The Making of a President

From January 17-27th, students from Saint Mary's will be in Washington, D.C. to attend the inauguration, learn about our nation's history, and conduct research. Groups will post blogs each day.

Follow us on Twitter Janterm 175 SMCinDC @175Janterm and hashtag #SMCinDC

Hi, I'm Tim. I am looking forward to blogging about our Jan Term trip to Washington DC. Watch for updates.

January 17, Day 1 of SMCinDC Planes, trains and automobiles

We made it! We drove into DC as the lights shined on the Washington Monument. Groups are checked in to rooms, pizza is being ordered. We are here! But, not without a few memorable travel bumps. It started at 5am when one of the SMC vans we reserved had a dead battery (thank you P-Safety for the jumpstart), needed a third van to hold all the luggage (shout out to Gregory for bringing 1 carry on), and someone (nameless) almost missed the flight.

In Chicago, we had to deplane when a part to the bathroom broke, which ended up delaying us about 2 hours. But, Chicago airport had good food! Most people slept a good portion of the trip. It was very cold in Chicago --we were relieved to arrive in D.C. to 50 degree temperatures.

But, we are ready for our adventures to begin! Tomorrow we will visit Capitol Hill to collect our inaugural tickets and then we have a tour of the Kennedy Center and get to see a performance! Follow our daily blog....on Thursday we will meet with Elizabeth Warren and have lunch at the National Press Club!

January 18, Day 2 of SMCinDC, Library of Congress, Inauguration ticket, and Kennedy Center

Today we received the tickets we’ve been waiting for, along with a surprise. Our class walked to the Cannon Office Building and was able to pick up our inauguration tickets thanks to Mike Thompson, the representative of Napa Valley, who made going to the inauguration possible. Seeing this silver ticket with the hologram of a bald eagle on it made the fact that we’re attending the 45th Presidential inauguration in two days more real. While we already knew we were attending the inauguration, representative Mark DeSaulnier, the representative of Contra Costa County, gave our class tickets to sit in the gallery of the Senate and House. While we were waiting for the tickets we were able to glance in Mark DeSaulnier office, and saw a picture of Saint Mary’s College hanging on his wall above his desk. It was nice to know that he keeps Saint Mary’s College in his mind, as he looks at it every time he goes into his office. Our class is beyond grateful to both of these representatives in allowing us to witness history.

I had the unique opportunity to meet my Congressman Dana Rohrabacher Representative of the 48th District of California to discuss the current state of politics and talking about his duties in the House as well as his additional duties as being a part of the Committee of Foreign Affairs and as the Head of Emerging Threats in Europe and Eurasia. Congressman Rohrabacher has to figure out how our country can deal with issues in the House such as the passage or vetoing of potential bill that may be come law. He has to deal with ambassadors of foreign nations and help make developments with nations while working with the Chair of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of State while communicating these issues making sure they are known in the House of Representatives and work with fellow colleagues across the aisle to figure out the best solution that is best for the nation and the people. Rohrabacher has provided unique insight to a small fragment of what happens in government and how progress is possible and can be made. I am thankful for Congressman Rohrabacher giving me a better idea of the inner workings of government.

After we received our inauguration tickets and applied for our official library cards, we headed over to the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts for a tour. When we walked in the door, we were immediately greeted by the breath taking view of the Flags of Nations in the lobby of the center. The Flags of Nations symbolize the diplomatic relations that we keep with our amicable nations, with the recent addition of the flag of Cuba!

As we continued our tour, we toured the multiple theaters, Eisenhower, the Opera House, and a third theater that was closed to the public. Our tour proceeded by looking at the multiple gifts and pieces of artwork given by our international friends, a few of but not limited to: Israel, China, Russia, Africa, Nigeria.

We ended our tour of the beautiful Kennedy Center and memorial of JFK by watching an impromptu comedy show. The center hosts a free show every Wednesday at 6 pm, and this week it was a two-person comedy show. What a great way to end our first day in DC!

January 20, 2017 Inauguration Day

Our group exited the metro station to a sea of rain jackets and red hats. The barricaded streets guided us towards three checkpoints guarded by armed forces. There were police officers, military officers, secret service, and FBI. The crowds were asked to have their tickets out as they passed through, but there was not a specific point at which they verified our tickets. After a thorough security check, we made our way through the crowd before choosing a place to stand. They announced important attendees and had a few musical performances before Senator Roy Blunt gave the opening remarks. Three prayers were then presented to the crowd. At 11:30, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer gave a speech which was interrupted many times by boos and “We want Trump” chants. Mike Pence took the stage to take his oath as vice president. Chief Justice John Roberts administered the presidential oath and Donald J. Trump became president of the United States of America. He then delivered his presidential address.

“Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans and people of the world, thank you.” President Trump began his inaugural address just after taking the oath of office at 12. A light rain began as he read the same oath taken by every president since George Washington. Trump expressed many of the same sentiments from his campaign, railing against Washington

Elites, many of whom sat behind him, as well as join him in his new administration. Trump painted a dark picture of modern day America “But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists: mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation….. and the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.

This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.”

Much like his convention speech, his inaugural has very dark overtones. Use of words like “tombstones” and phrases like “American carnage” are a break from the tradition of uplifting and more hopeful inaugural addresses. Trump’s mention of gangs, drugs, and inner cities have also been staples of his typical stump speech. Trump presents narrative of rising crime, and an increasingly violent and dangerous nation. The new President also presented his overarching policy of “America first” which Trump said he would consider “Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs will be made to benefit American workers and American families.” The President also spoke about the need for a strong military and a strong police force, to protect the country, which he also stated would be “protected by God”. He ended his first speech as president in an unsurprising way, re using phrases that had become commonplace throughout the campaign. The speech ended on with words that were printed on the sea of red hats that lay before the new president “and yes, together we will make America great again."

As we swam through the red sea, we encountered all sorts of protesters. From little kids holding signs, to somebody tied up in a wheelchair demonstrating against torture. Protesters even managed to block the entrance of the blue gate that we used to enter. As the inauguration proceeded, we seemed to be the only opposition in the area, but as we were leaving the Capitol we joined a large group marching and chanting. But as we all have seen, anarchists made sure they were heard, as they burned trash cans and smashed windows throughout the D.C. streets. “Protest organizers have used Facebook to share information about their plans and to recruit people to join them at the inauguration. Two of the largest protest events, Inaugurate the Resistance and #J20 Resist, have a combined total of about 15,000 Facebook users who have said they will attend” (SARAH ALMUKHTAR; NY TIMES). And our class has a group of 13 going to the Women’s March tomorrow, so stay tuned for the next blog upload.

Though not a compulsory event to attend, many of the students in our class chose to wake up early and participate on the Women's March on Washington. We originally intended to stay together as a group, but upon entering the Metro station it became clear that would be nearly impossible. Trains were packed like metal tins of sardines, and it took us nearly twenty minutes just to exit at our stop. Creative signs and pink crocheted beanies were all that could be seen for blocks ahead and behind us. Crowds stretched from Independence and 3rd Ave to the Washington Monument, and along all of the side streets.

The day was divided between the rally at 10:00 am, and the march at 1:15 pm. There was a star-studded list of speakers, including the Mothers of the Movement (Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin; Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner; Maria Hamilton, mother of Dontré Hamilton; Hawa Bah, mother of Mohamed Bah; and Lucy McBath, mother of Jordan Davis), Gloria Steinem, and Senator Kamala Harris.

Today was undoubtedly the light at the end of a tunnel, that tunnel being this past presidential election and inauguration. Though the inauguration was painful to experience, walking into the metro station and seeing the massive crowds preparing for the march made us all extremely happy. The hate and bigotry we felt from the crowd of red on our way to the inauguration were completely diminished from the love we felt from the crowd of pink on our way to the Women’s March on Washington. Of the many incredible speakers and performers present, Gloria Steinem, the outstanding universal role model for all feminists of all generations, stole the show for me. Her immense sense of hope and love exuded as she spoke about how proud she was to see the fire of passion continue within the feminist movement at a time when one would think that it would be diminished. Her witty humor added a sense of light-heartedness to her words while also contributing to the welcoming environment of the march. She spoke of the other countries participating in women’s marches around the world and how she felt confident that the feminist movement would continue on with full force for future generations. As “nasty women” ourselves, words truly cannot describe the happiness we felt to feel our fellow brothers’ and sisters’ support in spreading the message of equality and justice for all at a time when our country needs it the most.

California's Junior Senator Kamala Harris acknowledged the moment as a pivotal point in our country's history, evoking memories of the Civil Rights Movement 50 years prior. Her speech was a rallying cry to all listening that, indeed, "We the people have the power...and there is nothing more powerful than a group of determined sisters...standing up for what we know is right." What is right, she goes on, is equal protection for all. What is right, is treating women not as a constituency but as any other American who is affected by the economy, national security, healthcare, education, criminal justice reform, climate change, immigration reform, and black lives. She admits the road ahead is long and tumultuous, but collective power and determination will lead to progress--as long as everyone who showed up to the March continues to show up.

