Public Story
Feeling, 2020
This story is ongoing.
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Feeling, 2020
Location: Boston, MA
Nationality: USA
Biography:
Sophie Park is an award winning visual journalist based in Boston, MA. Since graduating from Boston University in 2020 with a B.A. in international relations, she has started working as a teaching assistant for an introductory photography course...
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Focus:
Photographer, Photojournalist, Journalist, Videographer, Documentary, Photography, Portraiture, Humanitarian, Editorial, Storyteller
Covering:
Asia,
USA & Canada
Skills:
Research, Adobe Photoshop, Apple Final Cut Pro, Photo Editing, Photojournalism, Video Editing, Cinematographer
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© 2021 Sophie Park
Joycelyn Hernandez, Lynn, MA
Joycelyn Hernandez, 27, of Lynn works in customer service. Currently, she is working from home while single-handedly managing remote learning for her children. It's her first time voting.
"I actually never thought that, you know, my vote would make a difference. But this time around being older, I see how much it can make an impact, so I'm doing it. I feel the chaos in the atmosphere. I'm nervous for how things are going to turn out. I'm very nervous, because everyone's very opinionated, I guess. And most importantly, nobody really respects each other anymore. I just want everybody to be equal and respected and know that everybody's important, no matter what title you hold."
Joycelyn Hernandez, 27, of Lynn works in customer service. Currently, she is working from home while single-handedly managing remote learning for her children. It's her first time voting.
"I actually never thought that, you know, my vote would make a difference. But this time around being older, I see how much it can make an impact, so I'm doing it. I feel the chaos in the atmosphere. I'm nervous for how things are going to turn out. I'm very nervous, because everyone's very opinionated, I guess. And most importantly, nobody really respects each other anymore. I just want everybody to be equal and respected and know that everybody's important, no matter what title you hold."
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© 2021 Sophie Park
Oscar Nosa, Dorchester, MA
Oscar Nosa, 22, of Dorchester, voted for the first time on Nov. 2.
"I've never been this excited for any election. We all want to change the world somehow. Sometimes we feel like we don't have the power to do it. And I feel like voting has the power to make a difference. So I'm like, 'Why not choose that power, then?'
I feel like for me, what is at stake is actually the life of the people who look like me and my family," Oscar says.
He immigrated to the United States from Nigeria when he was twelve. "Obviously, I wasn't born in America. I'm an immigrant. And being an immigrant in America, it's not the easiest thing in the world. The only thing we're trying to make a difference in is at least to get equality and get what the people of this country deserve. I believe that is what I'm voting for.
I feel confused, to be honest. Not nervous, not scared, because we live in an era when we cannot trust the media. It's easier if everybody says the same thing. It's like, 'Okay, yeah, that's the truth.' But now everybody's saying different things, so you have to do your own personal research to know the truth these days. The problem is Americans not wanting to know how other people feel."
Oscar Nosa, 22, of Dorchester, voted for the first time on Nov. 2.
"I've never been this excited for any election. We all want to change the world somehow. Sometimes we feel like we don't have the power to do it. And I feel like voting has the power to make a difference. So I'm like, 'Why not choose that power, then?'
I feel like for me, what is at stake is actually the life of the people who look like me and my family," Oscar says.
He immigrated to the United States from Nigeria when he was twelve. "Obviously, I wasn't born in America. I'm an immigrant. And being an immigrant in America, it's not the easiest thing in the world. The only thing we're trying to make a difference in is at least to get equality and get what the people of this country deserve. I believe that is what I'm voting for.
I feel confused, to be honest. Not nervous, not scared, because we live in an era when we cannot trust the media. It's easier if everybody says the same thing. It's like, 'Okay, yeah, that's the truth.' But now everybody's saying different things, so you have to do your own personal research to know the truth these days. The problem is Americans not wanting to know how other people feel."
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© 2021 Sophie Park
Greg and Miriam Curlo, Brookline, MA
Greg, 52, and Miriam Curlo, 48, cast their votes in Brookline on October 30, 2020.
Miriam is extremely happy to see people getting out to vote. "It excites me, actually, when I see people come and show up and show that they care enough."
Greg is a real estate developer and an architect. "I'm a die hard optimist and a registered independent. And the reason I share that is because over the years I've watched both slated news media perspectives on things. I want everyone to win my vote. I'm not always going to vote Democrat, not always going to vote Republican. This particular season with COVID and all and with our current administration, I've seen so much divisiveness. For a guy who's watching both sides very carefully, this particular season has been much more divisive than I ever want for my children.
