Missouri Humanities is delighted to bring the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street exhibit, “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America” to our state. The exhibition tour launched in Maryville last month. It is a dazzling exploration of our nation’s political and civic history. The panels, images, and artifacts will spark a renewed interest in the American story for all who experience the exhibit.
Even before we joined the Union, Missourians used their voices and votes to shape our nation’s values. Famous Missourians, as well as lesser-known residents, helped articulate our responsibilities as American citizens across generations. For example, William Clark, Daniel Boone, Thomas Hart Benton, Joseph Pulitzer, and Harry S. Truman used their voices in formal civic spaces as elected officials. Generals Ulysses S. Grant, John J. Pershing, and Omar N. Bradley fulfilled their civic duties by serving in the military, where they demonstrated extraordinary leadership to the world. The literary voices of Mark Twain, Langston Hughes, and Maya Angelou leveraged powerful words and ideas to critique our public problems. Today, many of us have witnessed firsthand incredible acts of public service in our own hometowns. This is why the Show-Me State is the perfect setting for this exhibit, as we promote community-led civics education.
In formal and informal ways and through big and small actions, our voices and votes have made an undeniable mark on America’s 250-year-old history, helping shape the nation into what it is today. Some of the most significant and interesting events unfolded in Maryville, Sikeston, Neosho, Memphis, Grain Valley, and Washington, Missouri. Thus, Missouri Humanities is honored to partner with these communities to support locally produced exhibitions and programs. I hope the “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America” exhibit and the accompanying programs inspire you to consider your personal role in our “American experiment,” and how, together, we might continue to build a “more perfect union.”
Nick Lopez is the Missouri Humanities staff member who coordinates all of our traveling exhibits. He has done an incredible job identifying partners, training host sites, and managing the tour logistics to ensure the program’s success. With a rich background in service and creativity, Nick, a Marine Corps veteran, spent 6 years at the Veterans of Foreign Wars, contributing to Veteran, Youth, and Community Service programs before joining the team at Missouri Humanities at the beginning of 2024.
An accomplished poet and artist, Nick’s work has graced the pages of “Veteran’s Voices,” “Haiku Journal,” “Line of Advance,” and Volume 11 of “Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors.” I appreciate the “voice” Nick adds to our humanities community as we work to build a more thoughtful and informed civil society.
#MissouriVoices #TheStoryofUS #USA250
