Thursday, February 27, 2014

You're probably wondering why my blog is a couple of weeks late.  Well, it's because of the steady stream of snow cascading from the skies of the United States' east coast.  This winter has not necessarily been "takin' it easy" on us this year, but the snow graciously held off at least one week so we could embark upon this MJ.
This Metro Journey (MJ) was extremely artistically centered.  Leaving the Silver Spring station, my classmate, Eliza Jane, and I rode the metro to Southern Avenue.  There we met the rest of our class and set off to the THEARC.  (Town Hall Education Arts and Recreation)  THEARC acts as a second home to many children as well as adults living in Washington DC.  Hosting dance classes, fine arts, academics, mentoring, tutoring, and even medical and dental care for little to no costs, THEARC has established its name and is doing a phenomenal job giving back to its community.  Click THEARC if you want to learn a little more about their awesome program.
In addition to their classrooms, THEARC hosts a 365 seat community theater that is the only theater ever built east of the Anacostia river.  THEARC is steadily booked.  This particular time, a theatrical performance was held in this theater entitled: When People Fly: Modern-Day Folk Tales of African American Heroes. Our first mission of the day was to go see this play. In honor of Black History Month, this performance told the story of a grandmother who took her two grandchildren to the library. There she read them an African folktale about slaves who freed themselves from bondage by flying to freedom. After later learning more about modern day African American successes, she then tied the folktale to these modern day phenomenons, who accomplished great strides despite "their struggle."  
Although this story possessed an awesome message, we arrived and realized it was prepared for kindergartner-second graders, so how the story was relayed was extremely childish and I lost interest quickly. Although I lost interest, it was fun to see the children in the audience reacting to the awesome information in the performance! 

Did you know that an African- American man named Lonnie Johnson created the Super Soaker? His invention was one of the success stories mentioned in the play. I thought that was so cool because considering how famous these toy water guns are, no one knew who invented them, much less that he was a black man. In 1975, after receiving his master's degree in nuclear engineering from Tuskegee University, he joined the U.S. Air force and continued to pursue his own inventions in his spare time. One of his longtime projects was an environmentally friendly heat pump that used water instead of Freon. Completing a prototype in 1982, he tested it in his bathtub blasting a powerful stream of water from the gun. Sharing a reaction with millions of children around the world, Johnson was delighted and after another seven years of tinkering and sales pitching, he finally sold the device renamed "Super Soaker," to the Larami Corporation, which put it to mass production. The Super Soaker is now one of the most popular toys in the world, and it has held its ranking among the world's top 20 best-selling toys of all time.  

In the end although the play seemed childish, I left with some pretty amazing information, and I further appreciated my culture more. Also, it was awesome to see young children learning to appreciate their culture, so they could be proud of their race, a luxury that I'd lacked until recently.
After leaving THEARC, we rode the Metro to Gallery Place to visit the Smithsonian Art Museum.... oh, and of course lunch! For lunch, I had my favorite, frozen yogurt! Yes, I know what I said before, snow snow and more snow, BUT no matter how cold it is, you can't take a girl away from frozen yogurt. Rule #1:  Froyo is life!

