The Awakening
Just about two years ago, on Labor Day Weekend 2018, I found myself in Salem, Massachusetts with a friend, staying at her sister-in-law’s apartment. It was an old red brick Victorian building in town, not far from the water, and we’d spent the previous day walking around Boston, visiting historical sites. I had been a history major after all, and my friend had humored me for that day so we could visit places like John Adams National Historic Site and the monument to the 54th Massachusetts. I had really wanted to see that. That day, not far from that monument, we’d wandered down some smaller streets to locate the African American National History site in Boston. It was clearly a slow day for them, and it was not long from closing time when I arrived and asked if I could stamp my national park passport there as I’d visited the monument. The man behind the counter gave me a curious look, but pointed out the passport stamp and inkpad behind me, and ...