As speeches continued, the crowd became restless. There were several instances where you could hear people chant “MARCH!”. We were all tired of standing, but in my opinion it was rude to not give the undivided attention these individual speakers deserved. At one point, a woman named Janelle Monáe took the podium. At first, it was unclear what she was going to do. She began to speak about issues that were important to her, specifically about African-American women’s rights. It is no secret that black women do not get treated equally compared to white women. In a country that claims to be “equal”, we know this is not truly the case. To demonstrate her position, she invited to the stage mothers who had lost their sons due to excessive police brutality, including Trayvon Martin’s mother, Mohamed Bah’s mother, Eric Garner’s mother, Dontre Hamilton’s mother, and Jordan Davis’s mother. Janelle Monáe then led a call-and-response song with the mothers and the crowd, where the mothers would say the name of each respective son and the people would yell back “say his name”. This was to demonstrate that their unlawful death was a real event and that we would not forget what happened.

As someone who feels very strongly about the Black Lives Matter movement, this was a significant moment in my life. I was brought to tears thinking about how unfair this country is when it comes to race, and even though African-Americans have been here for centuries, they do not get the respect they deserve. They were the ones who through blood, sweat, and tears built this country, yet they are still being attacked on a daily basis. I was so blessed to be able to witness this event and it will be a memory I cherish for the rest of my life.

The crowd of women at the March was so massive that not everyone was able to get close enough to hear the speakers and instead joined the river of attendees flowing through the streets. I (Shella) was one of those. Workers at the March directed us this way and that, speculating about the best way to get to the actual rally area of the March, but in the end I floated around the outskirts where women burned sage and others played guitars. A group of locals adopted me as their own and urged me to navigate the crowds with them. One of them carried a Pride flag/Jolly Roger crossover on a 10 foot pole, which made moving as a group so much easier. I eventually followed their flag to Chinatown where we were all finally able to sit and talk about our experiences. These DC residents noted that with the sheer volume of people flooding the area, an actual march was unlikely to happen and described the event as more of an "occupation." "We're everywhere," he remarked. There were pink hatted women and men still flooding into the area. There was nowhere for the march to go because we were already all over the downtown area.

As we shared experiences, we started checking social media. Pictures of marches in other cities, countries, and even Antarctica had hit the internet. The group was amazed at this. They never suspected the March would become so global. My companions knew thousands of people would descend on Washington, DC, but they never expected to find the same thing happening in London, Nashville, Austin, and even Calcutta. The Women's March had become so much more than any of us ever expected. It was not just a local phenomenon; it was a global movement.

January 22, Day 4 of SMCinDC: Sunday Funday- Weekend Recap

This morning the class had the opportunity to attend mass at St Matthews Cathedral the location where John F. Kennedy had his funeral after his assassination in 1963. The architecture in the cathedral was phenomenal with the four pillars representing the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. The rotunda was another profound feature which the sunlight that shined through the rotunda onto the altar and the front of the cathedral. The cathedral opened in 1913, but it resembles the Vatican because there was countless artwork all over the walls and in the rotunda. The mass was much needed for prayer for this unique and unusually stressful week. We had to pray for our world leaders to give them the guidance needed to do what is right and just for all people. The tourists that attended mass felt rejuvenated with the strength and belief of God to help them persevere through the challenges in life. I personally left reinvigorated with a sense of purpose and how to become wiser. Later in the day we explored the Arlington National Cemetery and it was surely an experience.

Walking into Arlington Cemetery was a breathtaking experience. You immediately notice the festive headstones with reefs around them for the Holiday Season. There are so many tombstones, and just when you think you have seen everything the cemetery continues to go further back, with more than more than 400,000 people buried there. With 27- 30 services held each weekday. At this rate the cemetery will be completely full by 2040. Arlington is the only national cemetery to have serviceman buried from every U.S. war. The Tomb of the Unknown was an unbelievable sight to see. With a more than 5,000 unidentified bodies buried there since 1921 and a guard on duty 24 seven. It was truly remarkable to see the respect given to these fallen soldiers. In section 27 of the cemetery there is more than 4,000 bodies of former slaves buried. It was a pleasant surprise to see emancipated slaves honored at Arlington. With a wide variety of soldiers, politicians, and slaves buried at Arlington it is a remarkable site to see.

Weekly Recap - Our first week of DC was an amazing, patriotic, and eye opening experience. Between the historic 58th presidential inauguration, the tours, and the cultural experiences this week, I can safely say that Washington, DC is a place for everyone. We as a class have witnessed our very first inauguration, which is a life changing experience. Personally, this week has been a monumental and eye opening vision into the next four years in our great country. Although, I may have vastly different views than most of the class, I do believe that everyone on this trip will take something away from this experience. I have had an amazing time, in the city that I love and work in, seeing the 45th president take his oath into office. Post Fridays election, DC has been booming with tourist attractions and people. Between the visitors from the inauguration, the women’s march, and everything in between, there has been an activity for everyone involved. It has been amazing to be back in my favorite city, and to see this truly nationalistic experience with our class.

