“You can look at any society and judge it by how they take care of their dead.... That’s a huge thing about not only the African American community but America as well because we’re a huge part of the fabric of America. ”
— Cynthia Gilkeson, Co-Funeral Director, Simon's Mortuary
 
 

ABOUT THE PROJECT

 

In March of 2021, I set out to learn more about people in the Midwestern Black community who lost loved ones to COVID-19. Because we were still in the height of COVID, I chose towns that I could safely drive to. I started with my hometown of Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN down to Cedar Rapids, IA to Davenport, IA to Chicago, IL and finally the town where I grew up, Peoria, IL. Along the way, I meant people at various stages of their grief process, all of whom were generous enough to talk with me, tell me about their loved ones and sit for a portrait. These are their stories of love, grief, resilience and perseverance in their own words.

— ANDREA ELLEN REED

This work was funded by the National Geographic Society.

 
 
 
“I could still be in shock, really. I think I’ve been numb and just feeling lost. Trying to figure out how to move on…. I’m just kind of floating... like I’m out of myself and just kind of watching myself go through life.”
— Sokonie S. Reed, whose mother Enid Zoe Freeman died of Covid-19 on May 9, 2020 at the age of 54
 

The Claytons

“There’s people all over the world and all over the country that didn’t get to be with their loved ones and didn’t get that closure that they truly needed to get past this. You know, like in nursing, we learned that there were 5 stages of death. You know, the last being acceptance. And I just I can’t seem to get I’m stuck on the anger. You know, of why did this have to happen to him? And that he’s never hurt anybody.”

- Pamela and Roy Clayton, whose son Russell Angelo ‘LoLo’ Porter died of Covid-19 on April 29, 2020 at the age of 47

 
 
 
 
“There were deliberate decisions made to not safeguard the lives of so many people.... There were treatments that might have been helpful in helping my father recover. But there was such a shortage and we were literally picking and choosing whose lives were worthy of protection and whose weren’t.”
— Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, whose father Nur Omar Mohamed died of Covid-19 on June 15, 2020 at the age of 67
 

Frida Harris-Hobbs

“She passed at like 12:40, 12:39, something like that. Which was exactly 11 hours and 42 minutes after he passed... We had their funeral together.”

 
 
 
“I honestly believe that my grandma died from heartbreak.... The Bible states that your spouse is your spouse and you never let anyone come in between you and your spouse.
”
— Saterrica L. Harris, lost grandparents Rosie Ruth Morrow and Jerry Louis Morrow to COVID-19 on November 21 & 22, 2020
 
 
“Things get revealed to you in layers, right? You can’t calculate your loss at the funeral. You can’t calculate your loss a year later. You can’t calculate your loss three years later.”
— Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose mother Clida Martinez Ellison died of Covid-19 on March 26, 2020 at the age of 82
 
 
 
 
“My focus will be not on the end of life, but as we say, that ‘dash’... to be really focused on the dash of life where there is an abundance of what will sustain me for the remainder of my life.”
— Theresa Neal, whose cousin Sabra Mitchell died of Covid-19 on February 1, 2021 at the age of 62, two weeks shy of her Feb. 14 birthday
 

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