This snapshot was gathered in conjunction with the Museum on Main Street program at the Smithsonian Institution and its "Stories from Main Street" initiative. The project is intended to capture Americans' impressions and stories about their small-town and rural neighborhoods, waterways, personal memories, cultural traditions, work histories, and thoughts about American democracy. This story is from a group of narratives inspired by the Smithsonian traveling exhibition, "Voices and Votes: Democracy in America."
Dr. Tamika Lamb-Sanders (00:00): I remember the very first time, I think we were in middle school, and we did a practice election at our school for the governor's election here with Terry Goddard and Fife Symington, they were running. And I remember being so excited because we were learning about democracy, and what the governor does, and how that affects us and the community. And I remember being so excited because I would go home, every day I learned something like, 'Mom, mom, when you go to the polls, don't forget this, and remember this, and remember this."' And I was doing exactly what they wanted us to do. When they teach you about the voting process and elections and what they do, they want the kids to go home and tell their parents because they are the ones that actually vote.
(00:41): And I remember being so sad that in our school, the popular vote, Terry Goddard won. And then, when it came out to the actual election, it was Fife Symington won. And I remember all of us being so sad and literally holding up our signs and stating all the facts of why Terry Goddard would've been better. And it was very memorable.
(01:01): And then, my other one was, of course, just Barack Obama, 2008. That was amazing and memorable because I was on the college campus. Barack Obama actually came to ASU and came to our school and actually came to talk. And I just remember, I never remember a president coming onto our campus and I could just see all of the energy and the passion. And for the first time, he gave so many of us as youth just hope that, "Okay, yes, we can. We make a difference. Just because we're young doesn't mean that we don't have a voice. We have other ways in which we can push movements forward." So there were a lot of grassroot campaigns.
(01:42): And so, when he got elected that night, it meant so much, not only to just me, but lots of little Black and Brown girls, because I remember in school, teachers asking us, what do you want to be when you grow up? And I remember several little Black, Hispanic, and Latino boys and girls raising their hand to say, "I want to be president." And the teacher just kind of looking at them like, "You know what? That's a good dream." But that day when that happened, I was like, "It is possible." No longer can a little Black, Hispanic, or Latino boy say... They can say and have an example and say, "Hey, I can do this." And now just got to get our next woman in there.
(02:21): So, the reason why I vote, and that passion I have, it stems back from the teachers who taught us about the process. And they made us really understand that democracy and the ideal of democracy, if we want it to truly be a democratic kind of place and country that we live in, everybody has to vote. And if we don't, then we are giving up that right. And we also got to talk about all of the amazing people that came before us that fought to get the right to vote for women, for Black people, for all of these just votes. And every time I think about an election, I think about one, all the people that fought and died to allow us the right to vote because they knew what it meant. They knew what it meant for schools, for communities.
Asset ID: 2022.34.06.d
Find a complete transcript at www.museumonmainstreet.org