At the Smithsonian Art Museum, our task was to find further information on Henry Ossawa Tanner.  You might not recognize this name; don't worry. I didn't when I first read it either but believe it or not, this man was a famous and amazingly talented artist, and guess what? He was black.  Being the first African-American artist to receive international praise, Mr. Tanner was exceptional.  Moving to Paris around 1891 to study, he decided to remain there and was quickly accepted into Paris' most high artistic clique.  In 1896, his painting Daniel in the Lion's Den was accepted into the French Salon, which was an official art exhibition sponsored by the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris.  
After teaching himself art, he enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Pittsburgh.  Although he was the only black student, he excelled and became a favorite among many of his teachers including Thomas Eakins, an American Realist painter.  Making other connections to other artists, he met Robert Henri, another Realist painter.  In 1890, he was sponsored for a trip to Palestine by Rodman Wanamaker, a Presidential Elector for the state of Pennsylvania.  Wanamaker was inspired by one of his Biblical paintings.  Throughout the rest of his life, Tanner received praise and honor for his paintings including being named chevalier of the Order of the Legion Honor, France's most distinguished award, in 1923.  Following four years, Tanner was named full Academician of the National academy of Design.  Astoundingly, he is known as the first African American to ever receive such an accomplishment.  In 1991, after his death, the Philadelphia Museum of Art fashioned a tour of his paintings, which sparked a new wave of interest in his life and works.  Although Tanner is not as well known in America, he is a potent influence to Western Cultural Art.  
One of my favorite artworks that he painted is Lions in the Desert.  At first glance, I enjoy the accuracy of his strokes.  If you study the painting, he did not use a broad color pallet, but it is not challenging to make out the figure in the desert.  In addition, the emotion the lion is emitting from his stance is overwhelming.  He expresses power and dominance.  Tanner was raised in a religious home where his family took pride in the history of the Biblical Hamatic races of African Origin.  Further research demonstrates that Tanner regarded the lion as a symbol of his African origin.  As Tanner painted Lions in the Desert during one of his visits to the Middle East, the lions were a figment of his imagination.  He did not actually see lions while visiting, but he added them later in his painting studio.  Lions in the Desert is one of many masterpieces that Henry Ossawa Tanner created, but this one in particular caught my attention immensely.  
Although this Metro Journey was artistically inspiring, I also had a history lesson.  Many African American names were engraved into my memory.  These men and women overcame their oppression and they flew.  After coming home from this MJ, I was inspired and attained a new respect for my race of people.   

B.L.A.C.K. class at Henry Ossawa Turner's exhibit

B.L.A.C.K. class at Henry Ossawa Turner's exhibit

Thursday, January 16, 2014

First off, HAPPY NEW YEAR! If you read my monthly blog posts, then I haven't wished you a Happy New Year yet! I hope it's going well! The hardest thing about New Years is starting back up after all of those winter off-days.  When I received the itinerary for the January MJ, I thought, "Oh, right! I do have a MJ this month.Time to study." Perks of getting back on track, right? After hours of research, my class and I discovered that we were to research African trade beads, often called slave beads.  These beads were used between the sixteenth and the twentieth century as currency. African trade beads are trade beads given to Africans in exchange for slaves, goods, and services. The goods included ivory, gold, palm oil, and other items the Europeans wanted.  These beads were made to make the European passage in Africa easy.  African trade beads were successfully used because Africans place high intrinsic value on decorative items. They had not seen such items before and they were easily impressed. The Africans used the beads as currency, as a store of wealth, to beautify themselves, and as a sign of social status. Today, African trade beads are used to make earnings, necklaces, and other jewelry.  
Before we ventured to find African beads, we went to a place in Dupont Circle called Kramerbooks & Afterwards to do more research on the beads.  This is an independent bookstore and cafe in DC.  Kramerbooks & Afterwords was opened in 1976 by Bill Kramer, who had previously managed his father's store called Sidney Kramer Books on I Street, which closed in 1997.The store came to national attention in 1997 during the Lewinsky scandal, when it successfully fought a subpoena from Kenneth Starr to disclose which books Monica Lewinsky had purchased. 