What's the big challenge here is that I see the deterioration of our society, of our civility. That's what's at stake. It's starting to erode. If our country's civility was a castle, the blocks are being removed one by one, and I'd like to see that fixed."
For Miriam, the country's values are at stake. "It's important to maintain values that are essential for human beings in this country to have good lives."
Greg, 52, and Miriam Curlo, 48, cast their votes in Brookline on October 30, 2020.
Miriam is extremely happy to see people getting out to vote. "It excites me, actually, when I see people come and show up and show that they care enough."
Greg is a real estate developer and an architect. "I'm a die hard optimist and a registered independent. And the reason I share that is because over the years I've watched both slated news media perspectives on things. I want everyone to win my vote. I'm not always going to vote Democrat, not always going to vote Republican. This particular season with COVID and all and with our current administration, I've seen so much divisiveness. For a guy who's watching both sides very carefully, this particular season has been much more divisive than I ever want for my children.
What's the big challenge here is that I see the deterioration of our society, of our civility. That's what's at stake. It's starting to erode. If our country's civility was a castle, the blocks are being removed one by one, and I'd like to see that fixed."
For Miriam, the country's values are at stake. "It's important to maintain values that are essential for human beings in this country to have good lives."
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© 2021 Sophie Park
Joey Fennell and Hannah Mullin, Brookline, MA
Joey Fennell, 25, cast his vote early with Hannah Mullin, 26, in Brookline on Oct. 30. They've known each other since they were young, moving from Dunstable to Natick, and finally from Allston to Brookline together. Joey works at a local non-profit and Hannah at the local pet store as an aquatic specialist.
In Hannah's mind, there was no question about voting early. She's working on Nov. 3, so early voting was her only option. "It's one of those things that's just too important not to do. We woke up and when we saw it was really coming down, it was like, 'No, we still have to get out there and do it.'"
Joey compared voting to taking out the trash. "It's just a chore. You got to do it. It's our responsibility to do it. And you can't just leave the chores undone."
While Joey has always been politically active, 2015 was a tipping point. "Where we grew up was kind of conservative. And I remember when Obama was president, the gay rights movement became a whole national thing. The way a lot of people in our town reacted, that was sort of a moment. I was like, 'Wow, your political affiliation is connected to this. That's stupid.'"
"I remember from a really early age, like eight or nine, watching TV and reading things and just thinking to myself, 'God, I really hope I don't live through war. God, I really hope I don't go through a pandemic. God, I really hope nothing happens to me in my lifetime that's do or die,” Hannah reminisces. “And now here we are and there's a pandemic and everything is a mess, so I'm genuinely really worried."
When asked what was at stake for each of them in this election, Hannah's answer was simple: her security. "If COVID gets worse and I can't work again, I'm not going to be able to pay my rent. I'm not going to be able to feed myself or my pets. That's really scary to have that looming on the horizon potentially."
What's at stake for Joey is his ability to continue the legacy of his family coming to the United States from El Salvador. "I've always been familiar with the discrimination and inequalities and racism in this country before it became a movement as we know it today. And I think that is always what drove me to vote. I want to continue the legacy of my mom coming to this country, my Nana doing that. I think it's always just been there for me - that drive to look for a better way to serve the people we share the world with."
Joey Fennell, 25, cast his vote early with Hannah Mullin, 26, in Brookline on Oct. 30. They've known each other since they were young, moving from Dunstable to Natick, and finally from Allston to Brookline together. Joey works at a local non-profit and Hannah at the local pet store as an aquatic specialist.
In Hannah's mind, there was no question about voting early. She's working on Nov. 3, so early voting was her only option. "It's one of those things that's just too important not to do. We woke up and when we saw it was really coming down, it was like, 'No, we still have to get out there and do it.'"
Joey compared voting to taking out the trash. "It's just a chore. You got to do it. It's our responsibility to do it. And you can't just leave the chores undone."
While Joey has always been politically active, 2015 was a tipping point. "Where we grew up was kind of conservative. And I remember when Obama was president, the gay rights movement became a whole national thing. The way a lot of people in our town reacted, that was sort of a moment. I was like, 'Wow, your political affiliation is connected to this. That's stupid.'"
"I remember from a really early age, like eight or nine, watching TV and reading things and just thinking to myself, 'God, I really hope I don't live through war. God, I really hope I don't go through a pandemic. God, I really hope nothing happens to me in my lifetime that's do or die,” Hannah reminisces. “And now here we are and there's a pandemic and everything is a mess, so I'm genuinely really worried."
When asked what was at stake for each of them in this election, Hannah's answer was simple: her security. "If COVID gets worse and I can't work again, I'm not going to be able to pay my rent. I'm not going to be able to feed myself or my pets. That's really scary to have that looming on the horizon potentially."
