April 3, NMAAHC and Arrival

Grade8_DC
We made it out of town, no sweat! Thank you to all at home who managed to rouse the sleepy this morning for our on time departure. It was a little eery to be at school when almost no one else had arrived yet. We were off in a flash.
We have tons of space on the bus– lots of room to spread out. There was a lot of time for visiting. One of the cool things about travelling with middle school students is that they have the stamina of an adult in the bus– they understand that this was a lengthy road trip, but since they don’t drive yet, there isn’t much awareness of traffic or traffic jams. We got nowhere fast since when we hit I-84 we had traffic and the driver decided to use Route 9 instead. Pretty. And, pretty slow.
We had time, though. The promised rest stop in Delaware had massage chairs! Three minutes for $1. Other popular attractions were Starbucks, of course, and the convenience store. My favorite quote from the back, is truly sweet. While visiting the front of the bus, I heard a student say, “I would have never socialized with teachers at my old school. I think what makes teachers at PDS better is that you guys are so good at listening.”
Our big goal today was getting to the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), preferably with time to spare, before our 3:00 timed entry. We did it!  We were able to stretch our legs around the Washington Monument. It was a clear and windy day, so the view were great. We usually do our student-led tour of this monument from a distance, but this year’s group was up close– you’ll see from the photos that they had a little game of trying to see how high up they could jump.
It seems like smooth sailing when entering the NMAAHC. This museum just opened in the fall. Many DC visitors are eager to see it. We acquired our tickets due to a snow day that enabled me to spend an hour on hold. Our hoped for choices of a Tuesday or Wednesday admission were not possible, but the last entry today was. It was a serious start to our trip. We prepared the students, last week,  by explaining the design of the building and some of what we would be seeing there.
The museum was designed by architect David Adjaye, who is British and Tanzanian-born. The outside has three tiers– inspired by Yorubean crowns. The striking metal outside is a recycled aluminum alloy meant to look bronze. This design is in tribute to the enslaved metal workers of South Carolina. Adjaye wanted visitors to remember that not all enslaved people were plantation workers– many had very highly developed skills. Adjaye would have liked to have the outside panels made of bronze, but they would have been very heavy. The aluminum is light– it takes only four people to remove and replace a panel– and this made it easier for the design to meet Smithsonian specifications for maintenance.
The history of African-Americans in the Americas is laid out more or less chronologically. The historical displays are below ground, and a visitor only rises to the street level when the historical exhibits reach 1968. The students were truly interested in the symbolism of the building’s design. The architect refers to the hundreds of years of history explained in the three below ground floors as being like a “crypt.” It was a very serious subject matter. Many of the artifacts– 4,000– were donated by families who had had them in possession for a long time, not quite knowing how to honor their history. The hymn book of Harriet Tubman, for example, was donated by a descendant. Nat Turner’s Bible, remained in the family of those who had owned him, until they had the opportunity to donate it to the museum.
Once above ground, the top two floors– community and culture exhibits, feel more joyful and hold many exhibits that might make a visitor feel more hopeful and proud. I had the least amount of time to view this part, but some of the students spent a lot of time upstairs.
From the outside, the placement of windows seems odd. There is no orderly fenestration– the windows look a little random. From the inside, though, the windows have been placed to ask visitors to confront the view and what it represents, in light of what the information in the museum reveals. Adjaye wrote that many museums are like “cinema;” that you enter another world inside, and suspend your connection to the reality outside. He did not want that to be the case with the NMAAHC: it was important to him that visitors constantly confront the outside while inside– so the windows look out on power, and the establishment, from the Capitol to the Jefferson Memorial, to the other Smithsonian museums that tell their portions of the American story.
It is hard to accept that the construction of this museum could have ever been considered controversial or undesirable. The students can tell you more, but there is no doubt that American history is told here. How we went so long without this museum is hard to fathom.
We climbed back on our bus and drove 10 miles in an hour. Beltway traffic. The sites were interesting though– Dupont Circle and Chevy Chase, Maryland. The 4-H Center held the dining hall open for us to eat at 6:45. Major rejoicing when the students realized that they have a MYO soft serve ice cream machine! We also did some pre-college training about how to put your finished dining tray on a conveyor belt for cleaning.
Every night, before free time, the students will write about the day. I work on photos while Karl and Malorie take the journal entries and compose a found poem of lines from the entries. So, the poem is written by all.
Arrival in DC
April 3, 2017

Today I woke up earlier than usual;

the sun was still down, slowly coming up with pink twinkling lights.

When I pulled into the school parking lot,

it seemed to be a hollow husk of the place it was the week before,

and as dormant as a birch during winter.

A familiar face seemed to bring back the life that seemed lost seconds ago;

the presence of familiarity makes being in a different setting all the easier.

Gliding along the highway made me feel comfortable and made me feel connected to everything.

We got there a little ahead of time;

the air was warm and the sky was slightly grey.

Getting off the bus smelled like freedom.

We enjoyed the lovely weather and fresh green grass.

I couldn’t imagine anywhere else I would want to be.

The Washington Monument up close–

taller then I thought it would be.

The wind was gentle but it was still blowing the cherry blossoms.

The new African American History Museum was fascinating;

so many people there, and

out of the crowds the art and information was fascinating.

It was quiet.

It induced despair to see all of the historical exhibits.

The museum was a wonderful experience with a lot to think about.

You rethink how great our early presidents were:

George Washington had his own slaves.

A shackled slave girl:

so powerful to see and so unjust.

All of the items from the museum held a history, and

helped me realize things I already knew, just wasn’t confronting.

The Muhammad Ali exhibit

was broad enough to stretch over a lot of his contributions,

but stayed focused enough for there to only be one.

There were some random Islam exhibits sprinkled around the museum;

it made me feel represented and a part of history.

Going there after seeing the great white obelisk that was the Washington monument was even more powerful.

This new museum was certainly needed to showcase the truth

and show the power behind the history and people’s experiences;

I felt honored to be able to witness something so special and meaningful–

very emotional and beautiful,

the design and the facts.

The fountain had a sense of power (there was a room that had water falling from the ceiling and it was so beautiful):

I saw countless coins sitting in the bottom of the fountain, which made me want to wish for something.

But wishes weren’t going to get me everywhere, and the museum helped me see it.

Everyone should go;

it is the most beneficial museum in all time for our country

because it educated everyone about the real history of our country.

We went back to where we are staying,

ate some food,

then decided to do exactly what I am doing now: write about our day and experiences–

and I am excited to experience more.

It was the perfectly balanced day, and the perfect first day of ever being in DC.

Link to Flickr album