I called the store before we went to make sure they had books about our specific subject, but they only had about five.  Seeing as we researched the beads beforehand, the five books weren't a problem, and we visited them anyway.  The bookstore was super cute! At first glance, it looks like a very small corner store but when you enter the mini-library, walls are lined with books as far as eyes can see! They even had the newest "Diary of a Wimpy Kid!" At the far back of the store, was a quaint cafe.  We picked up some books, and we spent about an hour and a half in Kramer's.  
We also researched different African Cultures such as the Khoisans and the Kemites.  They used these trade beads. Khoisan  is a unifying name for two groups of people of Southern Africa, who share physical and assumed linguistic characteristics distinct from the Bantu majority of the region. Culturally, the Khoisan are divided into the foraging San or Bushmen and the pastoral Khoi, previously known as Hottentots. They were known to hunt and gather, as well as farm. Kemetism is Egyptian Neopaganism, the contemporary revival of Ancient Egyptian religion which also spread throughout Europe in the Late Antiquity, emerging from the 1970s onwards. Followers call themselves Kemetic(s). The religion has an organised presence in the United States, France and the Czech Republic.
After visiting the bookstore, we went to Bedazzled! A cute beads store literally next door to Kramer's. We spent 30 minutes finding African Beads and also admiring the other beautiful beads in the store. We also found a timeline of beads of African, which was awesome!
While looking for lunch after Bedazzled, we got a chance to gaze at the precise architecture of Dupont Circle. The area's rowhouses, built before 1900, featured variations on the Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque revival styles. The luxurious mansions and large freestanding houses, that line the broad tree-lined diagonal avenues that intersect the circle,are rare. Many of these larger dwellings were built in the styles popular between 1895 and 1910. Striver's Section, described as a “community of Negro aristocracy,
is an area in Dupont Circle that embraces its historical architecture as some of its original homes still exist. Strivers' Section was historically an enclave of upper-middle-class African Americans, often community leaders, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It has long been associated with Negro leaders in business, education, politics, religion, art, architecture, science and government.   The area was envisioned as part of the capital city by Pierre Charles L’Enfant's (Lol, now the L’Enfant Plaza Metro Station makes sense!) 1791 plan; by 1852, plans were drawn up for 11 squares subdivided by streets, but the rural landscape remained largely uninhabited until the later half of the century. Development began in the 1870s, encouraged by a north-south streetcar line along nearby 14th Street, and thrived from about 1890 to 1910. Early residents included working-class people and professionals, African Americans, and whites. But the area became most strongly identified with the African American elites who were attracted by public transit and the nearby Howard University. Edwardian Architecture, the style of Striver's as well as Dupont's, is a less ordinate version of the Victorian Culture. They took ideas from medieval times. Because of the new use of gas and electric lighting, walls were brighter and clearer. Decorative patterns were less complex, achieving a look of little clutter and cramped spaces. A popular black leader who lived in Striver's Section was Frederick Douglass. He built the three southern buildings in which to live and later when he died, he gave them to his son who lived there until his death in 1908. We visited and took some pictures there! 
Oh, I almost forgot! We did another street performance and attracted awesome attention! We were only supposed to collect $25 dollars, but ended up with $50! Although a drunk man wanted to show us his rap skills (eh, he should get a new day job), we had an awesome time performing! A passer-by loved us so much that he overcame his fear of singing in public and sang with Eliza- Jane. You can here her sing here
It was a great experience to know that we were influencing so many people. Although this Metro Journey wasn't my favorite, it was really cool getting to research a culture that I didn't know of before. It really broadened my view of Africans, and it gave me a new respect for their skills! Can't wait the until next one!

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Rest in Peace, Nelson Mandela. July 18, 1918- December 5, 2013

During this tragic time in history, Nelson Mandela unfortunately passed on December 5, 2013.  This man of passion, being well- educated, fully understood the meaning of equality and used his knowledge, beliefs, and intelligence to fight for equality and justice not just in South Africa but for people everywhere. Our Metro Journey assignment was to research Mr. Mandela and discover why this South African man had such a major impact on the modern world.   

