Wide Awake, Plan Your Vote

On October 3 of 1860, the Wide Awakes marched in Chicago, Boston, Cleveland, and through lower Manhattan, all carrying lanterns and clad in oilcloth cloaks. Inspired by this legacy of liberation, the Wide Awakes of 2020, founded by For Freedoms artists Hank Willis Thomas and Eric Gottesman, are an open-source network who believe in the evolution of society and the power to radically reimagine the future through creative collaboration. 

These photos were captured on October 3 at Wide Awakes Miami, where folks gathered for music, dance and to register voters in advance of the Florida deadline. Joy and celebration are cornerstones of community building: individually we are asleep, together we are awake.

To help you plan your vote, our friends at Radical Partners have recommended a handful of organizations that have created voter guides for all of us, including Engage Miami, Miami Foundation, The New Tropic and Go Vote Miami. 

Special thanks to Wide Awakes Arthur Baker, Jason Paton, Kunya Rowley, Tazz and Red Rooster for their art and generosity, and to Commissioner members for showing up and showing out. Photography by Marc Schmidt.