Alexandra: Homelessness and Education Impacts Our Community, Arizona

In early 2020 (just weeks before the pandemic), Smithsonian staff and their storytelling partners at the Peale, Baltimore, traveled to multiple states in the U.S. to ask residents of those states about voting experiences, the current state of American democracy, what issues brought them to the polls, how they made a difference in their communities, and what Americans' civic responsibilities were, among other complex questions.

Alexandra (00:00): Hi, I'm Alexandra. I live in Phoenix.

(00:02): ... Or as Americans, I think we should take the time to look into people running for candidates and what they're really standing for. Not just what they say or don't say, or the things that come out about them, but just what the issues are in our communities and what they are going to do about it and what they have done so far.

(00:25): The issues important to me are the homelessness and the education. I used to go to school for teaching, so it is important that teachers, the school districts themselves, do get the money they need for educating our future.

(00:38): Then also in the area that I live and work there is a big homeless problem. Not all homeless people are drug addicts or alcoholics. They just, they're going through a rough time. I think as a community we could do more to help them.

(00:55): Then my father, he's in the Air Force, so a lot of military issues that come up in the community are important to him and to us as well, because it does affect all of us. Yeah, that's about it.

(01:10): My mom being on disability, a lot of medical issues as far as for the community come up as well that are important to us because, again, it affects her and it affects us.

Asset ID: 2022.34.11.a-b
Themes: Voting, Family, Generations, Participation, Elections
Date recorded: January 25, 2020
Length of recording: 0:01:42
Related traveling exhibition: Voices and Votes: Democracy in America
Sponsor or affiliated organization: Arizona Humanities
More information or related assets: https://azhumanities.org/smithsonian-exhibition-voices-and-votes-democracy-in-america/