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Terry Poe Buschkamp: Emphasizing Our Commonalities, Iowa

As told by Terry Poe Buschkamp
Des Moines, Iowa

Story Narrative:

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair wears a gray sweater and artsy silver necklace.

Between December 2019 and January 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.

Terry Poe Buschkamp (00:00): Hi. I'm Terry Poe Buschkamp, and I've worked for Main Street Iowa for 11 years. I'm kind of excited about retiring, but as I've worked across the state in the 55 communities, it's really interesting to see. They're like, with politics, the more different we think we are, the more unique we think we are, the more the same we all are. Before we start working in these towns, we want to have communities come together and talk about their town and what they love best of their town.

(00:27): Almost 99.9% of the time, you're going to get the same answers, "I love my town because this is where my family is. I love my town because everybody knows my name. I feel safe here. I love the history. I love that I feel comfortable here." I think what's most telling is everybody is passionate about their town, no matter where they're from. I'm from a little larger town. I'm passionate about my community. I'm really looking forward to going home and spending time in that community, but all of these other people are passionate about their community. I think that's great.


Asset ID: 2023.03.04.a-b
Themes: Community, Neighbors, Commonalities, Polarization, Divisions
Date recorded: October 16, 2019
Length of recording: 0:01:01
Related traveling exhibition: Voices and Votes: Democracy in America
Sponsor or affiliated organization: Main Street Iowa - Iowa Economic Development Authority
More information or related assets: https://www.thegazette.com/community/smithsonian-exhibit-launches-midwest-tour-of-voices-and-votes-democracy-in-america-in-cedar-rapid/

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