Our Democracy
BY ANDREA BRUCE
For more than a decade, I’ve worked primarily as a conflict photographer, covering wars and revolutions in nations other than my own. But four years ago I started a journey at home to see how the people of the United States experience democracy, especially at the local, grassroots level. I was curious about the deep political divide between those on the left and those on the right. But I also wanted to look beyond politics and examine the social conditions that underpin our society. There I found a greater divide that affects how all people see their democracy, their voice, their power: the divide between the haves and the have-nots. It is income inequality that creates the democracy divide in the U.S.
El Paso, TX. People cross the U.S./Mexico border to El Paso by the hundreds every morning. The El Paso region is one of the top in the US where people don't vote.
San Francisco, CA. Focusing on homelessness and the new aristocracy, following homelessness and the lack of affordable housing as well as the tech world and the famous SF social club called The Battery.
Blackfeet Nation, Glacier National Park, Montana. During the North American Indian Days Rodeo in the Blackfeet Nation, in Montana, Tiffany Lahr, 8, holds Muntsee by the reins while her cousin, Arena St. Goddard, 8, is helped by her mom. The family is from the Blackfeet Nation, which has a strong tradition of horsemanship (2019).
"I think democracy means that we can have our own views and our own beliefs, regardless of skin color," said Tiffany.
In Memphis, TN, Jim Brown and Jonsina Gordon, 19, hang-out in the yard of their high school. They said they were part of a gang and that the gang has a leader who enforces school attendance, good grades and helps families. In a city known for inequality and racism, it raises interesting questions about what happens, who steps in, when the system fails those living in our democracy.
"I am in awe of town meetings. Though they can be tedious, they provide the dialogue and compromise that I found lacking elsewhere in the U.S. Town meeting season in New Hampshire dates back to colonial days and is an example of direct democracy."
Wilmot, New Hampshire
Indiana, The 2018 mid-term elections take place in a fire station in Angola, IN.
Wilmot, NH. Every year in early spring, towns across New England hold their town meeting. In Wilmot, NH, the local police helped move the antique benches into rows for seating and boys scouts led the pledge of allegiance at the beginning of the meeting. The town’s citizens voted and debated on issues like how to fix the flooding of the town hall and library, tax deductions for solar panels and how much the fire department will receive in their yearly budget.
Ex-offenders are provided jobs and support through a local organization called LifeLine.
“I wish I had the ability to go and protest with my brothers and sisters. I wish I already had a platform to speak from. Maybe I’m not ready yet, or the world’s not ready yet,”
Will Golden, March 2018
In Greensboro, NC, eager voters lined up on the first day of early voting at the North Carolina Cooperative Extension which includes buildings and barns used for agricultural studies. Many voters stood in line for over two hours. Rupert Macintosh, who is "over 80," and walks with a cane, said he waited in line for almost two hours. "But I enjoyed it!" he added. Greensboro, NC, (Guilford County) has a history of being unfairly gerrymandered--diluting the heavily democratic area into separate districts. The courts found the NC district lines unconstitutional and forced a temporary redraw for the 2020 election until the results of the 2020 census are found. This day was also the last day for people to be counted in the U.S. Census because President Trump stopped census collection two weeks before the original deadline in order to be the one to decide on future districts even if he is not voted in a second term.
In tandem with her visual project, "Our Democracy" Andrea Bruce compiled an educational toolkit.
The Our Democracy Toolkit provides educators with information and resources they’ll need to lead their learning communities in this endeavor and publish student work on this website. The collection has been designed for learning communities who need the flexibility to engage with the Our Democracy project at varying levels of participation and commitment. Teachers can choose to try one activity in the collection, complete a few lessons, or even integrate the entire toolkit into their curriculum.
New Hampshire. I am in awe of town meetings. They can be tedious and boring, but the provide dialogue and compromise I found lacking across the U.S. Town Meeting season in New Hampshire dates back to colonial days and is an example of a direct democracy. Local town meetings often coincide with local elections and decide on the local budget as well as other local issues.
Indiana. This is the Fourth of July celebration at "the sandbar" on Lake James in Indiana. It often looks like this, patriotism coupled with extreme partying to represent a type of freedom. But, as someone who spent almost a decade covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, this made me somehow angry. Less than one percent of Americans were personally engaged in these wars that caused tremendous loss of lives, from the U.S. as well as Iraq and Afghanistan. I kept asking myself...do people pay attention? what do THEY think the U.S. was doing there...is this what democracy looks like to them? I realize my sensitivity to this flag and its placement may involve some PTSD. But this photo is a common site on the Fourth. I don't want to judge. But it makes me feel uncomfortable.
Utah County, Utah. Hope of America student showcase Marriott Center in Provo. "Join us as over 8,000 5th grade students from over 100 Utah schools come together in red, white, and blue to form the American Flag. Experience the patriotism as young students celebrate America’s freedom through song, choreography, and Sign Language."
Kenosha, Wisconsin. The right to protest is another common answer the question about democracy’s definition, in practice. Protests filled the streets of Kenosha, WI, after the shooting of Jacob Blake. People from all backgrounds protested the local police brutality. The relatively small town boarded up their businesses with signs promoting peace. Then Kyle Rittenhouse opened fire on the protesters, killing two.