Phillip Wong Photography

Editorial/Opinion

A City Dances – The Announcement

          Government is like everything else in life. It rests on a foundation of professionalism, organization, purpose and humanity.  It has always been the way I see my own work, and am appalled at working with amateurs.

          So while I analyze how, and why, and what is possible, seeing other people’s less analytical but more intuitive awareness gives me faith in our future.

          In a society that often doesn’t make sense, it is inspirational to see the passage of knowledge, values and purpose from generation to generation.

          New York sees things differently than many parts of America. It is a city comprised of people who think differently, who are physically separated from familial influences, and have both the ambition and determination to go their own mind.

          And then there are those who are one or two generations in the city, but came through language, education and racial barriers or who’s immediate family experienced those barriers – and this makes them acutely aware.  They are not only aware of differences, but exposed to them, and their focus is on the prize, not the distraction.

           On the first day of early voting, lines wound around blocks multiple times, in various neighborhoods, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Haitians, were encouraging neighbors to vote, and in Brooklyn, food vans provided food to election workers.

         I wanted to observe the cross-section of societies that were invested in the 2020 election, and their reaction to the election being called for Joe Biden.

          When the election was announced, spontaneous groups flocked to Columbus Circle (in front of Trump Hotel), Union Square, Times Square, Barclay’s Center, Harlem’s 125th St. on foot, in cars, on bicycles, trains and buses. There were organized groups assembling as they marched to Times Square.