As I worked on the June edition of Frederick Behind Bars, I couldn’t help thinking that I’m writing my pieces in a very different world than it was when the New Year dawned. In January, as part of the four-year cycle, people were looking towards an election, and the Olympics. As part of the annual cycle, people made resolutions, high school and college seniors were buckling down for the stretch run before graduation, or suffering from senioritis. Kids planned for prom and spring dances. Many adults planned for weddings.

And then COVID-19 hit our shores, and our day-to-day changed.

And we were stuck at home. If you were one of the lucky ones, you were able to telecommute, and continued to pull a paycheck. It was hard for a lot of people – and continues to be for the many that are directly affected by the illness.

Then, as states were on the verge of re-opening came George Floyd in Minnesota, and the world exploded. Floyd’s death at the hands of the police – while compliant and restrained – shined a light on police violence against African Americans, and triggered a series of protests that quickly spread not just across the United States, but around the world.

These events have affected virtually everyone, and this month Frederick Behind Bars talks to Attaboy about their COVID response, and a handful of Frederick-area breweries, and a distillery about Black is Beautiful – one Texas brewery’s response to systemic police violence, and the current Civil Rights Movement, and their involvement in the project.

Until next edition, stay safe and healthy, and fight for what’s right.

Slainte.