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This audio portrait of the 2020 census asks: Whose voices really count?

By Neda Ulaby

When conceptual artist Ekene Ijeoma decided to deconstruct a monument, he picked a song, not a statue.

Like a bronze general in a park, "The Star-Spangled Banner" written in 1814, is intended to evoke a sense of national identity and pride. But Ijeoma, an artist who uses data to explore social justice in his work, created an algorithm that erases a certain percentage of notes as the song is being performed. He wanted the revamped anthem to reflect current rates of mass incarceration.

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