Listen to April’s Story

“It was hard to regain a sense of normalcy. The city and its people were forever changed. Some found strength in the adversity. Others struggled to cope. But no one was untouched by the experience.”

- April Munuz

April Munuz 

My name is April Munuz and I have lived in and around Charlottesville for over 30 years. When these photographs were taken, I was 49 years old and my soul had just broken. I came to Fourth Street the evening of August 13th, 2017, to honor the life of Heather Heyer, a young woman who I had never met, but whose life had been tragically taken in a terror-filled moment right before my eyes just the day before. When I returned that next evening, a small crowd had begun to gather at the site of the car attack. I sat on the curb not far from where I'd been pushed aside the safety the day before. As the crowd began to grow around me, I felt their shock, disbelief and sorrow. Grief overtook me and I began to weep. I didn't stop for days. For the weeks and months that followed, I continued to mourn for all the lives that were shattered that weekend, as did our community. It was hard to regain a sense of normalcy. The city and its people were forever changed. Some found strength in the adversity. Others struggled to cope. But no one was untouched by the experience. As we approach the five year anniversary of August 11th and 12th, I remember the strength and resolve that our community exhibited when we became the target of external hatred. But I also reflect on what has happened in the wake of those events and the internal unrest and divisiveness that ensued and spread across the nation. I hold out hope that Nietzsche was correct in his belief, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”

Music credit: Craft Case / Shipment / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com