United States Agency for International Development: Samantha Power, Administrator, September 22, 2021
Thank you, and good afternoon, everyone. I’m Samantha Power, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID. Yesterday morning, I visited the National Mall, where over 600,000 white flags blanket the grass under the shadow of the Washington Monument. Each of those flags represents someone in the United States who died from COVID-19. And a few are inscribed with messages from loved ones coping with their loss. “We love you,” they say. “The light has gone out.” “We miss your smile.” “We’re having a terrible time here without you.” These words of grief are about Americans, but they transcend boundaries, felt by anyone and everyone in the world who has lost a loved one to this pandemic.