Nelson Mandela was born into royalty.  Rolihlahla Mandela was born into the Madiba clan in Mvezo, Transkei, on July 18, 1918, to Nonqaphi Nosekeni and Nkosi Mphakanyiswa Gadla Mandela, principal counsellor to the Acting King of the Thembu people. Hearing the elder’s stories of his ancestor’s valour during the wars of resistance, he dreamed also of making his own contribution to the freedom struggle of his people. He was the first in his family to attend a school and it was while there his teacher Miss Mdingane gave him the name Nelson, in accordance with the custom to give all school children “Christian” names. When Nelson was nine, his father died of tuberculosis, and the young Rolihlahla became a ward of Jongintaba at the Great Place in Mqhekezweni.  As usual for Thembu royalty, he went to Wesleyan School and College and the young bright student received his Junior Certificate in two years rather than three before moving onto the college in Fort Beaufort in 1938 where he took up the sports boxing and track.   
After Mr. Mandela was admitted into University of Fort Hare, a black institution, his goal was to be “an interpreter or a clerk in the Native Affairs Department.”  While at Fort Hare he made friends who would later become lifelong political comrades.  In just two years time, he was unfortunately expelled because he led a boycott to the voting process of the Student Representative Council.  He then fled to Transkei to escape an arranged marriage.  In 1941, he arrived in Johannesburg, worked as a night watchman in a mine, and then met Walter Sisulu, a political activist, who helped him get a job as an articled clerk at a law firm. He began to study law. Slowly, he was drawn into politics.
“I cannot pinpoint a moment when I became politicized, when I knew that I would spend my life in the liberation struggle. To be an African in South Africa means that one is politicized from the moment of one’s birth, whether one acknowledges it or not.”         While studying law, Mandela became aware of the ‘open- air prison’ brought upon the people of South Africa by the Apartheid government.  In 1943, Mandela participated in an enormous boycott that succeeded in reversing a fare increase.  Later, he joined the African National Congress, who had been campaigning for equal rights for, to little effects, since 1912. Later in 1952, he became a lawyer and opened the country’s first African law firm.
Mandela was imprisoned for the first time from 1962-1964 near Howick with Cecil Williams. Many groups have been accused of tipping off the authorities about Mandela’s whereabouts but none have credible proof to that end. He was charged with inciting warrior’s strikes and leaving the country without permission. He intended to use the trial to demonstrate the ANC’s anti-racism principles and to use the protesting the trial would attract to spread awareness about the ANC’s cause. During his imprisonment, he began studying for his Bachelors in Laws from the University of London. He turned the tables during his trial by showing up in traditional clothing, refusing to call witnesses, and using his plea of mitigation as a political speech. He was sentenced to five years of imprisonment. During his time in jail, the police force of South Africa raided Liliesleaf Farm and discovered thousands of documents and photographs incriminating Mandela and his fellow prisoners. At first, the evidence was considered insufficient, but the chief prosecutor returned with ample implication of Mandela’s participation in the sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government. Mandela and others admitted to their participation in sabotage but denied accusations of conspiracy. The South African government ruled him and two co-accused guilty of all charges and were sentenced to life imprisonment. His second period of incarceration was from 1964 to 1982.

Anacostia Museum 

FIRST STOP! The Anacostia Museum in Washington DC.  A 10:30 am showing of Courting Justice was playing at this museum, and our mission was to go see it. The film, Courting Justice, studies the challenges seven South African women judges face as they serve in New Democracy appointments. It is a story that uncovers the previously all-male institution and the sacrifices women judges make to achieve the South African constitution’s human rights promises.  

"I first went to South Africa in the interest of the constitution and its unequal rights.  I began working in south Africa with woman judges, when two of my friends were dismissed solely for being women.  that sparked my interest. Judges are appointed by the highest judge of each court, and since it's a man appointing the judges, they appoint men.  In one example, a female judge was supposed to be assigned as an acting judge, however her male boss decided to merely not appoint her when the time came.  The judge presidents hold the key, and they have not adapted to the equality that South African men and women are supposed to receive." -Ruth Cowan  

B.L.A.C.K. class posing with Ms. Ruth Cowan

After the film, the creator and producer, Ruth Cowan, stayed behind so we could ask her a few questions, and the information presented proved that Ms. Cowan was extremely passionate about the subject and knew her research well! We discovered from her that male and female judges typically do not vote differently unless the trial's subject is on women's rights. You might be wondering how the impoverished people make it to college and to judge.  Cowan says it depends on the time.  At one point there were colleges that provided excellent education for blacks. During the Apartheid the government shut them down. There were also some distance learning schools, as well as distance learning programs so they could still get degrees.  Nelson Mandela got a degree from a distance learning school while in jail.  We also asked her about discrimination throughout the judges and she told us she saw discrimination between men and women judges and also African judges.  In the movie, a women told us a story about her first day at work.  The guard would NOT let her enter the gates because of her skin color as well as her gender.  They did not believe that a black woman was a judge because of stereotypical discrimination that although on the D.L. still exist today.  

In the film Courting Justice, the female judges were faced with a great deal of discrimination simply because the color of their skin/their gender.  During his life, Nelson Mandela also faced the same type of oppression simply because of his race.  One comparison from Nelson Mandela’s life to the documentary is the obvious court theme. Mr. Mandela was jailed for 27 years, and because of this, came in contact with the unconstitutional court system. Nelson Mandela was also able to become the first black president of South Africa, as the women shown in the film were able to become the first black female judges in any court in South Africa.

