Postcard from Washington D.C.

Somebody suggested that I was following George W. on his world tour since last month I arrived in Pakistan just as the President was leaving then followed him to Washington within a matter of days. But that’s where the following stopped since my reasons for visiting the US capital were to attend a national student affairs conference and then take part in a study tour of 6 US colleges and universities. While in Washington, I also managed to do a bit of sightseeing.

Reflections on the Great Depression and Times of Social Need

A visit to the new Franklin D. Roosevelt Monument gave pause for many hours of personal reflection contemplating about times during my parents' generation when there was no employment and the country had to mobilize national efforts to support families and children. I was struck yet again by the importance of having a welfare safety net for families facing personal and social need. Those of you who have grown up in such circumstances may be tempted to take social welfare for granted or even question the importance of such benefits for the poor and the disadvantaged. Imagine living in places where there is no welfare net! Be sure and visit Roosevelt Monument.

Food Services at the University of Virginia

Then, who would question that the way to a teenager’s heart is through their stomach? Having visited Georgetown University, George Mason, Trinity, and Northern Virginia Community College, we travelled South to Charlottesville for a visit to the University of Virginia, one of America’s oldest universities established by that country’s creative 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson. A significant feature about this university is the way that students operate with an Honour Code originally articulated by Thomas Jefferson himself. We were shown a room in one of the residence halls where Edgar Allan Poe lived as a First Year university student. It is said that he was not an honour student by any means, spending more time partying and carousing than he did studying, then flunked out of university to pursue a career as one of America’s more notable writers. I was reminded of our visit to Howard University, Washington's historical Black university that coincided with students returning from New Orleans after helping to rebuild houses destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Their stories were inspiring.

Architectural Traditions that Speak of the Era of Slavery

While touring around the UV campus, our attention was drawn to buildings where students still live, and where cellar rooms still remain where the students' slaves were locked up at night. I was struck yet again about how the history of residential group care – whether in the educational sector, welfare, health care or justice – has been shaped by social traditions actually built into the bricks and mortar. One finds purpose-built facilities from one era with the wrong purpose built in for a different era. While few places still have house slaves, many places still have house servants and these poorly paid and often overworked people are treated like slaves. That night I watched televised debates about the treatment of Hispanic immigrants and illegal workers. This left me wondering just how far we have moved in our world “from slavery to indentured servitude to welfare safety nets and then illegals employed by families who turn a blind eye to their status in exchange for cheap labour. But then I was reassured by a signboard that reflected a social conscience of youth. Take care!

Reflections on Skateboarding, Rollerblading and Military Recruitment