Smithsonian Exhibit Ribbon Cutting "Voices and Votes: Democracy in America," June 7, 2025

Good morning, everyone,

My name is Leigh Davis, and I have the honor of serving as the State Representative for the 3rd Berkshire District.

It’s a pleasure to be here in Lee — where civic spirit and a deep love of community are alive and well — and to help open this extraordinary exhibit, Voices and Votes: Democracy in America.

Let me begin by offering heartfelt thanks to Marie Pellissier and Executive Director Brian Boyles of Mass Humanities. Their leadership — and the generous $10,000 grant from Mass Humanities — made it possible for Lee to be one of just six communities in Massachusetts selected to host this Smithsonian exhibit. That speaks volumes.

And I also want to thank the Lee Select Board, and especially Sabrina Touhey, and Town Manager Chris Brittain for your persistence, your vision, and the hard work it took to bring this nationally significant exhibition right here to the Berkshires.

As someone born and raised in Washington, D.C., this moment feels deeply personal to me.

Growing up, the Smithsonian museums were more than just school field trips, rainy-day outings, or an escape from the heat—they were my playground, my classroom, my portal into the past. I wandered the Air and Space Museum, the Museum of Natural History, and of course, the National Museum of American History. I was drawn to the exhibits that told the story of our democracy.

I remember standing in front of Thomas Jefferson’s portable writing desk, the one he used to draft the Declaration of Independence. I remember seeing the inkstand Abraham Lincoln used to draft the Emancipation Proclamation. I remember the table where Elizabeth Cady Stanton composed the Declaration of Sentiments, demanding full rights for women.

And I remember something else — those giant campaign posters, the colorful “I Voted” buttons, the signs and sounds from protests throughout history. I remember thinking how much noise, how much effort, how much heart went into shaping the country I lived in.

And then there was the massive American flag that flew over Fort McHenry — the one that survived the bombardment during the War of 1812. That flag still gives me chills. Because it wasn’t just cloth. It was a symbol that this fragile idea of a democracy could withstand attack.

And just two weeks ago, I was back on the Mall again — watching my daughter graduate from George Washington University with a degree in Political Science. Seeing her step into her future, right in the capital where our democracy lives and breathes, I felt a spark light up in me again—and I saw that same spark taking hold in her.

And that’s exactly what this exhibit is about: the bold, messy, and still-unfolding experiment we call American democracy. A revolutionary idea that power should come not from a king, but from the people.

That a government should be, in Lincoln’s words, “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”But we also know: that idea has never been simple.

From the beginning, our democracy has been shaped — and reshaped — by the questions we still ask today: Who has the right to vote?Whose voices get heard?What does true representation look like?

These questions aren’t historical — they’re alive and pressing. And they are being asked and answered — right here in Lee, right here in the Commonwealth, and right here across our Nation.

In the past year, I’ve had the humbling experience of running in two elections — a primary and a general — and I can tell you: nothing reminds you of the power of democracy like standing on doorsteps, listening to people’s stories, and asking for their trust.

What I heard most, again and again, was not despair. It was belief.

Belief that our voices matter. That participation still counts.That democracy, while imperfect, is worth showing up for.

And that’s what this exhibit celebrates. And what Lee is embodying right now.

You’re not just hosting this exhibit — you’re living it.

We see it in the public conversations around the Housatonic River cleanup, where civic responsibility and environmental justice meet.

We see it in your youth engagement—students creating campaign posters, voting in mock elections, and learning how their voices help shape the future.

We’ll see it again later this month during the Juneteenth event panel discussion with Multicultural BRIDGE, and again in July with the historic unveiling of the W.E.B. Du Bois sculpture in Great Barrington — powerful reminders that democracy demands both celebration and reckoning.

Because democracy is not a museum piece. It’s a living practice.

And Voices and Votes brings that practice to life — through historical artifacts, yes, but also through questions, videos, stories, and local voices.

It asks us: How do you participate?What kind of citizen do you want to be?What kind of community do you want to shape?

From the Revolution and suffrage, to civil rights and casting ballots — everyone in every community is part of this evolving story.

That’s what I love most about this exhibit: It doesn’t just ask you to look. It asks you to engage. To reflect. To act.

Because those famous objects — the desk, the inkstand, the flag —  they didn’t change the world on their own. The people using them did.

And now it’s our turn.

Whether you’re casting a ballot, mentoring a student, organizing a cleanup, serving on a committee — or simply being here this morning — you are shaping the next chapter of this American story.

So thank you — truly — to Mass Humanities, to the Smithsonian, to the Town of Lee, and to everyone who made this moment possible.

And thank you for showing up. For asking questions. For caring. Because democracy doesn’t live behind glass. It lives in us.

Let’s keep it alive. Let’s keep it honest. And let’s keep it moving forward — together.

Thank you.