(Note: This piece was originally written with the intention of being published as a zine. However, do to a number of circumstances, this did not happen. Rather than let it go to waste, I decided to publish what I had written here.)

What is in a mask? At their core, masks can serve a multitude of purposes but among them is the shared idea of anonymity, protection and transferring of identity. Masks have existed into antiquity, as the Greek actors commonly wore masks, allowing them to take on a separate identity while still allowing them to express themselves. In our own popular holiday here in the United States, we celebrate Halloween as a day in which everyone may dawn masks and costumes to allow them to act in a way that they can both protect their identity while at the same time expressing it.

Yet, despite this context, we often see in the media and in society the portrayal of those who choose to wear masks as a form of protest as violent criminals, who only seek to cause disruptions and chaos when they are present. Popular images of masked bank robbers and criminals have done little to curb the idea that if you wear a mask outside of when society deems it appropriate, such as holidays or celebrations, then you will be seen with scorn and suspicion.

However, this scornful approach towards masks seems to be of a contradictory nature. The concept of wearing a mask is hardly something that is particular to supposed criminal elements. Within popular fiction, superheroes often wear masks to not just hide their own private identities, but to also draw attention to themselves without having to sacrifice their own safety and of those they care about. Comic book villains commonly will target the friends and family of these superheroes, so it is important for them to hide their identities.

It is for this reason that the Zapatistas have chosen to wear masks. Located in Chiapas, Mexico, the Zapatistas rebelled in 1994, when attempts to take their indigenous land were being made by the corrupt Mexican government. Ever since, the Zapatistas have lived a life of relative autonomy in the mountains. However, they may not have been able to accomplish what they did if it were not for one very powerful tool they used. Their masks. They used their ski masks and Palicates (tradition red bandannas) to draw attention to their cause, create anonymity among their communities as well as to foster a sense of communal solidarity and continuity among the Zapatistas. Their masks have continued to act as both a highly identifiable symbol of the Zapatistas, while also allowing them a degree of protection from reprisals by cartels and corrupt government agents.

So it is with these ideas in mind that we must take into consideration why activists in the United States have chosen to wear masks. With the very real possibility of violence and reprisal against those who choose to organize for social justice within our communities, it is important that we protect ourselves from those who would seek to do us harm. Many of us live in vulnerable positions that don’t allow us the luxury to expose ourselves publicly. When Anti-Fascists and Anarchists mask up and form a Black Bloc, it is to create a sense of anonymity and collective solidarity that allows the participants to not just express themselves openly, but to do so in a way that doesn’t compromise their safety and can even allow them to fight back. With the rise of Fascist organizations, it is more important now than ever to take into consideration the threat that such groups create. They are openly willing to harass, expose and attack anyone who opposes their agenda of white nationalism and authoritarianism. Not to mention the threat imposed by the police and government agencies in and of themselves, whom have a well documented history of violence and harassment against social organizers.

So when we mask up we are not doing so because we wish to cause mayhem and destruction, although I’m sure some certainly do, but because we do so out of a concern for the safety of ourselves and those we care about. In a world in which domination and oppression are normalized contexts, we must be willing to take the necessary precautions to protect ourselves. Even if it means just a strip of cloth.