Enjoy our pictures!!

We also thought we should include some separate pictures of the Inauguration that have not been shown :)

Our class was lucky enough to get tickets (because of Saint Mary's non-profit status) to the totally booked National Museum of African American History and Culture. The newest addition to the Smithsonian roster of museums opened this past September, and is the place to be in the District. The museum is structured similar to an iceberg, in that so much of it is hidden below the surface.

As the spacious elevator made its descent down to the beginning of the exhibitions, visitors entered the world as it was known to slaves in 1400. The dark atmosphere of the exhibition immediately provided a semblance that attempted to depict the pain and oppression experienced by those enslaved. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade was brutal to say the least. Hundreds of Africans, chained together, were packed onto these slave ships as they set sail for the Americas. These people were subject to scurvy, rape, and famine among other factors. Many never lived to see the final destination; some would either jump overboard to commit suicide or die of pure exhaustion. Nevertheless, the first part of the exhibition was extremely difficult to swallow yet helpful in terms of providing insight towards the history behind slavery.

The second level of the museum introduced us to the Civil Rights Era of the 1950s and 1960s, which demonstrated the long-awaited leadership and organization African Americans yearned for. Several occurrences of the Civil Rights Movement were acknowledged and the widespread variety of experiences were captured. One side of the spectrum included Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his nonviolent philosophy. The other was of Malcolm X and the Black Muslims, which were not as committed to nonviolence as Dr. King was. Several other incidents were displayed as well, such as the Little Rock Nine and the sit-ins at the lunch counters in the segregated South.

On this second floor was a special area dedicated to the story of Emmett Till. This was not the first time I was introduced to the story, but the raw emotions I felt the first time I heard it resurfaced. Emmett Till, a 14 year-old boy from Chicago, wanted to visit his relatives in Mississippi despite his mother's apprehensions. After being reassured that race relations were getting better, his mother let him go. While in the south, Till was in a grocery store where he was accused of disrespecting a white woman, which just so happened to be the wife of the owner. Later that day, Till was taken by the owner of the grocery store and his brother, but he never returned home. His relatives told police was missing, but it was not until a body discovered in a river completely mangled was he identified.

His mother made the decision that she would show his body in his casket for five days for all to see what those men did to her son. The men were tried before a completely white jury, and acquitted of all charges. This was such a significant moment in many peoples lives; both whites and blacks could not believe the cruelty that had taken place. I was so proud to know that Emmett Till got his own space dedicated solely to him where many could give him the respect he deserved.

The final exhibition of the museum paid tribute to the more recent contributions of African-Americans throughout history, particularly within social and artistic movements of modern history. Accomplishments within all realms of social justice, such as class hierarchy and feminism, and popular culture, including television, film, Broadway, were incorporated into this part of the exhibition, and it was truly inspirational. Seeing how far African-Americans have come in terms of achieving justice and equality and the progress they have made thus far in ensuring that their contributions to history and society are not only acknowledged but also appreciated as they now are provided a strong sense of hope definitely necessary given the current state of our country.

After the museum, we took the opportunity to experience the city. Sure, the museums are stunning and the government buildings hold a place of tremendous importance, not just for our history but for our future, but the people who make up our nation's capitol all add their own flavor to DC. I met Gideon, an Eritrean immigrant who works two jobs to provide for his family. We talked about family and goals and politics and when he found out I hadn't yet had lunch, he tossed me an orange from his shop. I met Tanya, a canvasser for Amnesty International who had missed the Women's March and was eager to hear stories. We noted that while we came from dramatically different backgrounds with different life experiences, in the current political climate, we could find common ground in our concern for the country's future. And finally, while crossing the Mall, I encountered an Army veteran with a battered and worn violin tucked carefully under his chin. I stood on the Mall, closed my eyes, and listened to his beautiful music. We've been running around nonstop all week and may have missed many moments just like this, but today I found the time. I stopped rushing along. I stopped looking at my phone. I just stood there, in the moment, and listened.

