Trail of Truth Announces Second Annual National Event

Trail of Truth Executive Director Alexis Pleus and Project Coordinator Jess Saeman made an announcement from Albany, New York on Monday, July 11th, that the 2nd annual National Trail of Truth will be held on September 23rd, in Washington, DC. Pleus and Saeman were in the New York State Capitol to attend a meeting of the New York State Opioid Settlement Advisory Board to advocate for access to treatment and transparency in the spending of opioid settlement funds. 

Trail of Truth National is made possible in alliance with nearly 100 national partners working tirelessly throughout the United States to raise awareness for substance use related deaths. In 2022, more than 1200 individuals from almost every state were memorialized with hand-painted tombstones created by families and directly impacted volunteers across the nation. Speakers and performers impacted by substance use graced the National Mall before attendees participated in a powerful march to the Department of Labor and Health and Human Services buildings. The event served as the nation’s largest existing memorial for substance use related causes to date.

In 2022, Trail of Truth National called for immediate access to treatment and non-discriminatory medical care for people who use substances, and in 2023 this list of demands will be expanded to include increased naloxone education and distribution in our communities, as well as responsible and transparent spending of the opioid settlement funds.

The National Memorial Cemetery will open at 11am in Union Square, Washington, DC. This year’s event will incorporate an additional healing space, in which family members will have the opportunity to speak publicly about their loved ones, and additional grief displays will once again be featured at the event. If you or your organization has a memorial or grief display that you would like to share with Trail of Truth National, please contact Project Coordinator Jess Saeman at trailoftruthnational@gmail.com. 

Click here to submit a loved one to be memorialized at the second annual Trail of Truth National.
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