Artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada, in partnership with SOMOS Care, Make the Road New York, and Greenpoint Innovations, has created a stunning 20,000 square foot land mural portrait that honors the hardworking healthcare workers of New York City.
The mural, which was created next to the Queens Museum in Flushing, features the image of Dr. Ydelfonso Decoo, a beloved immigrant pediatrician who tragically died from the Coronavirus. Dr. Decoo had become infected with COVID-19 while serving his hard-hit community in Washington Heights. Gerada stated that he wanted to remember Dr. Decoo for a number of reasons.
The world is experiencing a terrible time. We are suffering through a global pandemic. It has become evident that the virus finds it easier to spread among minorities and our society is set up to make it that way. Covid 19 has made the underlying inequity in our nation more evident now than ever… I selected Dr. Ydelfonso Decoo for the mural portrait to:
- Honor Dr. Decoo, a Latino doctor from #NYC who passed from #COVID19?. ? ?
- Pay tribute to all the lives lost throughout the pandemic?.?
- Acknowledge the “forgotten people of COVID-19,” highlighting the disproportionate loss of NYC lives in Hispanic and African American populations?.?