What's at stake for Joey is his ability to continue the legacy of his family coming to the United States from El Salvador. "I've always been familiar with the discrimination and inequalities and racism in this country before it became a movement as we know it today. And I think that is always what drove me to vote. I want to continue the legacy of my mom coming to this country, my Nana doing that. I think it's always just been there for me - that drive to look for a better way to serve the people we share the world with."
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© 2021 Sophie Park
Crystal Sotelo, Malden, MA
Crystal Sotelo, 32, of Malden, voted early on Oct. 31. She feels scared.
"I'm not going to lie, it's scary. It's scary because there's so much of being in the balance, where you don't really know what's going to happen. After voting, I feel a sense of relief in the sense that I'm going my part, but it's still very much waiting to hear what the result is. I know that I've done my little, little piece within the whole puzzle, but just waiting for it to kind of work out now - it's definitely scary. Not just for me, but for my family members and my friends. There's a lot riding on that."
Crystal Sotelo, 32, of Malden, voted early on Oct. 31. She feels scared.
"I'm not going to lie, it's scary. It's scary because there's so much of being in the balance, where you don't really know what's going to happen. After voting, I feel a sense of relief in the sense that I'm going my part, but it's still very much waiting to hear what the result is. I know that I've done my little, little piece within the whole puzzle, but just waiting for it to kind of work out now - it's definitely scary. Not just for me, but for my family members and my friends. There's a lot riding on that."
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© 2021 Sophie Park
Christine Smaglia and Melissa Peters, Cambridge, MA
Christine Smaglia and Melissa Peters, of Cambridge, dropped off their mail-in ballots with their daughter on Oct. 31. Christine does research for energy efficiency programs. She says she's worried.
"It's a little different this time, because I feel like in 2016, I was hopeful. And I haven't really let myself feel that this time." The biggest stake for her in this election is her marriage. "I think it's at risk - my rights as a woman, personal control over my body, my rights over a future family."
Christine's partner, Melissa, is a community planner and echoes feelings of anxiety.
"People often say, 'Oh, elections don't really matter for me,' but those are people who haven't been marginalized. We should be voting for the most vulnerable among us. I always like to think about the veil of ignorance. Like if you didn't know what your situation or position would be in society, how would you vote? I think that's a good way to live and certainly a good way to vote. And I don't think people do that as much as they should."
"It's wild that people need to experience things for themselves in order to vote in that interest," Christine says. "Like when people say, 'Don't you have a daughter, don't you have a wife?' Why do you have to have a daughter or a wife to vote in the interest of equality or have to know someone who is gay to vote or marriage equality?"
Christine Smaglia and Melissa Peters, of Cambridge, dropped off their mail-in ballots with their daughter on Oct. 31. Christine does research for energy efficiency programs. She says she's worried.
"It's a little different this time, because I feel like in 2016, I was hopeful. And I haven't really let myself feel that this time." The biggest stake for her in this election is her marriage. "I think it's at risk - my rights as a woman, personal control over my body, my rights over a future family."
Christine's partner, Melissa, is a community planner and echoes feelings of anxiety.
"People often say, 'Oh, elections don't really matter for me,' but those are people who haven't been marginalized. We should be voting for the most vulnerable among us. I always like to think about the veil of ignorance. Like if you didn't know what your situation or position would be in society, how would you vote? I think that's a good way to live and certainly a good way to vote. And I don't think people do that as much as they should."
"It's wild that people need to experience things for themselves in order to vote in that interest," Christine says. "Like when people say, 'Don't you have a daughter, don't you have a wife?' Why do you have to have a daughter or a wife to vote in the interest of equality or have to know someone who is gay to vote or marriage equality?"
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© 2021 Sophie Park
Kurt Hunter, Roxbury, MA
Kurt Hunter, 67, of Roxbury is a retired civil engineer. On the whole, he feels good about the election.
"I'm doing good. I'm doing what citizens do. I've already voted. So I'm just waiting to see what happens."
He trusts the systems in place to accurately dictate the outcome of the election.
"You know, this is America, and we're the land of laws. This whole election is putting this country's constitution to the test."
When asked about how he is processing right now, he said he feels fine. "Because I got family. At the end of the day, all of us got is family."
Kurt Hunter, 67, of Roxbury is a retired civil engineer. On the whole, he feels good about the election.
"I'm doing good. I'm doing what citizens do. I've already voted. So I'm just waiting to see what happens."
He trusts the systems in place to accurately dictate the outcome of the election.
