Kehinde Hopkins

The title card of Democracy Matters plays during its theme song at the beginning of each episode.

“Democracy Matters”, a fast-paced educational video series made to supplement high school curriculum, is being filmed at Texas Wesleyan.  

Amidst the political turmoil which characterizes our current society, “Democracy Matters” looks to build a path towards progress and educate the inheritors of American democracy. Dr. Christopher Ohan, associate professor of history, came up with the idea and acts as the executive producer for the series.  

“Given the climate in which we live right now where we have a president who is challenging some of our assumptions about freedom and democracy, it’s very important to make sure that students that are coming up out of our high school system understand the importance of democracy,” Ohan said. “[They need to] understand their role in democracy and understand what’s expected of leadership in the American democracy.” 

The project is funded through the Sumners Foundation, a nonprofit organization that, according to its mission statement, “promotes the teaching, study and practice of American self-governance, and encourages responsible lifelong civic engagement.” 

In Dec. 2022, Dr. Ohan made a pitch to the foundation for a grant which looked to fund projects that would further the cause of democracy. Dr. Ohan was awarded $34,000 by the Sumners Foundation, the highest amount awarded to any other grant-funded project.

“It hit my mind, ‘let’s do something that’s like crash course but only dealing with democracy’ because that’s what the Sumners Foundation is all about,” Ohan said. 

“Democracy Matters” has recently wrapped filming of its first season, which features six episodes: 

• Ep. 1: “Demokratia and the Gadfly”  

• Ep. 2: “Cunning, Ambitious and Unprincipled Men”  

• Ep. 3: “Alexis de Tocqueville and the Tyranny of the Majority”   

• Ep. 4: “The Electoral College”   

• Ep. 5: “The Will of the Well-Informed”  

• Ep. 6: “The Press” 

Despite the profundity of its message, “Democracy Matters” looks to engage students in American democracy in whimsical and whacky ways. Whether it be portraying Godzilla as a metaphor for the tyranny of the majority, featuring Ben Franklin as an enlightened wizard or the “democracy portal” which transports the characters throughout time, the show looks to educate students through scholarly surrealism. 

“It is very difficult to maintain attention with students in these times, in order to teach them something you have to grab their attention,” said Jonathan Burt, a TxWes alumni who serves as scriptwriter for the series.  

Burt graduated from Texas Wesleyan’s theatre program in 2023. He is among several Wesleyan students, faculty and alumni who have been a part of the project. Additionally, Ohan consulted TxWes alumni who are now teachers for possible episode topics and for ways to captivate students.

Another key contributor is TxWes Chair of Theatre Arts and Communication Professor Joe Brown, known as “Pro Joe” by students. Brown handpicked student actors, curated costume design and props and even acted for the first time in over 20 years when he played an aging Thomas Jefferson for one of the episodes.  

“It was fun to go back and do what I used to do when I was an undergrad,” Brown said. “It’s a fun project; it involves a lot of different aspects of the Wesleyan community.” 

Once completed this summer, the series will be sent out to Fort Worth ISD teachers to use in their curriculum. Ohan has aims for additional seasons and possibly even sending the series to educators across the country.  

“If I get a good response, then I will make a pitch again to the Sumners Foundations to get money for another season,” Ohan said.  

To Ohan, “Democracy Matters” isn’t just about education but also the preservation of our democracy and the continued progression of our society.  

“You should have an educated citizenry. If you don’t have that, then it makes it easy for tyranny to replace a democracy,” Ohan said.