The Activation Ceremony began with a solemn procession led by Juntas Chicas, for the 2024 Día de Muertos memorial at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, New York, NY, on October 27, 2024. Photographed by Erik McGregor. (SP_MEM_IM.2919.A)
This year, the team selected the theme of “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial,” in reference to writings by disability justice writer Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha. Piepzna-Samarainha writes in her book The Future is Disabled, “Everyone is holding so much grief right now, and it’s so hard, but it’s kind of created this bigger, slower, majestic space to be real with what’s going on and organize from that space.”
We organized five community-based workshops designed to assist individuals from each community group in creating the memorials. These were held on: Sunday, March 10, 2024 at Bronx Music Heritage Center; Monday, March 11 at Queens Central Library; Tuesday, March 12 at The New School; Saturday, March 16 at Lefferts House, and Tuesday, March 26, in an online workshop on Zoom. These workshops were co-faciliated by Jenny Romaine, Sandra Bell, and Megan Paradis Hanley.
We held an activation ceremony on May 19, 2024, which included mourning rituals from many traditions, including a Second Line brass band, singing of Spanish saetas, and Mexican folk dance. Elena Martinez and Kay Turner curated this event. Members of the public were invited to create a tribute at City Lore’s Poem Mobile or add artwork to the Memorial. The assembled public then processed from the cemetery’s Gothic Arch to its Historic Chapel. The livestream of the activation ceremony can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Or8Lq2lZJ4.
Community Partners included: Archive Based Creative Arts; BAAD/Health & Hip Hop, Inc.; Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts; The Bklyn Combine; Bronx Documentary Center; Casa Yurumein; Come Forever Mutual Aid + Health Resources Center; Epicenter NYC; Guyana Cultural Association; Healthcare and Care Workers Workshop, facilitated by Glenn Marla; Jews of Jackson Heights; Long Covid Justice; New Moon Sisters; Parent Child Relationship Association; PRY Safe; Purelements Evolution in Dance; Vishnu Mandir Hindu Temple; West Indian American Day Carnival Association; Women’s Empowerment Coalition of New York; and Yaffa Cultural Arts.
Performers and ritual leaders included: Ricky Gordob’s Brass & Woodwind Band: The Individuals of Peace, Makini, Ramzi Dabke led by Ramzi El-Edlibi and accompanied by Zafer Tawil, Alfonso Cid, Mazarte Mexican Dance (Martha Zarate—Director), Alexa Avilés, Willie Kearse of Archive Based Creative Arts, a statement from Rabbi Miriam Grossman read by Jenny Romaine, and Kay Turner.
Part of Mano a Mano’s Día de Muertos Celebration (St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery)
Community Partners included: Inside Change from Within, Mixteca, and St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery.
The installation team included: Sandra A. M. Bell, Darkin Brown, Inga Lee Black, Jenny Romaine, Aviva Silverman, Margi Trapani, Megan Paradis Hanley, Eva Pedriglieri, Steve Zeitlin, and Green-Wood volunteers.
Filter 2024 Archive
The Activation Ceremony began with a solemn procession led by Juntas Chicas, for the 2024 Día de Muertos memorial at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, New York, NY, on October 27, 2024. Photographed by Erik McGregor. (SP_MEM_IM.2919.A)
Carol Prudhomme and Inside Change’s memorial panel at the 2024 Día de Muertos memorial at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, New York, NY, on October 27, 2024. Photographed by Erik McGregor. (SP_MEM_IM.2926.A)
Morgan Jenness at the NTLM activation ceremony, led by Kay Turner and Juan Aguirre, for the 2024 Día de Muertos memorial at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, New York, NY, on October 27, 2024. Photographed by Erik McGregor. (SP_MEM_IM.2942.A)
Juan Aguirre leads the solemn procession for the Día De Muertos on October 27, 2024, at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, New York, NY. Photographed by Erik McGregor. (SP_MEM_IM.2948.A)
City Lore’s Archivist Seth Schonberg and Co-Director Steve Zeitlin at the activation ceremony on May 19, 2024 for the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” at Green-Wood, 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY. Photographed by Robin Michals. (SP_MEM_IM.2720.A)
Kay Turner pays respects at Mano a Mano’s ofrenda at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, New York, NY, on October 27, 2024. Photographed by Erik McGregor. (SP_MEM_IM.2949.A)
Green-Wood gate with chalking by attendees of the activation ceremony for the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” on 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY, on May 19, 2024. Created by the NTLM Team, Parent-Child Relationship Association, and Archive Based Creative Arts. Photographed by Robin Michals. (SP_MEM_IM.2726.A)
Morgan Jenness creates a memorial artwork for the 2024 Día de Muertos memorial at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, New York, NY, on October 27, 2024. Photographed by Erik McGregor. (SP_MEM_IM.2957.A)
Una Osato and PRY Safe students in front of their memorial panel in the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” at Green-Wood, 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY, up from May 3–June 3, 2024. Created by the PRY Safe with lead artist Una Osato. Photographed by Robin Michals. (SP_MEM_IM.2740.A)
Darkin Brown and Sandra Bell at memorial installation for the 2024 Día de Muertos memorial at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, New York, NY, up from October 24–November 18, 2024. Created by the NTLM team. Photographed by Jenny Romaine. (SP_MEM_IM.2388.A)