"You know, this is America, and we're the land of laws. This whole election is putting this country's constitution to the test."
When asked about how he is processing right now, he said he feels fine. "Because I got family. At the end of the day, all of us got is family."
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© 2021 Sophie Park
Oliver Dogbe, Worcester, MA
Oliver Dogbe, 27, of Worcester, studies computer science and architecture at Fitchburg State University.
"I'm not a political person, but I need to voice my voice out. My voice counts. Definitely, like one vote counts."
Oliver Dogbe, 27, of Worcester, studies computer science and architecture at Fitchburg State University.
"I'm not a political person, but I need to voice my voice out. My voice counts. Definitely, like one vote counts."
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© 2021 Sophie Park
John Swisher, Waltham, MA
John Swisher, 73, is a retired photographer, and originally from West Virginia. He cast his vote in Waltham, MA, on Oct. 30.
"I spent 13 months in Vietnam - I'm a vet, if that means anything. I love this country and I love our Constitution and I love our Declaration of Independence, but I don't love what's in the administration right now."
In his 73 years, John hasn't seen anything like 2020. "I just hope and pray that there are enough people out there with common sense."
John Swisher, 73, is a retired photographer, and originally from West Virginia. He cast his vote in Waltham, MA, on Oct. 30.
"I spent 13 months in Vietnam - I'm a vet, if that means anything. I love this country and I love our Constitution and I love our Declaration of Independence, but I don't love what's in the administration right now."
In his 73 years, John hasn't seen anything like 2020. "I just hope and pray that there are enough people out there with common sense."
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© 2021 Sophie Park
Carlos Lopez, Revere, MA
Carlos Lopez, 43, of Revere is a general manager of a restaurant at Logan Airport that has been closed since COVID-19 took hold earlier this spring. He immigrated to the United States from Columbia 21 years ago. And on Nov. 2, he cast his vote.
"Just to see how divided we are, it just makes me wonder a lot of stuff. I was raised with ethics and morale. That's what I want to pass onto my kids. I feel like right now we are selling our souls, just for money. We have money, but we don't have values. For me, that doesn't make any sense."
Carlos Lopez, 43, of Revere is a general manager of a restaurant at Logan Airport that has been closed since COVID-19 took hold earlier this spring. He immigrated to the United States from Columbia 21 years ago. And on Nov. 2, he cast his vote.
"Just to see how divided we are, it just makes me wonder a lot of stuff. I was raised with ethics and morale. That's what I want to pass onto my kids. I feel like right now we are selling our souls, just for money. We have money, but we don't have values. For me, that doesn't make any sense."
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© 2021 Sophie Park
Sandra Scanlon, Waltham, MA
Sandra Scanlon, 26, cast her vote in Waltham, MA on Oct. 30. Sandra feels like everything is at stake in this election, "Climate change, LGBTQ rights, women's rights, those are all things that are really important to me. So that's what I'm thinking when I'm voting."
A turning point for her came in 2016, "When Trump said those things about 'grabbing her by the pussy,' that's when I was like, 'This is bad. Things need to change. He can't just be out here saying things like that.'"
Sandra Scanlon, 26, cast her vote in Waltham, MA on Oct. 30. Sandra feels like everything is at stake in this election, "Climate change, LGBTQ rights, women's rights, those are all things that are really important to me. So that's what I'm thinking when I'm voting."
A turning point for her came in 2016, "When Trump said those things about 'grabbing her by the pussy,' that's when I was like, 'This is bad. Things need to change. He can't just be out here saying things like that.'"
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© 2021 Sophie Park
Nguyen, Worcester, MA
Nguyen, 27, of Worcester, is studying business management at Boston University. She cast her ballot early, on Nov. 2, and feels nervous, but at the same time hopeful.
"I feel like a lot of people maybe think of their own struggles more than other people. Especially during this time, people seem to think more about themselves than about society. What I want most is just peace. I just want people to be at peace."
Nguyen, 27, of Worcester, is studying business management at Boston University. She cast her ballot early, on Nov. 2, and feels nervous, but at the same time hopeful.
"I feel like a lot of people maybe think of their own struggles more than other people. Especially during this time, people seem to think more about themselves than about society. What I want most is just peace. I just want people to be at peace."
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© 2021 Sophie Park
Jerry Hollis, Revere, MA
Jerry Hollis, 49, of Revere is voting for the first time in 2020. He's anxious about the number of people who might not get their votes counted on Nov. 3.
"I wanted to get ahead of it. I wanted to make sure that I voted this year because of everything that's been going on. It's super anxiety provoking right now. Things have gotten so out of control - it's unbelievable. It makes me feel some kind of way about what might actually occur."
