Road of Democracy
Social and Political Movements Honored with Street Banner Installation
Throughout history, our American streets have traveled countless individuals towards one collective voice. From cobblestone walkways to main streets to highways, our roads have always upheld our First Amendment right—the freedom of speech.
In 2020, the streets surrounding Milwaukee’s City Hall were outfitted with images and verbiage by two local artists, Della Wells and Dasha Kelly Hamilton. The “Road of Democracy” project, curated by Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21, commemorated the 2020 Democratic National
Convention and aspired to spur local and national dialogue on race and democracy.
Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 commissioned the poem, “Of” by Milwaukee’s 2020 Poet Laureate, Dasha Kelly Hamilton, and paired excerpts of it with original artwork from previous Artist of the Year, Della Wells.
Nearly 60 banners were displayed through 2020 along Water Street and Kilbourn Avenue, before finding a permanent home at America’s Black Holocaust Museum, where they are preserved for future installations and exhibitions. Elements of the installation can also be found at Vel R. Phillips Plaza.
“Of”
by Dasha Kelly Hamilton
The road of democracy
Layers of
mud, gravel
liberation and tar
Long legacies flattened
into foundation
Speckled with quartz
conflict, sweat and sand
Limestone and gall
The road of democracy
glistens back at the sun
Hums lowly beneath the stars
Paupers, barons, newly born
and nearly departed
Impress spiked, square and bare heels
Fleeing from
Journeying forward
Every pound or purpose shrugged aside
The road of democracy
Absorbs brutal storms, frost, heat
Buckles and splits open
Shimmers skyward in vapors
Reinforce, reroute
Repair
Millions yet to march
this old road
Hoisting new signs
New directions and limits
Clearer navigation, wider view
The road of democracy
Interrupts treelines
shorelines, skylines
Shoulders canyons, glens
banks and caves
Bends passage and promise
into every horizon
