Black History Month: The Importance of American Black Leadership in the World
February is Black History Month, and to celebrate it, you’ll learn about how travel experiences abroad have influenced and made an impact on the lives of American black leaders.
February is Black History Month, and to celebrate it, you’ll learn about how travel experiences abroad have influenced and made an impact on the lives of American black leaders.
These leaders provide us with meaningful quotes that give us as readers insights from interviews, speeches and written memoirs. Their experiences come from short term travel and relocating to a new country.
They’ve happened at different times and in countries all around the world.
Obama to Spain
After Obama graduated college, he went to Europe before visiting his father’s homeland of Kenya. Obama recounted his stop in Spain to the British Broadcasting Company (BBC):
“...we arrived in Barcelona and it was just daybreak, and I remember walking towards the Ramblas, towards town, and the sun was coming up. And so, those kinds of trips are memorable because they’re part of you as a young person trying to discover what your place in the world is.”
At the end of the president’s 2nd term in July 2016, Obama returned to Spain for a visit and met with the king.
“Travel also reminds us of what we share and what we have become – the ability for us to recognise ourselves in each other”
For some leaders, these experiences have been shorter immersion experiences, but for others, it has been much more of a longer term immersion experience.
Kamala Harris in Montreal
Original photos courtesy of @kamalaharris instagram (left) and English Montreal School Board Facebook (right)
When Vice President Kamala Harris was growing up, her mother worked at a local university in Montreal and Vice President Harris spent a good portion of her childhood in Montreal.
According to the L.A Times, Harris attended most of secondary school (7th grade - senior year of high school) in Montreal and its Westmount neighborhood. Harris graduated from Westmount High School in 1981.
“I used to joke that I felt like a duck because all day long at our new school I'd be saying 'Quoi? Quoi? Quoi?'” - Kamala Harris in her 2019 Memoir “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey”
Based on Harris’ quote, we see the universal challenge of travel that comes from learning a language and a sense of the cultural assimilation that takes place when moving to a new country.
During Vice President Kamala Harris’ first days in office, she made one of her first international calls to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Treadeau. These travel experiences abroad have created an ability to strengthen international relationships.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In Berlin
When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited the Berlin Wall, it was less than five years old and John F. Kennedy had been assassinated within recent memory. Dr. King gave a moving speech that focused on the call for unity around the world.
Original photo courtesy of PhotoQuest—Getty Images
“There is no East, no West, no North, no South, but one great fellowship of love throughout the whole, wide world.”
“Men and women search for meaning, hope for fulfillment, yearn for faith in something beyond themselves, and cry desperately for love and community to support them in this pilgrim journey.”
He called to break down the barriers that were separating people and to find meaning in literal and figurative common ground, given that Jim Crow laws and segregation still existed at the time of his speech.
In the honor of late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., many countries around the world have incorporated his name on streets and in public spaces around the world.
The words and connections that American black leaders have made around the world continue to leave an indelible mark on global community. Their work and effort to break down barriers and bring the world closer together resonates with our organization’s motto: “Through international exposure, we mature to be a more understanding, respectful, and impassioned world.” We will only grow and truly embrace that maturation as a worldwide community if black voices and the black community have the support of all organizations in our space.
The importance of organizations that support diversity and inclusion, and during this month particularly, organizations that support black students and students of color. In the field of international education, diverse student representation in study abroad matters, and with that in mind, we ask that you please support our friends the following organizations:
Did we miss a great organization that we should add to the list? Please email Joe Meringolo (joe@edodyssey.com)
Sources:
Belfer, Ilana. “Kamala Harris’ Montreal High School Posted Her Yearbook Photos From 1981.” MTL Blog, 8 Nov. 2020, www.mtlblog.com/en-ca/news/montreal/kamala-harris-montreal-high-school-posted-her-yearbook-photos-from-1981.
Bilefsky, Dan. “Kamala Harris’s ‘Canadian Dream.’” The New York Times, 3 Nov. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/10/09/world/canada/kamala-harris-canada.html.
Harris, Nadia-Elysse. “Martin Luther King, Jr. Traveled About 6 Million Miles Between 1957 And 1968.” TravelNoire, 18 Jan. 2019, travelnoire.com/martin-luther-king-jr-traveled-about-6-million-miles-between-1957-and-1968.
MacDonald, Thomas. “Former Montrealer VP Kamala Harris Spoke About Her Time In The City With Trudeau.” MTL Blog, 2 Feb. 2021, www.mtlblog.com/en-ca/news/montreal/former-montrealer-vp-kamala-harris-spoke-about-her-time-in-the-city-with-trudeau.
Reynolds, Christopher. “The 5 Places That Shaped Kamala Harris, Including Montreal.” Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2020, www.latimes.com/travel/story/2020-08-11/five-places-that-have-shaped-kamala-harris.
Selena Ross, and Selena Ross. “‘How Canadian Is She?’ Probably More than You Think, Say Kamala Harris’ One-Time Montreal Classmates.” Montreal, 12 Aug. 2020, montreal.ctvnews.ca/how-canadian-is-she-probably-more-than-you-think-say-kamala-harris-one-time-montreal-classmates-1.5060720.
Wazman, Olivia. “What Martin Luther King Jr. Said About Walls During His 1964 Visit to Berlin.” Time, 18 Jan. 2019, time.com/5504826/martin-luther-king-wall-history.
