Most of us have seen the photograph by now. I keep coming back to the masks. Masks have always carried meaning. A surgeon wears one to protect a patient. Someone recovering from an illness wears one to protect themselves and others.
By Maya OlsonJuly 7, 20261 min read
Most of us have seen the photograph by now.
I keep coming back to the masks.
Masks have always carried meaning. A surgeon wears one to protect a patient. Someone recovering from an illness wears one to protect themselves and others. A firefighter wears one to survive long enough to save someone else.
But when someone covers their face while intimidating another person, threatening a community, or committing a crime, the purpose isn't protection. It's concealment. It's a way of saying: I want to do this, but I don't want anyone to know it was me. That's why Patriot Front marches with their faces covered.
Federal immigration agents carrying out arrests in public places wear face coverings for the same reasons: They create anonymity. They make accountability harder. They allow participants to disappear back into ordinary life once the march is over. They make denial easier.
I've participated in protests and marches over the years alongside hundreds—sometimes thousands—of people. Not one of us wore a mask. We stood behind our words and convictions. We accepted that our names belonged with our beliefs.
