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Andrea Stone, Ayla Peavy, and Heien Chang, student journalists from Howard High School in Macon, Georgia, interview fellow students about what democracy means to them.

Transcript:

Andrea Stone interviews Raeleigh Arimah:

Andrea Stone: What does democracy mean to you?

Raeleigh Arimah: Democracy is the properties of liberty and choice. It gives a lot of people reason and ability to speak their mind.

Andrea Stone: How has the meaning of democracy changed over time?

Raeleigh Arimah: I think before, democracy was looked at as something that was needed to be given. Now it's a necessity to life. It's something that is ingrained into our government system. We have a democracy in the United States.

Andrea Stone: When is direct action called for in a democracy?

Raeleigh Arimah: ...I think that when direct action should be taking place in a democracy is when the decision is detrimental to somebodies rights, whether that's being that they're being taken away or something like that. It's time for somebody to actually step in and do something for the larger whole, because while democracy is about liberty and freedom, it's also about choice, but giving choices to people that don't have a voice.

Andrea Stone: Is democracy best for everyone?

Raeleigh Arimah: I believe that democracy is best for everybody. It gives everybody a chance to speak their own mind, and it gives us a collective, a group decision instead of making a decision on one individual's temperament.

 

Ayla Peavy interviews Anna-Claire Howard:

Ayla Peavy: What does democracy mean to you?

Anna-Claire Howard: To me, democracy means the citizens of this country being able to express their freedoms and their rights as they wish.

Ayla Peavy: How would you say that directly affects your life?

Anna-Claire Howard: Well, with me starting working more, I'm starting to realize how the economy is. So I think that how the government works and how the economy works is mainly how it's started to affect me more. Gas prices are really high. ... It's affected me the most, just basic things like that in the economy.

Ayla Peavy: Would you say, as a young adult that gets to vote for the first time, that you have a different look on democracy as say, our parents?

Anna-Claire Howard: Yeah. I think that our generation's outlook is definitely more open. I think people are more willing to hear different opinions and different takes as compared to back then ... and I think that's what democracy is, is being able to be able to hear other people and being able to be open-minded about everything.

 

Heien Chang

Heien Chang: What does democracy mean to you personally?

Devraj Patel: Democracy to me, as a student, it means getting a good education, being able to go to school with my friends, getting a good education in college, getting a good job. Having those equal rights.

Heien Chang: How do you think the democratic process ties into some of the things that you've listed?

Devraj Patel: Democracy to me, as a student, it means getting a good education, being able to go to school with my friends, getting a good education in college, getting a good job. Having those equal rights.

Heien Chang: How do you think the democratic process ties into some of the things that you've listed?

Devraj Patel: So how does the democratic process tie into education? Well, the democratic process, it gets certain people into office who get to decide and vote on things that can change the school system. Like, we know that the school system has changed a lot since democracy has been established and we've had the two parties.

Heien Chang: What other ways does the democratic process kind of affect you personally?

Devraj Patel: ...I would probably say if I were to get a job right now, me being able to get an interview, send in my resume, and then just anonymously saying yes, "you can come for an interview" or without looking at my ethnic or racial background.