By Shamecca Brown, Granite State News Collaborative
Let’s talk, people. I don’t have any tricks, but I do have a treat, and that treat is finding out who’s really under these masks. I’m not talking about the plastic vampire fangs or the dollar-store Spider-Man costumes. I’m talking about the real masks people wear when lining up with racial profiling, discrimination and being flat-out racist.
I say this because I’ve seen it with my own eyes: a line of people in ski masks on Main Street, holding signs telling others to “go back to where you came from,” “no gays allowed,” “we hate Jews” – and the list goes on. Is that their “trick”? To show up, hide their faces, and try to scare people with their hate? Because, honestly, it looks less like a trick and more like cowardice dressed up as protest.
Now if we’re keeping with the Halloween theme, I’ll admit I’ve got a trick too. My trick would be to make them disappear and reappear in a land just for them. Picture it: They’re all stuck together, forever trapped inside a crystal ball like some spooky snow globe of hate. They can yell their nonsense all they want, but no one has to hear it. Out of sight, out of mind. A little abracadabra, and poof – they’re gone. But let’s keep it real. That’s not how life works and, unfortunately, hate doesn’t vanish with a magic spell.
Here’s the shame of it: When people act like this, they aren’t just hiding their identities; they’re sending a dangerous message. Hate groups love to mask up because they want to intimidate without accountability. They want the attention without the consequence. But you know who suffers the most from this kind of public display? Kids.
October is supposed to be about children having fun, dressing up, collecting candy, and maybe getting a little spooked by fake skeletons on a neighbor’s lawn. Not by adults in ski masks spewing hate on Main Street. I hope kids are safe this season, and that no one messes with them – or anyone, for that matter. Because when children see that kind of behavior, it plants seeds of fear, confusion and division. And if we aren’t careful, those seeds grow.
The irony is Halloween teaches us more about humanity than these masked protestors ever could. On Halloween night, we knock on strangers’ doors, we greet one another with kindness, and we share. You don’t need to know who’s under the mask to hand out candy; you just give it because that’s what the holiday is about – treats, generosity, fun. Imagine if life worked that way year-round.
Instead, we’ve got grown folks using masks – not for fun, but to cover up their hate. They’ll say it’s about “freedom of speech,” but when your words are so ugly that you have to hide your face to say them, is it really freedom, or is it fear?
Here’s the truth: Racism, antisemitism, homophobia – these aren’t costumes people put on for a night. They’re masks some people wear every day to avoid confronting their own ignorance. And while I can joke about trapping them in a crystal ball, the real power lies in unmasking them. Naming the hate. Calling it what it is.
So this October, I’m asking: What kind of mask are you wearing? Is it one that hides prejudice, anger or fear? Or is it one of courage, compassion and accountability? Because at the end of the day, masks come off. And when they do, the real you shows.
I’ll keep my treat simple: I want a world where kids can trick-or-treat without worry, where families don’t have to explain why people are chanting hate in the streets, and where we can all laugh at spooky decorations instead of cringing at the real monsters hiding in plain sight.
And to the ones still hiding behind ski masks with hateful signs, here’s a little Halloween tip: the scariest costume isn’t the one you put on. It’s the one you live in when your heart is filled with hate. Boo.
Shamecca Brown is a New Hampshire-based columnist who is family-oriented and passionate about serving underserved communities. These articles are being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.