As Covid19 rages on in the United states, with over 19 million cases, 300,000 deaths and counting, the lack of support, acknowledgement and visibility of victims, frontline workers, and their families is astounding. Aside from individual reports and a few media outlets, there has yet been no national response for the grief, loss and suffering due to Covid19. The economic concerns of the most powerful have been allowed to dominate the national discourse, rather than the needs and experiences of everyday people.

While politicians and interest groups argue over the severity of Covid19, families are suffering extreme personal, familial and economic loss with no relief in sight. Grief unacknowledged becomes traumatic stress and life long suffering. We must end the silence. Having the courage and compassion to honor the victims of this global and national tragedy is a vital step in securing national mental health and slowing the spread, especially for our most vulnerable communities of color, the elderly, disabled and poor. Arguments over Covid19's impact are meaningless in the face of sacred grief. Failure to memorialize Covid losses on a national level feeds confusion, conspiracy, denial, ignorance and apathy. People have been left to cope on their own, and this does not promote public safety.

We must hold national days of mourning for the ways that Covid19 has forever altered families, individuals, communities, businesses and society as we know it. And we must empower our communities with additional stimulus funding for families who have lost members or small businesses, provide medical debt forgiveness for long term Covid sufferers and grieving families, and create a national fund for victims, essential workers and frontline medical staff. 

This petition reaches out to the current president Donald Trump to take action on this issue immediately. We call on President elect Joe Biden to make this an urgent priority in his transition plan. We call upon local state representatives to put pressure at the state and federal levels. We also call upon mental health advocacy groups to support this call with their resources and collective voices.