Today we packed up from LA and headed to Palm Springs en route to Joshua Tree National Park. Despite the rain, we were able to get in a 3.75 mile hike on a mountain in Palm Springs. The skies cleared up just in time to give us some beautiful views!
Greetings, all! This is Ms. Halfi reporting (from Troy) on behalf of the California trip. Heard great news from the Envoys field operator in charge of the trip:
“All is well in California! The group is happy to have arrived, if a little tired from their travels and the jet lag. They met up with Envoys program leaders at the airport and had some time to freshen up in the bathrooms and have some snacks before boarding their bus. They went to Venice Beach to conduct their program briefing and the creation of their full value contract, and then had time to explore the Santa Monica Pier and the surrounding neighborhood in small groups. They met back for dinner and then headed to the hotel to check in and go to bed.”
She also reported that today (Tuesday) marks the beginning of their journey towards Joshua Tree state park. Due to a forecast of very high winds in the Joshua Tree area tonight, they have re-routed their plans to camp tonight to instead board in a nearby hotel. Camping will still happen after tonight, though, as the forecast looks much milder from here on in.
Keep checking back here for updates from the trip participants throughout the week!
It makes sense that one of the first stops of the Civil Rights Away Program would be at the birth home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. After absorbing the rich history provided by the King Center and the Tomb of Martin Luther King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, we headed to the birth home of Dr. King, where we learned about his childhood. Students were also able to enjoy another place Atlanta is known for: the World of Coca-Cola museum!
Before leaving campus, we prepared for our trip with a day of learning about the Civil Rights movement, with students researching the locations and topics we will encounter so that they can serve as “experts” for the rest of us at each stop on our tour. After dinner at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, a trip to the Georgia Aquarium, and a good night’s sleep, we look forward to the King Center and the beginning of our Civil Rights journey.
Bright and early the group made our way to Boston University for an information session and tour. The sessions were packed, with large tour groups making their way around campus in some pretty intense winds! After marveling at the lovely buildings in the BU area, and enjoying our tour, it was time for lunch!
We headed to Newbury Street for a relaxing lunch before spending some time walking around to stretch our legs before a little bit before visiting Northeastern University! This was our first (outdoor) self-guided tour of the trip, and the campus was packed! Current students were making their way all across the sprawling campus, but we were able to get a feeling for life at Northeastern by visiting the major campus sites and even checking out a few buildings where classes and research happens.
The wind got the better of us in some moments, and we happily piled back into our trusty Emma van to drive to Tufts University: there, we ran into the elephant, and explored a bit of campus using their self-guided tour points. The view from the hill at Tufts had everyone thinking of our own Mount Ida, but everyone was a fan of the general vibe and architecture of the campus.
Tired and a little wind-blown, we stopped at Fenway to decompress with some bowling before heading back to our AirBnB and settling in for the night. Ordering dinner in and hunkering down, students hung out on their own (time to relax) or filled the living room with laughter before everyone tucked in for a solid night’s rest thinking about tomorrow: a late start to get us packed up and on the road to Amherst College!
Those are the words on a prominent sign as you exit the National Holocaust Memorial Museum in DC. We can’t think of a more powerful way to explore human rights than to take a deep and extremely emotional dive into one of the most horrific human rights violations in humanity. Prior to visiting, our group had a thoughtful discussion about the psychology of “groupthink” and how simple it can be for societies, governments, and individuals to turn a blind eye to pain and suffering of others l— especially when that pain and suffering is reported on a massive scale. This experience enriched our ability to explore human rights through a historical lens while also thinking about the part we play as individuals today.
Unanimously, our group decided that The National Holocaust Memorial Museum is an essential experience for anyone looking to examine human rights, past and present.
Tuesday gave us the opportunity to meet with three different organizations that are connected to human rights advocacy: Global Giving, the EPA Office of Environmental Justice & External Civil Rights, and the White House Environmental Justice Council.
Global Giving gave us an inside look at the intricate and often-complicated paths of funding behind humanitarian support around the world. This organization, founded in 2002, is a complex operation that prioritizes channeling financial support from donors to small, on-the-ground, non-profit organizations that are led by members of the very same communities that are most impacted by human rights issues whether it be natural disaster, war and persecution, political unrest, displacement, famine, gender violence, or any other impactful global situations impacting access to resources that grant any given community access to basic human rights as outlined in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Their philosophy to empower local, community-based leaders is founded in the philosophy that community-led efforts are agile, connected, flexible, and most importantly: they know what the true needs of their community are. Special thanks to our hosts at Global Giving, Jenny and Caroline, for spending so much time with us answering questions. A particular highlight of this visit was watching a clip from John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight that highlighted Global Giving’s participation in a fundraising effort to support efforts in Belarus to fight for democracy.
