ABOUT.
MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY! was conceived as a simple but forceful call to action: write the name of someone in the United States who has died from Covid-19 and send it in a stamped envelope to the then-President of the United States, Donald Trump. One year later, this action still honors those who have fallen victim to the disease, supports the essential role of our U.S. Postal Service, and delivers bodies, in the form of written names, to where they STILL belong—at the door of the former President, at Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
WHY THIS, WHY NOW.
At the time this campaign was launched in mid-May, 2020, the number of reported cases of infection in the United States was nearly five times more than that of any other country in the world, and the number of deaths nearly three times. At the time of this revised writing in March 2021, the number of deaths from Covid-19 stands at 523,000—over five times the number since this site’s initial launch. A disproportionate number of those who have died continue to be people of color, and the working poor, many identified as “essential workers,” have been particularly vulnerable. While the ex-President is not responsible for creating the pandemic, his early dismissal of the virus as a hoax, his repeated claims that it was under control, and his continued denial of any responsibility cost thousands of lives that could have been saved with effective response early on. Thousands more lives will be lost as a result, from both the virus itself and most likely from the devastating economic fallout for many Americans. To date, the United States accounts for 5 percent of the world’s number of annual deaths, but 29 percent of the world’s number of deaths from Covid-19.
During this pandemic, the former President also repeatedly politicized and threatened to de-fund the United States Postal Service, the country’s venerable non-profit agency of the Executive Branch, which dates back to 1775. Providing affordable mail delivery anywhere in the country, it is one of the few institutions authorized by the United States Constitution. According to a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, ninety percent of the public has a favorable view of the agency. This mail campaign helps support the agency’s longstanding commitment to serving communities across the nation.
MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY! was created in home-shelter to register not just our outraged voices, but the voices of those who are no longer able to speak. This is just one of many monuments for urgent times. We cannot, we must not, be silenced, and we must continue to hold accountable the former President.