Norman Levy, who is the author of The Final Prize; My Life in the Anti-Apartheid Struggle, said; "There is still much work to be done and our political culture has yet to match our liberal constitution. After 16 years of democracy the euphoria of liberation remains, but it is marred by contradictions that in our innocence we did not contemplate. For all our imaginings of a new society and a harmonious rainbow nation, these are ideals still in the making. There is no promised land, no earthly paradise, only the imperfect place we ourselves create and the vision we have to change it for the better."

Mr. Mandela faced somewhat of the same issues throughout his life. Before he was jailed, he truly believed that the ways that he'd been fighting for freedom were right and for the greater good and not what we'd currently perceive as being terrorist acts. That's what his culture taught him to believe. Generally people believe what their parents and culture teaches them. It wasn't until after he was jailed for 27 years that he changed his thinking. This reminds me of a the true story of Mark Mathabane called Kaffir Boy. In this story, Mark is a skilled tennis player competing at a The Tennis Ranch, a tennis facility where it is illegal for blacks to play there.  Because the Apartheid Government is under pressure to make changes in its policy towards blacks, it tries to make some cosmetic changes by "integrating" sports, by developing a South African Breweries' Open. Black tennis players decide to boycott the Open, saying they won't be part of efforts to make the apartheid system appear acceptable but Mark, although he also does not want to be 'used' by the whites, participates because in the long run, it opens doors for him. Nelson Mandela and Mark Mathabane rejected the boycotting methods normally practiced in their culture because they understood integration was one way in which to defeat the struggle inflicted upon South Africans by the Apartheid Government. One of the women in the Courting Justice states "Once you start the ball rolling, once you are amidst the struggles of it, you are living your dream."

Love Gate on Capitol Hill 

 LAST STOP! We made our way to the Starbucks on Capitol Hill in S.E., DC often referred to the 'English Muffins of Starbucks' because the holes in the English muffins represent the hidden upstairs nook in that Starbucks. Here we enjoyed a coffee and while together, we wrote an essay honoring Mr. Mandela's life and journey.

This Metro Journey proved exceptionally beneficial to me because although I'd heard of Mr. Mandela, I didn't fully know much about his life and accomplishments. During the research leading up to this Journey, I've learned to reverence and respect Mr. Mandela for what he did. Yes, there might be some beliefs of his that I do not fully embrace but hey, everyone is not the same. If everyone thought the same, would there be a reason to live? To voice opinions? To fight for rights? Would life be filled with the rich history that makes us who we are today? Would we be prepared for the future? This Metro Journey was extremely inspiring, and I hope after you read this, you will be filled with the same respect that I am filled with towards Nelson Mandela.  


This Metro Journey is dedicated to my strong, mature, comedian friend, Zion Utsey. Zion undertook this Metro Journey with awesome research and wise input although just having experienced the loss of is father only the night before. Thank you Zion for your tenacity; if you need ANYTHING just let your B.L.A.C.K. class know because we are here for you!

    

Thursday, November 14, 2013

THIS. METRO. JOURNEY. WAS. AMAZING! Everything ran smoothly and as planned, but before I take you to the results of the metro journey, let's first start at the beginning. 

This journey, we were sent to U Street to study Ethiopian culture relating to their history.  After the hours of research at home, Leslie, Eliza, Nadia and I met at the Greenbelt metro stop at 8:00 in the morning. Although we didn't need to meet up until 9, we learned from last time that it didn't hurt to add extra time. IT WAS COLD! We looked like little snowmen walking into the train.  Upon arriving at U street, we rushed to the Starbucks to get warm and wait for the others. There, we ran into Zion, got some coffee and waited.  Next, Ananda arrived, followed by Gyasi and Kai, so we waited for one more person, Rabia, a new student in our class. Sadly, she and her sister, Dyaana, couldn't make it due to illness and a delayed metro train, but hopefully they'll be able to join us next time! 

The first stop we went to was Ben's Chili Bowl.  I never knew this place was as popular as described! Famous people traveled from across the country to try Ben's chili fries. On the wall were pictures of music artists, such as Wale and Dr. Dre, as well as our President, Mr. Barack Obama, who had come to enjoy DC's famous chili fries.  Because Zion and Ananda are vegans, we ordered the vegetarian chili fries.  I think if they weren't vegetarian, I would have enjoyed them better.  The waitress was so pleased with us that she even gave us a free order of bacon and eggs! 