Other students branched off after the museum to get an abbreviated private tour of the Capitol Building. We stood in Statuary Hall, which was formerly used as the House meeting room before more states were added to the Union and a larger space was required. Now, the hall displays a selection of the 100 statues donated by the states (each state commissions 2 statues), hence the name Statuary Hall. We then moved through to an area not accessible to the public--the House Majority Leader's balcony. Adjacent to the Speaker's balcony, it features a gorgeous panoramic view of the D.C. landscape with the Washington Monument in the center. It felt surreal to be on the balcony of one of the most powerful leaders in our government, looking down on our nation's capital as the sun was preparing to set, bathing the city in a golden haze. It was a picturesque ending to one of the most beautiful days we've had thus far on our trip.

January 26th: We end at the beginning....Our Visit to Mount Vernon

Today was our last day in Washington, D.C., in our ten days, we have witnessed history, met with elected officials, visited multiple Smithsonian museums, talked to political reporters, listened to a historian talk about marches on Washington, researched in the Library of Congress, watched House and Senate sessions, took a night tour of the memorials, and along the way met amazing people and ate some incredible food.

You cannot have a class on "The Making of a President" without due homage to our nation's first President. So, this morning, we took a tour bus to Old Arlington and Mount Vernon. Our enthusiastic tour guide was eager to share DC trivia, but he met with disappointed faces when he told us that the mansion closed for repairs two days earlier! But, there is much to do at Mount Vernon, so off we went.

Old Alexandria

Our first stop was Christ's Church in Old Alexandria. George and Martha Washington regularly attended services at this church, and our students even got to sit in their original pew. On the grounds was a small graveyard from the 18th century.

At the cemetery is also a mass grade for Confederate soldiers. The church is still active, with five services a week, and the tour guide made a point to explain that this was a very inclusive church that accepted everyone.

We did not get to spend as much time as we would have liked in Old Alexandria, but here are a few fun facts (and we highly recommend you visit). Most of the buildings are on the historic registry, which means people must maintain the original exteriors. Homes go for $3-$5 million. We saw "the country's smallest home" called "Spite" -- it is just 7 feet wide, 325 square feet. It was built in the 18th century to prevent noisy carriages and horses from going down the alley and waking up the nearby homeowner. Gadsby's Tavern has been family owned since 18th century, and is still open to the public.

Mount Vernon

Even though the mansion was closed, we were able to learn a great deal about Washington and the estate by visiting the museum, watching a film, and walking the plantation. We had an hour long tour through the slave quarters, and learned about what life was like for the 300+ slaves the Washingtons owned.

The tour guides for Mount Vernon have extensive training and education, and were able to walk us through not only the daily life of slaves on the plantation, but could tell us individual stories.

In addition to the slave quarters, we say the spinning room, the laundry room, and the blacksmith's room

The Slave Cemetery

In a wooded area near the Potomac, slaves would bury their loved ones. It was only in recent years that the area has been identified. There is now an archaeological project to identify graves and mark them. In 1983, they dedicated the cemetery and descendants of Mount Vernon slaves attended the ceremony. They also have a daily wreath ceremony where they read aloud about some of the individual slaves that lived and died at Mount Vernon. Our students participated in the ceremony today.

Washington's Tomb

We walked down the wooded pathway from the slave cemetery to the tombs of the Washington. You could see the tombs for George and Martha, but interred in the wall were other Washington descendents as well.

A Prayer for George Washington

We have an early morning flight tomorrow, and we have next week to prepare our final project. We leave DC with new friendships, great memories, strong lessons learned, and a deep appreciation for our nation's history.

Tuesday, January 24th, 2017

American History Museum

On January 24th, our class visited The National Museum of American History. At the American History Museum we saw the tablecloth that the Brown family and lawyers from the NAACP gathered around to prepare their case for the supreme court in Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka. The results of this case desegregated all public schools. Another exhibit housed the lunch counter from the restaurant where college students started the Greensboro lunch counter sit-in. In 1960, African American college students sat at the whites only lunch counter and were tormented and beaten but refused to get up. Later that same year the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was formed to protest segregation. In the President exhibit, the museum presented Abraham Lincoln’s top hat that he was wearing the night he was shot in Ford’s Theater. One of the museum’s most prized exhibits is the flag that the song the Star Spangled Banner was written after.

After we visited the National Museum of American History, we made our way to the Holocaust Museum, which left all of us absolutely speechless. It was one of the most horrid and heart wrenching times of our global past, but also one of the more proud moments of our American history for everything we did in WWII. The Holocaust museum housed exhibits that ranged from a section based on the history of spreading of anti-semitic propaganda literature, to the burning of candles in the memorial. You were able to learn about how Hitler came to power and used the blaming of minorities to rally a whole country around genocide and world domination. You were also able to learn about what happens when you are tolerant to hatred like this. But what is really important, is being able to see the parallels between history and current time.