Jerry Hollis, 49, of Revere is voting for the first time in 2020. He's anxious about the number of people who might not get their votes counted on Nov. 3.
"I wanted to get ahead of it. I wanted to make sure that I voted this year because of everything that's been going on. It's super anxiety provoking right now. Things have gotten so out of control - it's unbelievable. It makes me feel some kind of way about what might actually occur."
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© 2021 Sophie Park
Asako Ee, Worcester, MA
Asako Ee, 82, of Worcester says she isn't a political person and has never voted before 2020.
When asked why she voted this year, she says, "I just want a decent person to be leading this country."
Asako Ee, 82, of Worcester says she isn't a political person and has never voted before 2020.
When asked why she voted this year, she says, "I just want a decent person to be leading this country."
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© 2021 Sophie Park
Mahsa Noble, Boston, MA
Mahsa Noble, 46, a published author from Boston, voted at the Boston Public Library on Election Day.
"Everyone one of us counts and and our voices count," she says. "Hopefully this will be a fair and just election."
While voting relieved some of her uncertainty, Mahsa said she had been a mess all day. "I am the mother of two teenagers, and I think what's at stake is their future, you know? The way they perceive the world and what's right and what's wrong. We cannot live in a country where there is no tolerance it's not who we are as a nation, and I worry about their future."
Mahsa's daughter will be 18 in January, and her son is 14. She says they are anxious. "I think they are hopeless. I would say the word hopeless, because they don't know what's going to happen. And they're afraid because, you know, they're children. They don't understand the world maybe as well as we do as adults. And so, I think they're just afraid."
The rest of Mahsa's Election Day plans included wine and an apple pie. "I'm going to cope. And I'm going to make everything from scratch."
Mahsa Noble, 46, a published author from Boston, voted at the Boston Public Library on Election Day.
"Everyone one of us counts and and our voices count," she says. "Hopefully this will be a fair and just election."
While voting relieved some of her uncertainty, Mahsa said she had been a mess all day. "I am the mother of two teenagers, and I think what's at stake is their future, you know? The way they perceive the world and what's right and what's wrong. We cannot live in a country where there is no tolerance it's not who we are as a nation, and I worry about their future."
Mahsa's daughter will be 18 in January, and her son is 14. She says they are anxious. "I think they are hopeless. I would say the word hopeless, because they don't know what's going to happen. And they're afraid because, you know, they're children. They don't understand the world maybe as well as we do as adults. And so, I think they're just afraid."
The rest of Mahsa's Election Day plans included wine and an apple pie. "I'm going to cope. And I'm going to make everything from scratch."
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© 2021 Sophie Park
Sidd Hariharan, Boston, MA
Sidd Hariharan, 23, works for a life sciences consulting firm, and spent Election Day going to and from Boston City Hall and his workplace to hand out water and direct voters to the correct entrance.
"I wanted to be a poll worker, but Boston luckily is pretty well staffed. So I figured whatever else I can't hurt, and hopefully make me feel like I'm doing everything I can before tomorrow.
I think I took my vote for granted. I mean, I voted last election, but I thought it was just a vote. I think I want to know tonight and tomorrow that I did everything I could to help other people vote. Especially with all the things about, you know, whether it's voter suppression or just an inconvenient old system - it's harder for people to vote than it should be sometimes."
Sidd has 2016 in mind as he waits for the election results to come out.
“I have this distinct memory of 2016 - it started off as a really good day. And then, for me personally, at the end of the day, it did not feel the same. So I want to be able to kind of stay on edge a little bit. I'm not as anxious as I thought I was going to be, but it has definitely come and gone."
He recognizes that for him, personally, there's not too much at stake for him in this election, "But for my family, for my friends, for the people who can't vote, you know, who immigrated here. There's so many groups of people who are close to my heart personally. I think that's what's at stake. That's why I think my vote matters even more, because it's not just about me. It's about all these other people who can't even vote, but still need to enjoy the rights of this country. Not all of my family members are citizens. A lot of them are first generation. I was born here, I grew up here, but a lot of people don't necessarily understand, or they can't contribute to the things that they know will impact them."
Sidd has friends whose citizenship tests keep getting postponed due to COVID. "So they've been living here, you know, 15 or 20 years and they feel like everything they've worked for is gone. I think there are a lot of people in this country who contribute a great deal, but still don't really have a say in how things go. For those people, this really means a lot."
Sidd Hariharan, 23, works for a life sciences consulting firm, and spent Election Day going to and from Boston City Hall and his workplace to hand out water and direct voters to the correct entrance.
