Picture This
Annual Youth Initiative contest
I Am American Democracy
High School Winner
Helen Baird Trottmann
Saint Mary’s Hall
10th Grade
I am not democracy.
Democracy is not a definition in the dictionary. It’s not an act of legislation or a chapter in an American history
textbook. It’s not a voter registration card or a permit to carry a gun. It’s not the “I voted” sticker on your shirt or
the brooch my great-grandmother handed down to me.
Democracy is not a political donation or a government handout. It’s not a border patrol, a fence, or a treaty. It's not
a character in a Broadway musical or the picture of George Washington on a dollar bill. It’s not a dinner table debate
or an argument on the senate floor. It's not an act of congress or an act of violence. It is not the political sign in
my front yard or the sign in my neighbor’s yard, engaged in a silent stand-off across the street.
Democracy is not a flag or a pledge or the “Star Spangled Banner.” It’s not a heated discussion in English class or a
vigil outside an elementary school. It isn't thoughts and prayers and political theories. Democracy is not a threat.
It's not a talking point, a cliché, or the answer to a question.
Democracy is neither a voice nor a chorus. It’s not a protest or a prison sentence, a state or a country. It's not a
president or a candidate or a voter or a dissident. Democracy is not a talk show or a subscription to The New York
Times. It’s not a tweet or an infographic; it's not a picture, a documentary, or a 15-second clip.
Democracy isn't an essay. It’s not a singular or exceptional thing. Democracy is a process. It's an ongoing
relationship–a messy, essential mix of all of these things.