Photos: Remembering George Floyd and the toll of COVID-19 on Día de los Muertos
This was a Día de los Muertos like no other.
The Mexican celebration that honors the lives of loved ones who have passed on from this lifetime held special meaning this year in Minnesota, with COVID-19 disproportionately affecting the Latino community and the killing of George Floyd still fresh in many people’s minds.
The St. Paul-based Indigenous Roots gathered the community to build four ofrendas, or altars. With their candles, marigolds, pictures of the deceased, and pan de muerto — the signature Day of the Dead sweet bread — ofrendas played a central role in the celebrations.
The altars honored “people who passed on from COVID, people who were gunned down by the police, people who may have passed away while trying to cross the border,” said Sergio Cenoch Quiroz, who co-directs the group.
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Twin Cities events tied to the holiday, which extended from Sunday to Monday, included a stop at an ofrenda at El Burrito Mercado on the west side of St. Paul celebrating the life of U.S. Army soldier Vanessa Guillen, who was killed this year while stationed at Fort Hood in Texas.
Earlier on Monday, a processional was held at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, the Minneapolis intersection where police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for about nine minutes.
Community organizer Ruti Mejia, also with Indigenous Roots, said the ofrenda set up to celebrate Floyd’s life was intended in part to rekindle his memory.
“It really is about honoring and holding space for those spirits, for those ancestors, for George Floyd to come here, for his spirit to remain and know that we haven't forgotten you,” she said.
