VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — July 23 is officially a day to remember the lives lost during the COVID-19 pandemic in the City of Virginia Beach.
“Therefore I, Robert M. Bobby Dyer, mayor of the City of Virginia Beach, do hereby declare today the day of Thanksgiving and Remembrance,” Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer announced Saturday at a worship event called EXODUS.
EXODUS organizer Dr. Chris Cunningham said he’s been planning this event since the nation's public health emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic expired on May 11.
“We haven’t paused to say, ‘Let’s remember those who died.’ So, we want to honor those. And we also want to say ‘Thank you, God, for keeping us…,’” he said.
Cunningham said he wanted to honor the thousands of people from right here in Hampton Roads who died during the pandemic.
“In Hampton Roads, 3,615 people died up to the end of the pandemic,” Dr. Cunninham said.
Event organizers thanked first responders for their roles during the pandemic, gifting them a free t-shirt and a gift card.
"Please acknowledge our brave warriors, our sheriff, our fire department, our police department. They're there for you 24/7," Mayor Dyer said to the crowd at Mount Trashmore.
Virginia Beach NAACP President Eric Majette spoke at the event as well. He discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the Black community in particular.
"In our Black community, the pandemic was very, very real. Of course, you know, due to the underlying conditions that most Blacks have from a health perspective and not being able to get proper healthcare..." Majette said.
Mayor Dyer called Virginia Beach a city of many faiths. He said that’s how the community has pulled itself through challenging times.
“Virginia Beach, I found out over time, is a very faith-based city, with many faiths and that’s the glue that holds us together," Mayor Dyers said.
All in all, attendees said they’re happy to finally be able to gather for events like this again.
“It feels good just to be close," attendee Tryphena Thompson said. "We miss that touch.”