On the same day that the estimated coronavirus death toll surpassed 400,000 lives lost in the U.S., President-elect Joe Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and their spouses visited a somber national memorial at the Lincoln Memorial in honor of the victims.
With the Reflecting Pool as a backdrop, and 400 lights lit up in honor of the 400,000 dead, Lori Marie Key, a 29-year-old nurse from Livonia, Michigan, sang "Amazing Grace."
READ MORE: How communities across the country are honoring COVID victims
Key once sang the hymn during a shift change at St. Mary Mercy Hospital, which was captured on a video that went viral. She said it's been heartbreaking to work at her hospital's COVID unit.
"But when I am at work, I sing," she said. "It gives me strength during difficult times, and I believe it helps heal."
Biden delivered brief remarks after Key's performance, saying that: "To heal, we must remember. It's hard sometimes to remember. But that's how we heal. It's important to do that as a nation."
Harris' message to the nation was that her "abiding prayer is that we emerge from this ordeal with a new wisdom, to cherish simple moments, to imagine new possibilities, and to open our hearts, just a little bit more, to one another."
Sustain our coverage of culture, arts and literature.
Mahogany Browne is a poet, writer, organizer and educator. Recently, she became the first-ever poet-in-residence at the Lincoln Center in…
For many, Cheech Marin is a household name. The comedian and actor is best known as part of the countercultural…
The blues guitar legend Buddy Guy once wrote, "Funny thing about the blues. You play 'em cause you got 'em.…
No matter what role he took on in a career that lasted more than five decades, Gambon was always instantly…
Actor David McCallum, who became a teen heartthrob in the hit series "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." in the 1960s and…
Hurricane Ida destroyed this 117-year-old Italian deli, a beloved hallmark of the French Quarter. Two years later, the owners are…
Writers and the major studios reached a tentative deal after nearly five months of striking. In the coming days, members…
Sheila Johnson made history as America's first Black female billionaire after co-founding BET. She broke barriers and found success as…
Writer Mary Otis' work grapples with issues of addiction, artistic purpose, and mother-daughter relationships. She recently performed excerpts from her…
Actors remain on strike, but movement on the writers' demands could mean that the actors will find a resolution soon…
For Hispanic Heritage Month, as part of our "Hidden Histories" series, we look back on the life of Lydia Mendoza,…
The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Sunday that Usher would lead the halftime festivities from Allegiant Stadium in…
The husband-and-wife creative duo behind the 12-member Tedeschi Trucks Band have been called two of the best roots musicians of…
On the 50th anniversary of that match against Bobby Riggs -- still the most-watched in tennis history -- King moved…
Ruth Simmons grew up in a deeply segregated part of Texas to become one of the country's most distinguished educators,…
