LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A permanent COVID-19 Memorial will be dedicated on Wednesday on the grounds of the Kentucky State Capitol in honor of all the Kentuckians who died from the disease.
Gov. Andy Beshear, first lady Britainy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman will join other state officials and many Kentucky families to dedicate the memorial.
“This phenomenal new memorial honors the 18,653 Kentuckians lost during this once-a-century pandemic,” Beshear said. “It will stand in a place of prominence in the Capitol Monument Park for generations to come so that they might learn about the great challenges we faced and how Kentuckians came together during this crisis.”
The memorial titled, "United We Stand. Divided We Fall," was created by Kentucky native Amanda Matthews, artist and CEO of Lexington-based Prometheus Foundry. Matthews hopes the memorial will convey the emotions Kentuckians felt during the pandemic.
“The design elements of the Kentucky COVID Memorial Monument, United We Stand. Divided We Fall. captures the ideals and visual symbols of our state motto and seal in 3-dimensional form. Most important to the concept are the diverse people of Kentucky and their fear and grief during the time of COVID, yet their strength and hope for better days,” Matthews said.
The memorial has an ADA-accessibility design with visual, audible and tactile features. Green lights surround the center of the monument, symbolizing the empathy and compassion for the Kentuckians lost during the pandemic. White lights illuminate the night sky until sunrise every morning.
The dedication ceremony on Wednesday will begin with bells chiming, representing when Beshear asked Kentuckians to unite together every day at 10 a.m. by ringing bells during the pandemic.
A prayer from Bishop Kevin McCraney, senior pastor of Louisville's The City of Refuge Ministry will follow, and then New Covenant Gospel Choir will sing.
Dr. Jason Smith, chief medical officer at UofL Health, will also be at the dedication to speak about the impact of COVID-19 on Kentucky.
“This memorial honors the thousands of Kentuckians we lost throughout the pandemic. It also represents the strength of our commonwealth and our citizens to join together, support each other and persevere,” Dr. Smith said. “The pandemic revealed many heroes. In particular, it shines a light on the incredible work of our health care workers, who put themselves on the front line to protect and heal our community. This memorial is a symbol of hope and stands as a reminder that our work towards keeping our state safe is not done.”
A COVID-19 Memorial Advisory Panel made up of health care workers, family members and loved ones of those lost to COVID-19 and survivors choose the final design for the memorial. Company and private donors to the commonwealth's COVID-19 Memorial Fund helped make this memorial possible so no tax money was used.
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