USA First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff

Dear First Lady Cathy Justice,
I am an ambassador for the Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall. This is a 50-state initiative that
seeks to establish a wall in each state that remembers victims of the terrible scourge that
is attacking our country because of the Mexican and Chinese Cartels, who conspire to
bring fentanyl into our country without regard to human life.
The CDC reports that the number of people who have died from Illegally Manufactured
Fentanyl (IMF) has increased exponentially in the last few years. In West Virginia alone,
statistics are staggering. We have led the nation in the rate of deaths per 100,000
population since 2015…not something to brag about. From 2019 to 2021, the number of
people who died from fentanyl tripled, and the death rate in West Virginia in 2021 was twoand
one-half times what it was in 2019.
Fentanyl Deaths
Death Rates
(per 100,000 population)
2015 725 41.5*
2016 884 52.0*
2017 974 57.8*
2018 856 51.5*
2019 572 35.9*
2020 1043 80.4*
2021 1501 90.9*
*Highest in US
Source: CDC.gov
Death rates are per 100,000 population, in order to be
able to compare states with differing populations.
Mrs. Justice, I am the co-lead for the State of West Virginia for this project, along with Meg
Hickey. Unlike my co-volunteers, I have not lost a child to this epidemic, but I am appalled
at what is happening in our state and across the country. The number of lives that have
been lost to fentanyl is now in epidemic proportions. We would very much like your help in
finding a place to remember some of those West Virginians who are victims of this
menace, so that they are not forgotten. Our group has developed two digital walls, one
with photos and one with just names, inspired by the Vietnam Memorial. These can be
displayed so that visitors can touch the photo or the name of their lost loved one. The
displays update automatically and can be projected on a wall so that families can touch
their loved one’s name or picture.
A group of our West Virginia moms would love to meet with you and work together to
prevent this from happening ever again. We look forward to speaking with you in person.
Sincerely,
Emily Alfriend Wilson, WV State Co-Lead
Charles Town, West Virginia
ewilsonmsw@comcast.net
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