"I wanted to be a poll worker, but Boston luckily is pretty well staffed. So I figured whatever else I can't hurt, and hopefully make me feel like I'm doing everything I can before tomorrow.
I think I took my vote for granted. I mean, I voted last election, but I thought it was just a vote. I think I want to know tonight and tomorrow that I did everything I could to help other people vote. Especially with all the things about, you know, whether it's voter suppression or just an inconvenient old system - it's harder for people to vote than it should be sometimes."
Sidd has 2016 in mind as he waits for the election results to come out.
“I have this distinct memory of 2016 - it started off as a really good day. And then, for me personally, at the end of the day, it did not feel the same. So I want to be able to kind of stay on edge a little bit. I'm not as anxious as I thought I was going to be, but it has definitely come and gone."
He recognizes that for him, personally, there's not too much at stake for him in this election, "But for my family, for my friends, for the people who can't vote, you know, who immigrated here. There's so many groups of people who are close to my heart personally. I think that's what's at stake. That's why I think my vote matters even more, because it's not just about me. It's about all these other people who can't even vote, but still need to enjoy the rights of this country. Not all of my family members are citizens. A lot of them are first generation. I was born here, I grew up here, but a lot of people don't necessarily understand, or they can't contribute to the things that they know will impact them."
Sidd has friends whose citizenship tests keep getting postponed due to COVID. "So they've been living here, you know, 15 or 20 years and they feel like everything they've worked for is gone. I think there are a lot of people in this country who contribute a great deal, but still don't really have a say in how things go. For those people, this really means a lot."
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Hawa Hamidou Tabayi, Salem, MA
Hawa Hamidou Tabayi, 16, is a student at Salem High School and organizer for Solidarity North Shore. She started organizing through Our Climate and the Boston Climate Strike after seeing how BIPOC were disproportionately impacted by climate change. "My family's from Cameroon and Cameroon is a country that has a lot of waste thrown in it by Western countries. So I was like, 'Oh, I really want to organize with the climate crisis as best as I can in a Western nation, since I have the privilege of being here while some of my family is in Cameroon."
When asked about how she feels right now, Hawa says, "I guess there's no, like, good way to feel. Of course, I'm hoping for Joe Biden to win, because I think that will allow for us to have an easier time achieving the goals that we want, not because we'll achieve them through electoral systems, but because hopefully he'll prosecute us less and there will be less state violence. And I want as few people as possible to die.
What's at stake for me in this election is people's willingness to fight for me, as someone who's Black, as someone who's an immigrant, as someone who's a woman. And as someone who has a lot of people who I care about who are other parts of intersecting identities that are impacted by the politics of today. So what's at stake is how people are going to fight, and who's going to lose their life, and who's going to feel safe and how we are going to achieve the security and protections that we want to see in the future."
Hawa Hamidou Tabayi, 16, is a student at Salem High School and organizer for Solidarity North Shore. She started organizing through Our Climate and the Boston Climate Strike after seeing how BIPOC were disproportionately impacted by climate change. "My family's from Cameroon and Cameroon is a country that has a lot of waste thrown in it by Western countries. So I was like, 'Oh, I really want to organize with the climate crisis as best as I can in a Western nation, since I have the privilege of being here while some of my family is in Cameroon."
When asked about how she feels right now, Hawa says, "I guess there's no, like, good way to feel. Of course, I'm hoping for Joe Biden to win, because I think that will allow for us to have an easier time achieving the goals that we want, not because we'll achieve them through electoral systems, but because hopefully he'll prosecute us less and there will be less state violence. And I want as few people as possible to die.
What's at stake for me in this election is people's willingness to fight for me, as someone who's Black, as someone who's an immigrant, as someone who's a woman. And as someone who has a lot of people who I care about who are other parts of intersecting identities that are impacted by the politics of today. So what's at stake is how people are going to fight, and who's going to lose their life, and who's going to feel safe and how we are going to achieve the security and protections that we want to see in the future."
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Sage Humphries, Boston, MA
Sage Humphries, 23, is a dancer in the Boston Ballet. She voted by mail, but accompanied her friend to vote in person on Election Day.
"I think we need a better example for the people. We need someone with empathy and compassion. I think that, honestly, just our reputation as being a moral nation, you know, we've always been thought of in America as a country that is respected. And I would like to keep that. So there's so much at stake. Everybody's at stake in this election."
As she waits for the election results to come in, Sage foresees even more anticipation and anxiety. "It's going to be a lot of, you know, just worrying about the future. But those are all thins that we've kind of let control of, you know? You vote and that is your way of kind of releasing control. You have said, 'This is what I think.' And now it's out there and we just have to wait and see what happens."
