Marching in Wall

On June 12th, 2020, I travelled from my home in Brick Township to the neighboring Wall Township to attend a BLM march. By far, it was the farthest I'd travelled in three months. I was unemployed and deeply troubled about the state of ... everything. Wall Township was once home to the regional headquarters of the Ku Klux Klan. My sign made mention of my grandfather, Col. John E. Applebee, born in New Jersey in 1920. He had fought in three wars, against nazis, fascists, and dictatorships. Americans being afraid of their own police force went against everything I had been told America stood for.

There is so much I could say about my experience that day. The many layers of meaning. Reflections on the past, frustrations and disappointments with the present, fears for the future.

The same old problems that had been building for so long. All harshly highlighted and brought to crisis points by Covid-19.