5 Things

August 18, 2020 11:24AM EDT

Kristin Urquiza rallied against Donald Trump at the 2020 DNC, blaming the president for her father’s death from COVID-19. Here’s five facts you need to know about the Marked by COVID founder and her story.

In a night full of powerful speakers at the Democratic National Convention, none resonated the hardest with viewers than Kristin Urquiza, the Marked by COVID founder who laid the blame of her father’s death at President Donald Trump‘s feet. Urquiza is tirelessly channeling her grief into activism and fighting for the over 160,000 victims of the COVID-19 crisis in the United States. Here’s what else you should know about her:

1. Her father, Mark Urquiza, died of COVID-19 on June 30. Mark, an otherwise healthy 65-year-old, contracted coronavirus shortly after heading to a karaoke bar when Arizona’s stay-at-home orders lifted. He died after a three-week battle with the disease, living the last five days of his life in the ICU, hooked to a ventilator. “His only pre-existing condition was trusting Donald Trump, and for that, he paid with his life,” Urquiza said in her DNC speech.

2. She blamed Trump for his death at the DNC. “My dad, Mark Anthony Urquiza, should be here today but he isn’t,” Urquiza stated in her passionate speech. “He had faith in Donald Trump. He voted for him, listened to him, believed him and his mouthpieces when they said that coronavirus was under control and going to disappear… One of the last things that my father said to me was that he felt betrayed by the likes of Donald Trump. And so when I cast my vote for Joe Biden, I will do it for my dad.”

Kristin UrquizaMarked by COVID founder Kristin Urquiza speaks at the DNC, 8/17/20 (AP Images)

3. She started the organization Marked by COVID. Urquiza started Marked by COVID to “honor her father, collect stories of people who have been impacted by COVID-19, and inspire safer public health policies,” according to the site’s mission statement. “We’re building a movement to fight back against misinformation, uplift the stori

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