An Inkster church is planning a permanent memorial to those lives lost due to the coronavirus.
The Prevailing Church in Inkster, under the leadership of the Rev. Rick Sykes, is constructing a memorial brick walkway along the side of the church and each brick will be inscribed with the name of a person lost to the COVID-19 virus.
Sykes said the church currently has about 2,000 bricks.
“I myself know about 50 to 60 people who have passed away. My wife was actually sick in March and she recovered. Loved ones, people I knew, also recovered but there are those who passed away from COVID-19,” he said.
The pandemic has adversely affected the Black and Hispanic community, according to statistics and deaths among those ethnicities are much more prevalent, according to Dr. Joneigh S. Khaldun, MD, MPH, FACEP, the chief medical executive for the State of Michigan and Chief Deputy Director for Health in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Khaldun has urged members of the Black community to seek a vaccination against the disease as soon as they become available to them.
Sykes said the memorial at the church is a means of trying to heal the community.
“We're looking to bless the community by giving to the community,” he said. “Just thinking about all of the people I know who have passed away...we wanted to do something that brings healing.”
To inquire about dedicating a brick to a loved one, or to donate to the church, contact Sykes at theprevailingchurchmi@gmail.com.
