What’s New?

Braxton Thomas

The photos in this series, What’s New? were taken on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. and Alexandria, Virginia, which is just across the Potomac River. I chose to photograph the Hill partly because I work in the Rayburn House Office Building and the area has undergone many changes since the insurrection on January 6, 2021. The photos taken in Alexandria show the ongoing construction and development of residential spaces in the city. Through my chosen photos I show the change in both areas; one reflecting the state of the nation and the other reflecting the state of a growing neighborhood/residential space.

Braxton Wheeler Thomas is a native of Tupelo, Mississippi who currently resides in Arlington, Virginia. She is the staff assistant in the Office of Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02), and a first year MA student in the southern studies program at the University of Mississippi.

Braxton earned a B.A. in history from Millsaps College where she served as a research assistant for the Kellogg Foundation working to incorporate the Civil Rights Movement into Jackson Public School District’s lesson plans. Her interests include: civil rights, race relations, southern politics, and oral history. Braxton is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and a graduate assistant in the Office of Community Engagement at the University.