Month: October 2020

Note: This article appeared in the November issue of The Scroll.

Masks. We are all wearing them. There are all kinds: three-ply surgical, KN95, N95, cloth (with and without filter), designer, bandana, etc. Masks are in nowadays. They’re all the rage. You can even get designer masks now. Like a sports team? Get a mask with their name and logo.Supporting a candidate? They got masks too. Companies and unions are making up custom masks for their employees and members. Yep, everywhere you look someone is wearing some kind of mask.

And, that’s a good thing. In today’s day of COVID, masks are a way to protect ourselves and others from the virus.

Note: This article was published in the October issue of The Scroll.

The building looked old. I would have to guess that it was more than 100 years old. I had to climb three flights of stairs. The walls had clearly not seen a wet paintbrush in decades. The paint had obviously been peeling off although all the flaking paint had been cleaned away. The concrete steps were sturdy but showed their age. They too had not been painted in many years.

When I reached the third floor, a sign pointed me to a huge open space. I paced it out and it measured approximately 125 x 250 feet. It was clearly a former factory floor although I am betting it had not served that purpose in a very long time. For all I know, this may have been the site of a former sweatshop from the early 20th century.

Its purpose on this day was much different.