The Obama Victory

“Yes we can.” This simple refrain, repeated for emphasis, is the basis for hope and, excuse my stating of the obvious, for change. In my lifetime, America has not seen such energy focused on the future. The thousands in Grant Park in Chicago were excited despite difficult times. And they were challenged by Barack Obama to participate in their own future.

Yesterday, over 115 million citizens voted in America. It is healthy to remember, in this euphoric period, that over 55 million of them did not vote for Obama. (This is a fact we would be wise to remember in the days ahead.)

The Polling Place Photo Project, staged in partnership with The New York Times and AIGA, seeks to visualize democracy in action with photographs by citizens engaged with voting at the polls. The photographs taken are a minor document, a snapshot of a single day, a single trip to a church or townhall or a neighbor’s garage. Two thousand photographs were contributed to our archive, on top of three thousand photographs from the 2008 primaries and 2006 election.

Yesterday was Barack Obama’s day, and these photographs are dedicated to him.