The service took place on the Oklahoma Capitol steps and was broadcast on Facebook Live.Â
After Rep. Andy Fugate (D-Oklahoma City) and the OU Trombone Choir performed the song âPeace Like a River,â Rep. Merleyn Bell (D-Norman) provided opening remarks, giving her condolences to the families who have lost loved ones to COVID-19.Â
âSo tonight, we come together to pray for those who have died and the families and loved ones they have left behind,â Bell said âWe do so, not as casual observers, but as fellow citizens who share in their grief and sorrow. We pray for those who have suffered loss without the comfort or consolation of a familiar ritual, grounded in religious or cultural tradition. We offer this memorial as an opportunity for shared healing, even as the pandemic rages on.â