This Movement of ‘Wide Awake’ Artists Wants to Rescue American Democracy With Art

Why Global Citizens Should Care Voting is a fundamental part of democracy and is a stepping stone toward broader civic engagement. The United Nations urges democracies to ensure universal voter turnout and participation. You can join us in taking action on this issue here . Being “woke” has become shorthand for understanding the political, historical, and social forces that shape our lives. But it also suggests a sense of being awoken from a deep ideological slumber, rubbing your eyes and stretching your limbs, shaking off some lingering drowsiness. Being wide awake, on the other hand, suggests clarity, focus, and the immediate capacity for action.

That’s the idea that For Freedoms, an artist-run, “anti-partisan” platform, was going for when it unveiled the Wide Awakes earlier this year, alluding to the band of revolutionary abolitionists who fought to end slavery in the United States in the 1860s. The original Wide Awakes have inspired activist groups over the past century who have tried to empower everyday citizens to change the status quo. And this same revolutionary fervor guided the latest incarnation of the Wide Awakes down the streets of Manhattan on Oct. 3. Artists wore capes and colorful outfits, and held signs […]

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