Next on our itinerary was to eat at the famous Ethiopian restaurant, Dukem. I believe the whole point of this metro journey was to get us fat. LOL! The food... erm... um... let's just say... If it was the last thing on earth, I would eat it.  Because I wasn't as hungry, I got an Ethiopian dessert that Ananda recommended.  I didn't care for that, so I finished Nadia's chicken wrap, which was too spicy for her.  After eating, we interviewed our waitress, who was Ethiopian.  This is what we found out! 

• She had been living in the US for four years. It took her about five years to gain citizenship.
• She is an orthodox christian, as are most Ethiopians, which was surprising for me since so many missionaries are sent to Africa, I thought they were lacking in the knowledge of God's Truth.
• It is the man's responsibility to care for the children modernly, which is different because it used to be the responsibility of the woman's. 
• Son's and daughter's discipline are the same, where in older times, the daughter was further disciplined.
• There is still diversity in tribes but on a more modern scale
• She does wear the traditional Gabbi and Netella apparel to church.  Gabbi and Netella are Ethiopian materials/ fashion.  
• She still celebrates the making off coffee regularly. She roasts the beans herself, grinding them, and enjoys them with her family.
• While Eritrea and Ethiopia used to be the same, the countries are very different now. The food, clothing, languages, are different. Now, when a person reaches a certain age they get to choose if they want to be Eritrean or Ethiopian, and once decided, they are not associated with the opposite country at all.  
• She told us about Haili Selassi, the first Ethiopian president/king. Everyone loved him because of his rule. He protected the country, along with the culture. He was mourned when he passed. People still sing about him today.

She preferred to not get her picture taken, but I am really glad we gained enough courage to ask her about her culture.  She seemed excited that we were researching something she held dear to her heart. 

Next, we performed music and a literary piece in front of Bus Boys and Poets, a book store/ cafe in DC.  At first, we were a little skeptical, but when we started getting money and telling others about our organization, we emerged out of our shells and overall, it was a great show! Everyone complimented us, and Ananda, Nadia, and Eliza figured out a great way to show off their amazing singing skills.  One lady was so impressed that she recorded us and put us on Instagram. She later posted, "I want to homeschool my kids!" That was such a great inspiration to the whole group, and I guess it really sunk in that We represent our homeschool community.  Because we have such a great responsibility, we need to raise our standards to the highest level as to give our community a great first and lasting impression. 

After performing, we went into Bus Boys and Poets to read on Ethiopian culture.  Okay, ready? A great story! A group of teenage homeschooling students entered Bus Boys and Poets with smiles on their faces, laughing and ready to study Ethiopian culture.  With a confused look on her face, a girl, about 15, gets acknowledged by a sour faced woman obviously suspicious of the new 'apparent disturbance' that entered her store.  

"How may I help you?" suspiciously asked the woman.  The 15 year old explains her purpose as a homeschool student researching Ethiopian culture through her B.L.A.C.K. history class. When the girl said 'Ethiopian,' the slightest of smiles cracked across the woman's face.  Hesitantly at first, then willingly, the lady points the class to the African history section.  After about a half an hour, she makes her way over to the class and explains how excited she was that people were studying her culture.

 Wait, what? Yes, you heard it right! HER culture! With shining faces, we interacted and asked her questions about her culture! She wished us luck on our future research, and invited us to visit her again! Her name was Rose Tsegereba. Her name means Rose Flower! Isn't that beautiful?! 

It was sooo great to experience the impact that we left on the lady as well as the influence she left on us! "Why do we have to study black history?" is a question everyone in our class has asked themselves at one point of time.  This really helped me understand! Black History doesn't begin at slavery. It goes beyond that! Africa has a very RICH history, and we as descendants of African culture should pride ourselves to research and know it.  

To end our trip with a BANG, we used the money we made performing on the street to buy Ethiopian coffee! It was the most beautiful liquid substance I have ever tasted in my life, and I WILL be going back for more! 