Ricky Gordon’s Brass and Woodwind band led a second line as part of the memorial procession at the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” at Green-Wood, 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY on May 19, 2024. The Ricky Gordon’s Brass and Woodwind Band: the Individuals of Peace, featuring Dirty Red, Roger Garcia, Rashaan Salaam, Steve Duffy, Cleave Guyton, Jr., Isaiah Richardson, Jr., and Vince Hunter. Photographed by Robin Michals. (SP_MEM_IM.2763.A)
Memorial procession to the activation ceremony for the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” at Green-Wood, 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY, on May 19, 2024. Created by the NTLM team. Photographed by Robin Michals. (SP_MEM_IM.2766.A)
Lebanese music performed by Ramzi Eledlebi and Zafer Tawil at the activation ceremony for the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” at Green-Wood, 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY, on May 19, 2024. Photographed by Robin Michals (SP_MEM_IM.2785.A)
Willie Kearse of Archive Based Creative Arts speaks with sign interpretation by Brandon Kazen-Maddox at the activation ceremony for the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” at Green-Wood, 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY, on May 19, 2024. Photographed by Robin Michals. (SP_MEM_IM.2801.A)
Alfonso Cid sings a Spanish saeta at the activation ceremony for the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” at Green-Wood, 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY, on May 19, 2024. Photographed by Robin Michals. (SP_MEM_IM.2807.A)
The 2024 NTLM planning team at the activation ceremony for the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” at Green-Wood, 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY, on May 19, 2024. Photographed by Robin Michals. (SP_MEM_IM.2819.A)
Mazarte Dance in the memorial procession to the activation ceremony for the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” at Green-Wood, 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY, on May 19, 2024. Photographed by Robin Michals. (SP_MEM_IM.2871.A)
Gabriel Paradis creates artwork at 2024 Día de Muertos memorial, St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, New York, NY, up from October 24–November 18, 2024. Photographed by Jenny Romaine. (SP_MEM_IM.1878.A)
Mixteca’s memorial panel in the 2024 Día de Muertos memorial, St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, New York, NY, up from October 24–November 18, 2024. Created by the Mixteca & NTLM team. Photographed by Erik McGregor. (SP_MEM_IM.2887.A)
A passer-by studies the a panel in the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” at Green-Wood, 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY, up from May 3–June 3, 2024. Photographed by Erik McGregor. (SP_MEM_IM.1574.A)
Long Covid Justice’s 2024 memorial panel, “Signs of Protest,” in the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” at Green-Wood, 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY, up from May 3–June 3, 2024. Created by the Long Covid Justice. Photographed by Robin Michals. (SP_MEM_IM.2696.A)
Health and Hip Hop’s panel in the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” at Green-Wood, 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY, up from May 3–June 3, 2024. Created by the Health & Hip Hop with lead artist Shiro. Photographed by Robin Michals. (SP_MEM_IM.2713.A)
Guyana Cultural Association’s panel in the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” at Green-Wood, 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY, up from May 3–June 3, 2024. Created by the Guyana Cultural Association with lead artist Clive Prowell and collaborators Maurice Blenman & Rose October. Photographed by Robin Michals. (SP_MEM_IM.2693.A)
Jenny Romaine unveils the theme of the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” at The New School, New York, NY, on March 12, 2024. Created by the NTLM team. Photographed by Eva Pedriglieri. (SP_MEM_IM.0965.A)
Invitation to 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” activation and dedication ceremony held on May 19, 2024. Created by the NTLM team. (SP_MEM_IM.1679.A)
Program flyer for the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” activation and dedication ceremony held on May 19, 2024, at Green-Wood, 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY. Created by the NTLM team. (SP_MEM_IM.1680.A)
Program page from flyer for the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” activation and dedication ceremony held on May 19, 2024, at Green-Wood, 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY. Created by the NTLM team. (SP_MEM_IM.1680.A)
New Moon Sisters’ memorial panel in the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” at Green-Wood, 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY, up from May 3–June 3, 2024. Memorial panel created by the New Moon Sisters with lead Glenda Cadogan. Photographed by Erik McGregor. (SP_MEM_IM.1516.A)
Glenn Marla conducted workshops with health care workers and caregivers and created a memorial panel inspired by their work, entitled “Banging on Pots and Pans,” as their contribution to the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” at Green-Wood, 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY, up from May 3–June 3, 2024. Created by the Glenn Marla. Photographed by Erik McGregor. (SP_MEM_IM.1518.A)
Eva Pedriglieri holds a sign quoting disability justice writer Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, during installation of the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” at Green-Wood, 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY, up from May 3–June 3, 2024. Created by the NTLM team. Photographed by Erik McGregor. (SP_MEM_IM.1529.A)
Bronx Documentary Center’s 2024 memorial panel in the 2024 memorial “A Big, Slow, Majestic COVID Memorial” at Green-Wood, 25th St. & 5th ave., Brooklyn, NY, up from May 3–June 3, 2024. Created by the Bronx Documentary Center with lead artist Sonja John. Photographed by Erik McGregor. (SP_MEM_IM.1554.A)