Heather Whitten is getting her car ready to join a caravan. She is hanging signs on both sides of it.

"I’m actually driving in memory of someone I worked with for 12 years," Whitten said.

It’s a caravan that will mourn all those who died from COVID-19. Whitten lost Cristabal Gomez back in April. She said he worked on her family’s dairy family in Cayuga County.

"They are not afforded the same rights that other people are because they look different or they speak with an accent," Whitten said.

She said Gomez didn’t receive the same medical treatment as other members of her family when they tested positive. On Monday, she came to Albany to share this story as part of the Poor People’s Campaign nationwide Moral Monday caravan.

Demonstrators talked about a wide range of issues, including financial stress, housing relief, and coronavirus care in prison.

"We’re still here and we hope that they’re watching," said Thomas Kearney, the Capital Region organizer for Release Aging People in Prison. "Especially as far as COVID-19 in prison goes, they’re human beings as well."

Several cars repeatedly looped around the Capitol as the drivers called for relief funding from state and federal leaders. It was one of several happening at state capitols across the country.

"Now that the election is done, we’re letting the people who won, and the people who lost, know we’re still here," Kearney said. "Our message will still be heard."

They’re hoping this will get the attention of lawmakers to finally pass a comprehensive COVID-19 relief package.

"At the end of the day, we can all do better, and our government can do better, and our country needs to lift from the bottom because if we lift from the bottom we all rise," Whitten said.