Washington, D.C.: History And Local Advocacy

Upon arrival to Washington D.C., we meet our Global Works leaders and transfer to our local accommodation that is just a short walk from Capitol Hill. We have dinner as a group, then gather for orientation and framing of the program ahead. 

We start the day with breakfast and a drive to the National Mall. There, we begin our discovery of African American History and Civil Rights discourse at the Museum of African American History. We take a structured, self guided tour of the museum, allowing for reflection and discussion. We have a picnic lunch beneath the Washington Monument before meeting our local guide for an in-depth Civil Rights History walking tour .

For the next 2 days, we dive into hands-on service initiatives alongside coordinators from local nonprofit advocacy organizations. Our DC-based partners guide the group through the processes involved in policy change and grassroots social change movements. We spend our afternoons on service projects that collaborate with marginalized communities in the DC area. We dismantle the top-down community relief method, by working alongside our partners and learning how communities mobilize their own resources to transition from a state of vulnerability to sustainability to thriving. We wrap up our days at delicious local D.C restaurants!

We meet with legislators for discussions about their past and current work, allowing for a rare opportunity to ask self generated questions to sitting politicians. We have workshops and presentations with representatives and educators from lobbyist groups such as The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, The Black Women’s Roundtable, and The National Urban League. We finish the day with a final celebratory dinner and then catch a movie or live play at a historic theater such as Ford’s Theater, The Howard Theater, or the E Street Cinema.

Before heading home, we reflect on our time in Washington, D.C. Though it is sad to leave, we have gained a new perspective on the US, past and present. We have many new tales to tell of the people and history that made our experience memorable!