In our afternoon visits to the EPA OEJECR and the White House EJC, we were able to hear about how these two organizations are placing human rights at the center of science-based environmental work. We heard about the connection between the higher likelihood for marginalized communities to be in closer contact with higher levels of toxins, pollution, and industrial waste, and how communities with higher financial resources are more likely to have the ability to access legal support and political power to keep these kinds of hazards away from their homes and businesses. It was uplifting to hear about the work being done by these organizations to hold other governmental agencies accountable for actions that could potentially have a marginalizing and harmful impact on already-historically-discriminated communities.
While the information we are exploring can be heavy, the flip side is hearing about the amazing work being done to combat injustice and uplift human rights for all; regardless of who they are, where they are born, what they look like, how much access to financial resources they have. Every human deserves basic human rights, and we are all feeling uplifted by the good work of these and many other organizations!
After our arrival on Monday afternoon followed by a delicious dinner at a Ramen bar near our hotel, we engaged in a thoughtful conversation about many different aspects of the concept of human rights. We began by reflecting upon the following prompt: “Think about a moment from your own childhood when you first came into awareness of a human rights or humanitarian crisis. From where/whom did you receive this information? What were the people closest to you saying about it? Did you know of any organizations that were working to aid those most impacted by the crisis?” After some time journaling about this question, our group had a thoughtful conversation in which many different topics came up such as: public health, disaster relief, displacement, famine, drought, domestic violence, housing, militarization, unfair labor conditions, unfair imprisonment, and many more. This conversation led to an examination of the 30 articles from the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights drafted in 1948. Throughout this week in our explorations of organizations, museums, and memorials, we will be thinking about this declaration and the ways it has influenced human rights advocacy work.
Tuesday was a packed day with visits to three organizations: Global Giving, The Environmental Protection Agency Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, and the White House Office Environmental Justice Council. More details to come soon about the specific learning that took place during those visits!
We may have escaped the heavy, wet snow blanketing Mount Ida, but we haven’t escaped entirely unscathed: a little soggy, we made our way through the rain to Wellesley College!
Under the branches of dripping pines our group made the decision to keep our self-guided tour to the van, and drive around the campus to get our full of the picturesque buildings and gorgeous natural scenery with an impromptu informational tour from one of the chaperones who is familiar with the campus.
With the rain turning to snow, we made the decision to move our look at Northeastern (also a self-guided outdoor tour) to Wednesday and take refuge inside the New England Aquarium:
(Thank you to Flavia A. ’24 for these aquarium photos!)
After that we did brave some weather with a quick walk over to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market for lunch and some wandering before piling back into the van and making our home-away-from-home in an AirBnB. After settling in, the group met up to decide our course of action for dinner and plans for the free time through the rest of our visit.
This evening, we spent some time in Harvard Bookstore–keep an eye out for a haul of what we ended up picking out–and eating burgers and fries (with a stop for snacks and forgotten toiletries) before heading back to the house under some snowy skies.
Tomorrow: BU, Northeastern, and Tufts!
Day one of the New England college tour is off! Heading out from Mount Ida early this morning, we made it to Mount Holyoke college for a tour with two best-friend-tour-guides! Though the day was grey, the historic campus reminded us of Emma Willard School with its circa 1830s architecture, impressive towering library, expansive greens (or, they would be, come spring) and endless traditions.
After an information session chock-full of the student and alum experience, where students had time to ask questions ranging from the wellness resources available to continuing crew. Our guides then picked us up for a quick lunch in the dining hall before piling back into the van to make our way to Clark University.
Once there, we were greeted with information packets and snacks, before another information session featuring a current student to detail the experience. Our two tour guides led us throughout the campus, including athletic facilities and Clark University’s first building.
The first two visits crossed off the list, we headed over to the Natick Mall for some window shopping, actual shopping, dinner, and ice cream before resting for the day tomorrow: Wellesley College and Northeastern University!
Here’s a glimpse into the kinds of questions our Emma students will be grappling with this week as we explore the topic of Human Rights; past, present, and future:
Tomorrow we embark on a 5-day journey to Washington DC, where we will be visiting some amazing organizations such as USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, Global Giving, and the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights among other influential human rights institutions. To dive deep into the history of some of the most prominent and egregious human rights violations in history, we have resources at an arm’s reach such as the National Museum of African American History and Culture, The Holocaust Memorial Museum, and The National Museum of the American Indian.
Check back in daily to follow along on our learning journey!
A World Awaits You! 