Kudos to Ms. Anna for developing an amazing Metro Journey, and hopefully, we all learned from this journey so next time we'll continue to be excited about the 2nd Thursday of each month!

Thursday, October 17, 2013

African American History is Georgetown

Nadia, Eliza- Jane, and I at the first church 

"BOUTTA GO HIT UP G-TOWN OR WHATEVA!"  Georgetown is home to 13,880 people currently.  In the 1800s, it was home to 5, 120 people, 1, 449 of whom were slaves, and 227 of whom being free blacks.  This was where we were going to spend our second Metro Journey.
"Unity is Key," this is what Ms. Anna, our instructor warned us before our first metro journey, and on this Metro Journey (MJ) we
learned how important this lesson was.
Let's first start out by saying that this MJ was definitely more complicated than the last.  More stops, more preparation, less time.  On Monday, when Ms. Anna sent out the email with out itinerary, Nadia and I jumped right into it encouraging the class, setting up phone conversations, and researching.  Although some of the class was late responding, with minuscule hints from Ms. Anna, we found what we thought was all of the information and prepared to disembark on our second MJ that Thursday.

My classmates at the second church 

I. AM. NOT. A. MORNING. PERSON! At 5:15 am, I was supposed to wake up - 5:15 AM!! "This will get you into college. This will look good on your resume. You will have fun. Everything will run smoothly." These are the phrases I had to continue to repeat to myself to keep me from turning right back over and falling asleep.  Upon arriving at Ms. Anna's house, we found out how to 'roll with the flow.' Something came up where instead of us going to the Greenbelt Station to then continue to Foggy Bottom, we went to Silver Spring.- A totally different line.  "We're going to be so late," I kept thinking as we set in the rush hour morning traffic.  When we finally arrived at the station and got on the train, we got delayed... at every single stop.  Calls and calls came in on Nadia and my phones from our fellow classmates already at the station, "Where are you guys?"
"We've been here for an hour!"
and finally, "We're leaving you guys."

Wait, wait, wait, what? LEAVING? Without us? Breathe, they're probably just kidding.
When we got to the station and on ground level we realized..... wait for it..... THEY WEREN'T KIDDING! Nowhere to be found. They left us. Nadia called Gyasi and found out that they went to the first church. (church 1, St. John's Church)

When we first saw each other at 11:30am. Notice how
spread apart we are. We were all super annoyed. LOL

 Looking at our map, the first church that we had to visit was Church number 2, St. Zion's Church. A new law in 1765 prevented seven or more slaves or free black men from congregating except at church on Sunday. At church, they were not allowed to co-mingle with their white brethren, so a group of free black men founded their own church. They founded Mount Zion United Methodist Church in 1816. The church was not allowed a black pastor until another half a century.The church later brought a cemetery at the intersection of R Street and 29th Street Northwest. The cemetery crypt was one of the stop on the Underground Railroad ran by Harriet Tubman. She led slaves to freedom in the north. 

Do you see the contradiction? They went to Church number 1, and we went to the first church assigned in our MJ.  You can probably guessed what happened next. We arrived at the church and they weren't there.  Great! It was now 10:19 am, so we wasted two hours and 19 minutes because we weren't together.  After calling Ms. Anna, explaining our situation, and praying, we decided to take pictures of the churches and meet at Dean and Delucas, another stop of our day.  This was a cute and quaint grocery store in  Georgetown. It was adorable! While waiting on our peers, Nadia, Eliza- Jane, and I got gelatos to calm ourselves down ( LOL) and pass the time.

McCandless' Tavern 

11:30am: This is the time when the entire group finally met at Dean and Delucas, three hours behind schedule. I had to keep telling myself to smile, breathe, and let it go. I never thought forgiving someone could be so hard.


After stopping for lunch, we headed to McCandless' Tavern on M street.  This building had slave pens.  Today, despite a few changes, in building -- except on the ground floor where retail uses have entailed major alterations -- there are mantels, railings, hearths and whole rooms that now span four centuries.

Our creepy picture on the Steps of Exorcism 

After taking a picture in front of the tavern, we walked across Key Bridge. There are times where I feel fat and lazy. This would be one of those times. Let me tell YOU something, if you EVER want to lose weight, walk across this bridge. If you want to have fun, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT walk across this bridge. You better not do that to yourself. We were so mad. Nobody talked, nobody asked questions. All we could think was, "Ms. Anna, when I get home..." and "Are we there yet?"

