Rebecca Messbarger, director of medical humanities in Arts & Sciences, conceived and organized “Requiem of Light” a citywide memorial for the thousands of St. Louis residents lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. The April 23 event in Forest Park, supported by the Institute for Public Health and others, featured original music, community speakers and the ceremonial lighting of 1,500 lanterns around Forest Park’s iconic Grand Basin.
The video, produced by Washington University, features discussion by the event creator and family and community members who lost loved ones in the pandemic. It evokes emotion and the realization of the sheer numbers of our own city’s residents who have lost their lives.