Sage Humphries, 23, is a dancer in the Boston Ballet. She voted by mail, but accompanied her friend to vote in person on Election Day.
"I think we need a better example for the people. We need someone with empathy and compassion. I think that, honestly, just our reputation as being a moral nation, you know, we've always been thought of in America as a country that is respected. And I would like to keep that. So there's so much at stake. Everybody's at stake in this election."
As she waits for the election results to come in, Sage foresees even more anticipation and anxiety. "It's going to be a lot of, you know, just worrying about the future. But those are all thins that we've kind of let control of, you know? You vote and that is your way of kind of releasing control. You have said, 'This is what I think.' And now it's out there and we just have to wait and see what happens."
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© 2021 Sophie Park
Amanda Lin, Boston, MA
Amanda Lin, 18, was on her way from City Hall to a different voting location after being turned away when I ran into her. She was born in Shanghai, but has lived in Texas and Michigan since then, and is currently a pre-med student at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
"Someone needs to do better," she says. "I've called City Hall twice to confirm that I could vote there. Both times they said yes, and then I came here and they couldn't help me. One of the security guards actually helped me find people to talk to. And they're like, 'Okay, here's your address. Prosper.'"
She's stressed. "My friends in China are banking on my friends' votes here so they can come. And I also have friends who are banking on this vote for whether they can stay."
Amanda Lin, 18, was on her way from City Hall to a different voting location after being turned away when I ran into her. She was born in Shanghai, but has lived in Texas and Michigan since then, and is currently a pre-med student at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
"Someone needs to do better," she says. "I've called City Hall twice to confirm that I could vote there. Both times they said yes, and then I came here and they couldn't help me. One of the security guards actually helped me find people to talk to. And they're like, 'Okay, here's your address. Prosper.'"
She's stressed. "My friends in China are banking on my friends' votes here so they can come. And I also have friends who are banking on this vote for whether they can stay."
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© 2021 Sophie Park
Kathleen Gallivan, Boston, MA
Kathleen Gallivan, 74, is a retired budget analyst and a member of the Democratic Ward 5 Committee. She feels anxious.
"I think if Trump is elected, we will not have a democracy or we'll have to fight for it. Everything is at stake. Just doing this - voting freely - is at stake.
I actually have moments where I'm glad I'm old, because, well, getting out of the Paris Accords was stupid."
Kathleen Gallivan, 74, is a retired budget analyst and a member of the Democratic Ward 5 Committee. She feels anxious.
"I think if Trump is elected, we will not have a democracy or we'll have to fight for it. Everything is at stake. Just doing this - voting freely - is at stake.
I actually have moments where I'm glad I'm old, because, well, getting out of the Paris Accords was stupid."
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© 2021 Sophie Park
Danielle Gabriel, Brighton, MA
Danielle Gabriel, 23, is from New Jersey but currently lives in Brighton. She watched with friends in her living room as the election results began to roll in on Nov. 3.
“I’ll start with the good. The good that I feel very surrounded by, like, peace and love you know? I'm around all my friends, and so I feel like I'm supported. But I think underneath that has a lot of kinks and cynicism. From our history, I think that we might not be on the right path. So I feel like a lot of fear comes from the uncertainty from the unknown. I don’t have a lot of optimism going into this election, but I also have the awareness that I’m privileged, right? So like, worst case scenario, like I feel pretty comforted compared to other different demographics and underrepresented groups. But that still makes me sad and I’m still really anxious and I’m also a millennial. So I think I deal with that angst and compensate and cope with…jokes.”
Roe v. Wade is on Dani’s mind. “I feel like that directly correlates to me and affects me. And I think I feel particularly pessimistic about that because there are two white men talking about my rights and my reproductive rights. They have no proximity to my experience that it’s just worrisome.”
She thinks there will be uproar regardless of who wins. “This is not going to be peaceful, no matter what.”
Danielle Gabriel, 23, is from New Jersey but currently lives in Brighton. She watched with friends in her living room as the election results began to roll in on Nov. 3.
“I’ll start with the good. The good that I feel very surrounded by, like, peace and love you know? I'm around all my friends, and so I feel like I'm supported. But I think underneath that has a lot of kinks and cynicism. From our history, I think that we might not be on the right path. So I feel like a lot of fear comes from the uncertainty from the unknown. I don’t have a lot of optimism going into this election, but I also have the awareness that I’m privileged, right? So like, worst case scenario, like I feel pretty comforted compared to other different demographics and underrepresented groups. But that still makes me sad and I’m still really anxious and I’m also a millennial. So I think I deal with that angst and compensate and cope with…jokes.”