Once we walked there and back, we walked up and down the Exorcist staircase. OUR PHOTO CHALLENGE!! Again, ONLY CLIMB IF YOU NEED EXERCISE! WHOO! I felt like jump roping was enough, let me tell you, it's not.

Lol at our dysfunction! Us in front of John F. Kennedy's House 

After taking a picture there, we made our way to John F. Kennedy's house on N street.  Because it is occupied, we could not go inside, but it was really cute! The deed of the house is tied to the "Civil Rights Address" Kennedy wrote in 1964.

"UNITY IS KEY" This is a lesson we will definitely remember on our next Metro Journey.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

'Wealth In Africa' 

First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIL BRO AND GYASI! (September 19) 

The first metro journey was so much fun but also required a lot of preparation.  Before we went on the journey, we were emailed questions dealing with an 18th century Helmet Mask from the Benin Kingdom, located at the National Museum of African Art, and  also asked about the 'Wealth in Africa' exhibit located in the National Museum of Natural History.  As a team, we emailed back and forth about our plan for the day and information we discovered.  

On the day of our trip, I woke up more exited than I thought I would be.  I met up with Eliza- Jane and Nadia Fogg, and Leslie Russel at the metro station. Together we rode the train to the Smithsonian station to meet with Gyasi and Kai Clemons.  The first part of the challenge: getting there safely, done! 

Finding the African Art Museum wasn't hard, but finding our way around the museum proved to be challenging.  We were told to embark on a tour to find our information so when we got there, we asked for information about the next available tour.  THEY DON'T DO TOURS ON THURSDAY! Just our luck.  We had to improvise.  Grabbing maps for everyone, we went on a quest to find the Disney exhibit, and easily discovered it.  

 Being Silly at National Museum of African Art 

Next, THE MASK WE WERE LOOKING FOR WASN'T THERE!  Brilliant! Luckily, I brought a page of questions we were supposed to answer, and in unity, we discovered awesome artifacts.  First off, an artifact called the Finial, which displayed a man sitting on a throne, displayed wealth because in Africa a seated position meant power and wealth.   Next, we found the Diviner's Bag. This bag was beautiful! I might have to get me one of these.  It was purely made out of only embroidery beads.  This bag displayed wealth because only kings were allowed to carry such opulent purses.  

Also, we found other artifacts like a spoon carved out of beautiful marble, and a piece called Healing History; Salt and Sand.  The piece beautifully displayed ancient artifacts of Africa such as shoes, books, and spoons hanging on a wall and demonstrated how Africa healed itself with a poem by Shakespeare written behind these artifacts on the wall. 

After our lunch break, we made our way to the National Museum of Natural History to check out the 'Wealth in Africa' exhibit.  We found so many amazing artifacts but since the focus was on the wealth, I want to point out an artifact that stood out to me greatly. This was a throne.  It was entitled the 'Chair of Power.'  Looking at the ivory pattern on this chair, one would discover that this Swahili chair belonged to a wealthy powerful family.  This chair stood out to me because of the regal prominence it added to the exhibit.  Before I studied African culture, I thought Africans sat on the ground 'criss cross apple sauce.'  When I saw this chair, it occurred to me that, of course Africans were smart enough to build their own chair! Believing that Africans were not smart enough to build there own chair is just a realization of how we view Africa through the eyes of Eurocentric culture and beliefs. How deceptive is that? 

PHOTO CHALLENGE! Every time we go on a metro journey, we have picture quests that our teacher gives us.  This time we had to take a picture of the youngest member of our group, Kai, on a member of the equine species. We could be as creative as we wanted, so all the girls decided to ride the Merry Go- Round in DC! We were such little kids, laughing and fighting over which horse we wanted! The picture on the left depicts Kai and me on the merry go round, smiling and having so much fun! 

I had immense fun on this first metro journey and learned so much! I was a little nervous, but with the days of dedicated class preparation, we ventured in and out, and shared many laughs on the way! I cannot wait until next month. I wonder where our quest will take us next?