This is democracy, at a social distance.
For the first time in the history of our democracy, the Democratic National Convention was not a gathering in person for delegates to debate their chosen primary candidates, hammer out a platform, and ultimately nominate their candidates for America’s top officers. As opposed to a traditional crowded convention hall spectacle, delegates and candidates gathered online this year. From Zoom rooms, Google hangouts and other online spaces they gathered remotely from homes across the country. Because of the Democrats’ belief in science and concern for the safety of party members in the midst of a pandemic, it was decided in June that this year’s gathering would be an unprecedented “virtual” event. “Anchored in Milwaukee,2020 Democratic National Convention will be a “Convention Across America,” read the June 24 news release. What was this first-of-its-kind-event going to look like? As photography editors, we knew convention coverage would look nothing like in Robert Frank’s famous book, “The Americans,” or the remarkable political convention photographs many photojournalists have taken over the last century. The public has long gone beyond the act of exclusively watching the four nights on television from the comfort of their homes. Inspired by months of quarantine, Americans watched this historic chapter in our democracy unfold from cheap smartphones on New York’s street corners, flat screens in luscious Oregon yards and giant movie screens at drive-in theaters in the heartland. Others chose to watch sports or simply found the warm summer nights more compelling. The photographs that follow were made in New York, Tulsa, Okla., and Portland, Ore. The four photojournalists frequently contribute to our newspaper and its opinion pages. — Jeffrey Henson Scales, photography editor In the metro counties of Portland, Ore., indoor gatherings are still capped at 10 people (with social distancing) and social events are generally discouraged. I’d normally scan the Willamette Week, an alternative weekly newspaper, or Facebook for viewing parties, but listings were scant. Most people, presumably, were viewing the convention from home, at a rather awkward time for a photographer to be requesting access into someone’s personal space. All of the gatherings I found were small and informal with varying moods.
