Parades are tried and true.

I’ve been going to them my whole life, and they’ve been part of down-home American culture for longer than anyone on Earth’s been alive.

Parades are great for a couple of reasons:

1. They display the different aspects of the area culture. Pageant queens, politicians, cowboys, police, athletes, performers, a local parade is a series of displays of how the people live their lives.

Yesterday evening (July 23), the school at which I work in St. Paul, MN participated in their neighborhood parade by way of their well-known dance team. It being a charter school catering to the Hmong community, their dance style is inspired by a variety of Asian cultures.

And like a good neighborhood parade, last night’s also featured the area councilperson, police, a team of boxers, and some beauty queens.

But today, I’m more interested in who was lining the route than those walking down its center.

2. The audience, as well, indicate the culture, the language, the lifestyles of the neighborhood, and I’ve never seen a geographic demographic as ethnically diverse.

As writer/photographer for the school, I was tasked to walk and shoot the dance team. I let my instincts aim outward as well, in these shots of the faces along the Rice Street Parade in St. Paul, Minnesota:

 

Who are the people in your neighborhood?