Vigil Honors 186 Lost To Covid

With chants of ​“cuando peleamos, ganamos” (“when we fight, we win”) and “¿Quién marchó, quién gritó, quién testificó? Nosotros” (“who marched, who yelled, who testified? Us”), activists made a plea not to forget the individuals who have lost their lives due to Covid-19.

The call came at a vigil attended by 50 people Monday afternoon outside City Hall.

Unidad Latina en Accion, Black and Brown United in Action, and Hamden Action Now organized the event to commemorate the 186 people who have died due to the coronavirus in New Haven — including two of ULA’s own volunteers, Nora Garcia and Ignacia Teniza.

Attendees stood on the City Hall steps with banners reading ​“Tax Wealth,” ​“Healthcare for All,” El Cambio Pasa en las Calles” (Change Happens in the Streets), and ​“Free Utilities.”

In honor of the 186 lives lost, organizers of the vigil laid out 186 white paper bags, each with a small candle. Once the sky darkened, attendees lit each candle.

“We cannot forget our people who passed,” John Lugo, community organizing director of ULA, said in Spanish. ​“That’s why we need to keep fighting.”

Garcia, a Fair Haven resident who cleaned at Yale New Haven Hospital, left behind three kids and a husband, all of whom were present at the vigil.

Tenisa was a domestic cleaner and also a ULA member.

Lugo cited statistics demonstrating the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on marginalized communities. Of 558 undocumented people served by ULA, 15 became homeless during the pandemic, 21 percent were frontline workers and did not feel adequately protected from Covid, and 20 percent had health issues such as asthma or diabetes. Every single person surveyed was ineligible for government assistance due to being undocumented, Lugo said.

After a moment of silence to honor the people who died ​“unnecessarily,” led by Rebeca Vergara, one of the executive directors of HAVEN Free Clinic, other ULA members spoke regarding how the pandemic has changed their lives for the worse.

Jessie Rivera said that, even as a United States citizen with government assistance, she ​“hasn’t eaten since yesterday.”

“I’m a U.S. citizen. I can’t imagine what it is like without the stimulus check,” she said. She argued that the government is providing ​“crumbs” to its citizens, and nothing to those who are undocumented. ​“We need a recovery for everyone,” she continued.

Sofia Tecocoatzi called on Yale University to ​“pay its fair share” and help the city of New Haven erase its deficits and spend more on public services.

“We’re still fighting. We deserve health care and services and human rights,” Tecocoatzi added.

Catherine John, lead organizer for Black and Brown United in Action, closed out the vigil calling racism against Black and brown people ​“Connecticut’s oldest and lasting pandemic.”

And, because it was John’s birthday, the event officially concluded with all of the attendees singing Las Mañanitas, a traditional Mexican birthday song, before gathering for a group photo.