Roe v. Wade is on Dani’s mind. “I feel like that directly correlates to me and affects me. And I think I feel particularly pessimistic about that because there are two white men talking about my rights and my reproductive rights. They have no proximity to my experience that it’s just worrisome.”
She thinks there will be uproar regardless of who wins. “This is not going to be peaceful, no matter what.”
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© 2021 Sophie Park
Jim Walsh, Nahant, MA
Jim Walsh, 77, lives in Nahant and has been politically active since the 1960s. He regularly attends a weekly Black Lives Matter stand out in Swampscott. We spoke two days after the election, and while he was feeling hopeful about the results, the days before had been fraught. He shared a dream that he had the night of Nov. 3.
“Somewhere in the middle of the night I had a dream. Donald Trump was creating a video to be shown to the nation. The setting was the Lincoln Monument at night with the kind of dramatic lighting found in monuments to great men. He was alone. Lincoln was gone but his setting remained. Trump’s face was pleasant, friendly, open, smiling, like a remembered uncle or father. He looked out at the audience he knew would be there.
‘Well,’ he said, ‘I won.” His affect was benign.
‘And I’m going to enjoy the next four years.’ Then he raised his eyebrows just a bit and cocked his head and said, ‘Fuck you.’
And he rose from his seat, now empty, once occupied by Abraham Lincoln. The Trump I dreamed was not the Trump I knew. He was not angry, nervous, insecure, sputtering nonsense about his brilliance and accomplishments. He might be the Trump that others thought they knew or he might be the mythic Trump that existed only in his own imagination.”
What’s at stake in Jim’s life is the environment and what it might mean for his grandchildren. “Like the virus, climate change doesn’t care whether you’re a democrat or republican, whether you live in North America or South America. It’s coming and it is devastaing. One of the great human qualities that we should focus on is foresight. We can look ahead and see what’s going to happen, because we look at the science. This is what we seem to have lost, you know, people saying, ‘I only care about what’s happening right now. If I’m not getting flooded, who cares?’ So I have to worry. And that’s where I worry about my grandchildren.”
For Jim, reading brings solace. He spent the evening of the election reading a new JFK biography.
“I sat downstairs. My wife was upstairs shaking her fist at the TV. And I said, ‘You know, nothing’s going to change. So I used that time to read. One of the aspects, I think, that people should understand about history is that ‘You look back at history, and you think that if you were there you could have predicted what would happen. But you can’t. You don’t know what’s going to happen, which is why action is important.”
Jim Walsh, 77, lives in Nahant and has been politically active since the 1960s. He regularly attends a weekly Black Lives Matter stand out in Swampscott. We spoke two days after the election, and while he was feeling hopeful about the results, the days before had been fraught. He shared a dream that he had the night of Nov. 3.
“Somewhere in the middle of the night I had a dream. Donald Trump was creating a video to be shown to the nation. The setting was the Lincoln Monument at night with the kind of dramatic lighting found in monuments to great men. He was alone. Lincoln was gone but his setting remained. Trump’s face was pleasant, friendly, open, smiling, like a remembered uncle or father. He looked out at the audience he knew would be there.
‘Well,’ he said, ‘I won.” His affect was benign.
‘And I’m going to enjoy the next four years.’ Then he raised his eyebrows just a bit and cocked his head and said, ‘Fuck you.’
And he rose from his seat, now empty, once occupied by Abraham Lincoln. The Trump I dreamed was not the Trump I knew. He was not angry, nervous, insecure, sputtering nonsense about his brilliance and accomplishments. He might be the Trump that others thought they knew or he might be the mythic Trump that existed only in his own imagination.”
What’s at stake in Jim’s life is the environment and what it might mean for his grandchildren. “Like the virus, climate change doesn’t care whether you’re a democrat or republican, whether you live in North America or South America. It’s coming and it is devastaing. One of the great human qualities that we should focus on is foresight. We can look ahead and see what’s going to happen, because we look at the science. This is what we seem to have lost, you know, people saying, ‘I only care about what’s happening right now. If I’m not getting flooded, who cares?’ So I have to worry. And that’s where I worry about my grandchildren.”
For Jim, reading brings solace. He spent the evening of the election reading a new JFK biography.
“I sat downstairs. My wife was upstairs shaking her fist at the TV. And I said, ‘You know, nothing’s going to change. So I used that time to read. One of the aspects, I think, that people should understand about history is that ‘You look back at history, and you think that if you were there you could have predicted what would happen. But you can’t. You don’t know what’s going to happen, which is why action is important.”
This story is ongoing.