On December 26, Rebecca Kartzinel from the Brown University Herbarium and Matthew Guterl, the vice president for diversity and inclusion, braved the freezing temperatures to honor the victims of a recent shooting. They sought to collect and preserve flowers left in memory of Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, along with nine others injured in the December 13 tragedy.
This effort is part of “Brown Ever True,” a university initiative aimed at healing through reflection and remembrance. Guterl emphasized the importance of these memorials, saying, “It’s about making sure that we do right by those we’ve lost and each other.”
Kartzinel meticulously selected flowers, aiming for a diverse range while ensuring they could withstand preservation despite being frozen. She wanted the final product to reflect the beauty of the flowers in their prime.
Once back at the herbarium, she carefully prepared the flowers for pressing. She trimmed them to fit specific sheets, layered them with absorbent paper, and placed them in a wooden press to dry. Interestingly, because the flowers were frozen, more moisture leaked out than usual, necessitating multiple adjustments during the process.
After several weeks, the preserved flowers were ready. Although the university has not finalized how to memorialize them, Kartzinel feels strongly about documenting this period. “The memorials are an important part of that time,” she said. “This is a way to preserve a piece of that.”
Preserving flowers for memorials isn’t just a local endeavor. After the mass shooting at Michigan State University in 2023, similar preservation projects took shape, highlighting communal grief and resilience. Experts in grief therapy note that such initiatives allow communities to process loss collectively, creating a tangible connection to those they’ve lost.
In a recent survey by the American Psychological Association, 75% of respondents stated that communal memorials helped in their healing process after a tragedy. This emphasizes the significance of collective remembrance.
Through initiatives like “Brown Ever True,” institutions guide their communities in navigating grief, ensuring the memories of victims are honored and remembered for future generations.
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