washington dc week 4

Before I begin I want to put at the top of the blog that on our way back we ran into a friendly man selling books on the realities of being homeless. He was previously homeless, but now manages just enough funds to get a roof over his head. After hearing his story, Esme and I each bought a book from him. You can also buy a book online here: homelesslivesmatterbook.com . More details about him can be found on his social media: https://www.instagram.com/homelesslivesmatterbook/

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I feel like my understanding of America has been wildly transforming ever since the start of YSEALI. Moving from a shallow understanding based on media reports, fast food and pop culture, to a soft appreciation of mountains and friendly people, then a glimpse of social and environmental issues, and now… edging towards a sharper understanding of the patterns that now float in the water and blow in the air. 

I learned that in the making of this country — this powerful and famous country that makes dinner conversations wherever you are in the world — wasn’t always a happy one. The story of America is marred by violence, anguish and suffering more often than I had previously known. And knowing how the roots of injustice can descend into a thousand intractable problems later makes me vigilant of the same patterns of violence, small and big, that I’m witnessing today.

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Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

I walked to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, reaching at around 11am. I was shocked at how much there was to see. The topics meandered around everything environmental related; from the ocean and the deep sea to human evolution to ecosystems around the world. (I also wonder how the homo neanderthalensis species eventually went extinct. Did the homo sapiens species torture them until they fell extinct? Or did they disappear due to non-human causes? We never know.)

As I learned about how modern humans evolved from chimpanzees and apes in Africa, I was reminded of my conversation with a geneticist back home. She had shared with me about how Indigenous peoples have a very different genome from modern humans (who in turn, share 99.9% of their genes), so modern medicine doesn’t work so well on them. She also emphasised the importance of research into Indigenous peoples, as the literature is currently saturated with the study of modern humans. 

I was also glad to see the museum’s attentiveness towards the importance of Indigenous communities in being stewards of nature, both historically and at present.

One particularly memorable section was the part where they featured three different Indigenous groups across Alaska. There was also a land acknowledgement statement, which I hope can be the norm in my country too.

Having spent about two hours in the museum, I proceeded to visit the American History museum. I was curious to understand how this country came to be, everything from the making of the fifty states to the name of the street I now walk on.

Smithsonian Museum of American History

Who is free? Who is included? Who is equal?  These rhetoricals smashed the entrance walls of the museum, demanding answers that were both stupidly obvious and overly difficult at the same time. 

While the ideals of liberty, equality and freedom have long been enshrined in the US Constitution, why do Americans today still fight over these questions? It was difficult to answer before, with so many dismissing it as a modern problem birthed by biased media, shallow-minded crazy people, and greedy politicians. To some extent, those critics hold truth, but now the story has evolved from more complex roots than that. The fight is not only about justice for George Floyd, but rather about undoing decades and centuries of layered injustices. Americans work against a dark historical backdrop: of American Indians being kicked out of their lands, pushed to reservations then kicked out once again; of African slaves who were forcibly transported and owned… How this country’s history is marred with colonialism and expansionism that manifested in many forms. How powerful people so often had the final say over land, rights, livelihood, everything that makes up life, and wreaking havoc on the lives of so many generations after that. Still, I’m touched by the people of this nation still cling onto the hope of democracy and the power of changing their country.

Here are a list of some that I learned about today, which I am keen to continue learning more about: 

American Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

Creek Indian War, 1813-1814

Trail of Tears, 1838

Mexican War, 1846-1848

Bleeding Kansas, 1854-1856

Civil War: 1861-1865

Battle of Little Bighorn, 1876

Spanish-American War, 1898

Philippine-American War, 1899-1902

I liked how the museum sought to portray both sides of history; each mention of the war came with differing perspectives on the significance of the war. In the discussion of the Mexican-American war, I found these quotes especially poignant:

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“What child will not shed tears at the tomb of their parents?” -- Jaun Bautista Vigil y Alarid, Acting governor of New Mexico in the swearing of obedience to government of North America. Jaun was describing the feelings of dislocation in having to now pledge allegiance from Mexico to America, following the loss of Texas to America.

The “most unjust war ever waged by a stronger against a weaker nation.” -- Ulysses Grant, American soldier.

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Hearing the voices of the people involved made the tragedy of war come alive. Words and voices penetrate through to my heart deeper than a forgettable line of numbers. I am reminded that these people are children, wives, husbands and parents. I am reminded that in every war, people are unjustly killed. Whether a soldier or civilian, no one deserves to die. And while a more powerful nation may reign at the end of the day, their deed would go down eternally in history as shameful and unfair.

I was also rather surprised at some of the smaller details, like how an est. 12,000 American Indians fought for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. To me, why would the Native Americans fight for the states calling for the preservation of slavery? Do they not already know acutely how the settlers were capable of cruel subordination? Later I found out that it was because the Native Americans were promised of a better life if they fought for the Confederacy. I realised, then, how complex, interconnected and exploit-able trauma can be. 

I was barely finished reading about the Korean and Vietnam Wars before the museum announced it was closing. So I left, chewing on my remnant thoughts about the injustices of war, annexation of territories, creation of reservations for American Indians, and the institution of slavery. Stories embedded deeply in the soil which I now stand on.