ones by July 31 in one of the following three ways:

Email: detroitmemorial2020@gmail.com
US Postal Service: Detroit Memorial 2020, P.O. Box 21761, Detroit, MI 48221, Cc: Rochelle Riley
Online: Submission link here