Illustration by Tessa Lagarez
In the middle of the woods of the “ghost town” of Walpack, New Jersey, a little over an hour northwest of Montclair State University, sit some 50 gravestones of formerly enslaved African American residents. For centuries, the graves have remained unmarked and go mostly unnoticed. Their lack of recognition from government officials reminds us that, in 2026, racism is still very real, entrenched into the political institutions of our country.
Historians have concluded that enslaved people were critical to the development of Sussex County, which borders both New York and Pennsylvania. But the graves, which were erected throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, remain nameless to this day (although some locals have made an effort to uncover the names of the buried). As the graveyard has resurfaced into conversation in the past couple of years, local government has made it clear that recognizing the lives and contributions of slaves to the community is not a priority.
Jill Space is the county commissioner of Sussex County. Heir to local attraction Space Farms, the last decade of the official’s political career has been shrouded in controversy. Multiple interactions with the Confederate flag have drawn scrutiny, including a photo emerging of the lawmaker posing with the flag and a tattoo on her husband’s arm). The puzzling case of multiple sets of slave remains “magically” appearing at her family’s business is just another example.
Despite her “racy” relationship with race, the commissioner was re-elected to another three-year term in 2025. At a recent town hall meeting, an activist confronted Space on stage about her track record of negligence and indifference to legitimate human rights concerns in the community she governs.
The commissioner’s response?
“I’m not gonna listen to this. Disrespectful.”
Space stormed off the stage, refusing to address any of the verifiable claims brought up by the disgruntled resident (or anybody else, for that matter).
What is happening in Sussex County is absolutely not happening in a vacuum. When we hear about an elected official acting this way — lashing out at their constituents, continuously exhibiting racist behavior and being rewarded with more power, re-election, and promotions — it might make us stop and wonder, “When did we end up here?”.
Was it when the United States elected a man as president who called for the deaths of five Black teenagers who were exonerated of any crimes? Indeed, you are correct that it is the same man who said of Mexican immigrants, “They’re sending people that have lots of problems… They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” And it is the same man who told four American lawmakers of color to “go back to their crime-infested countries.”
Well, it certainly didn’t help when we elected him to a second term in 2024.
Once his power was extended, he turned to the complete whitewashing of America’s history and the denial of its past. He has criticized, threatened and harmed valuable historical institutions that tell the truth about America’s horrific past. And he has continued to perpetuate a culture that divides people by their race, by “DEI/Woke” or by “patriots.”
It is that same culture that allows folks like Jill Space to continue leading without any fear of repercussions, because it has been firmly established that the President of the United States has their backs.
So all of this goes to say that, as a resident, I wouldn’t count on any Sussex County officials traveling out to tiny Walpack and paying a legitimate respect to the remains of the people who built their community, discarded like trash in return. Not until Sussex County residents, and American residents as a whole, demand a change.
But how?
This is exactly what the midterms are for. Sussex County residents —or anyone who feels that their local government doesn’t represent or respect them — should absolutely be getting their vote out (political apathy went out of style when we elected a convicted felon into the Oval Office). Activist groups like the Sussex County Visibility Brigade are the ones demanding accountability to their representatives’ faces — and doing an inspirational job, at that.
The idea of making our country a better place should be rooted in empathy, not exclusion. It should focus on unity, not division, and step over party lines to say that all of us Americans have been getting screwed by our government. And it only starts when we go out there and do something about it.