Williams, Yohuru. “Martin Luther King and ‘God’s Children’ on Both Sides of the Border Wall.” Progressive.Org, 9 May 2019, progressive.org/dispatches/martin-luther-king-gods-children-borderwall-Williams-190115.
What Makes Berlin Different
Berlin is known for its inspiring street art and delectable foodie scene. As a city with tremendous historical turbulence, its history and art alone, is worth learning about in person. A visit to Berlin is bound to be an incredible experience, filled with gorgeous sights and intriguing architecture, it’s likely you’ll be captivated by its charming ambiance and culture.
Pictured: Brandenburg Gate
Berlin is known for its inspiring street art and delectable foodie scene. As a city with tremendous historical turbulence, its history and art alone, is worth learning about in person. A visit to Berlin is bound to be an incredible experience, filled with gorgeous sights and intriguing architecture, it’s likely you’ll be captivated by its charming ambiance and culture.
What about Berlin, specifically, makes this city so unique? Together, we will explore a few aspects of Berlin which make it a bucket list destination.
Berlin Teaches Visitors History
Has Berlin moved on from World War II, the Cold War, and atrocities from the Holocaust? Even the most devastating parts of Berlin’s past are still a part of their present.
Pictured: Topography of Terror
- Dennis Jarvis, Flickr
To expand, museums pertaining to WWII, including the Holocaust Museum, East Side Gallery, and Topography of Terror, are free for visitors. This is another example of Berlin opening up the discussion, admitting to their faults in the past, and opening the door for visitors to understand for themselves. Even Hitler’s bunker where he committed suicide, which can be considered a pivotal moment in history, is now a parking lot, because they do not allow for pilgrimage or homage to the Nazi regime.
Additionally, the division of East and West is still clear and you can find traces of its communist past by visiting exhibits, such as the DDR museum. The buildings, alleyways, everything - has a different feel in the East and West.
The Museum Island is another interesting area to walk through, close to Alexanderplatz and the TV Tower. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that consists of five museums devoted to archaeology and works of art. Take a look into the Berliner Dom and climb 270 steps to it’s observation deck to view Berlin's historic city centre.
Pictured: Reichstag
After spending some time, walk a few minutes to the Brandenburg Gate, an iconic monument that is now a national symbol of unity. Less than a ten minute walk away is the Reichstag, which is currently home to Parliament. This historical building features a glass dome, built to symbolize the reunification of Germany.
Berlin: Home to Meaningful Memorials
Pictured: Checkpoint Charlie
Due to its recent and relevant history, Berlin’s memorials and monuments really make visitors feel their darkest days. It’s one thing to read about something in a history book in school, but to feel the Berlin Wall with your own hands, walk by former Nazi buildings, and hear firsthand about the stories at Checkpoint Charlie, is something real and worth visiting.
Europe is known for its incredible landmarks and monuments, but the memorials alone in Berlin are quite remarkable, and at times even abstract. The many feelings evoked just by viewing these are due to the purposeful nature of the city. For instance, the Book Burning Memorial (the “Sunken Library”) located in Bebelplatz, is an underground memorial with hundreds of empty bookshelves below its surface, to commemorate the book-burning in May of 1933.
Take a stroll or hop off at the Ostbahnhof station to view the colorful murals on the East Side Gallery, which can be seen as a symbol of joy at overcoming the division of Germany. The Berlin wall itself is mostly gone, but you can find its remains around the city. The route of the Berlin Wall is marked along some streets with a double row of cobblestones.
A more somber area to visit is the Memorial for Murdered Jews of Europe, a memorial you can walk through and determine your own meaning behind its overwhelming and massive build.
The Diversity Behind Berlin’s Evolution
Berlin is very much a melting pot. The city expresses art and creativity in numerous ways, and even on the coldest days, there is a sense of warmth and liveliness that makes visitors feel welcomed. Berlin has a nonconformist atmosphere that is really something to experience. The edginess and creativity that emits from locals really moves within the city.
Though Berlin is considered to be non-conformist city, people still follow and respect rules, such as waiting to cross the street, even in the middle of the night. Interestingly enough, the train doors at station stops will even open early before the train is completely stopped
During your visit, you may notice a little green man on traffic lights around East Berlin. The Ampelman’s main purpose is guiding walkers to safety across intersections, not only in East Berlin, but also for West Berliners now too. Another intriguing element of Berlin that would be incredibly hard to miss is the TV Tower! You can spot this from almost any point in the city centre at 368 meters high.
Traveling around Berlin is easy-going and the city really embraces visitors. Besides the extremely convenient public transportation, the ease and diversity in finding great cuisine is another plus! Compared to other large cities, meals and transportation are both affordable. The Kreuzberg neighborhood offers some of the best diversity in cuisine in Berlin.
Street food is plentiful and easy to grab on your way to another attraction. Don’t forget to try currywurst! This delicious snack, consisting of sausage, tomato sauce and curry powder, is Berlin’s pride and joy. For more information about this German invention, feel free to visit the Currywurst Museum in Berlin, around the corner Checkpoint Charlie.
Locals say that Berlin is a city that is constantly evolving, where the Berlin you may visit now is not the same Berlin you’ll visit later on. Even so with its bustling city life, Berlin is still very much a relaxed place. There are plenty of opportunities to relax with a coffee or enjoy a stroll next to the River Spree.
Pictured: River Spree (Berliner Dom on the right)
Berlin is the perfect city break in Europe and it’s no surprise that many travelers consider it to be one of their favorites! With its vibrancy and historical relevance, every single corner in this city has a story worth understanding.
A visit to Berlin, and surrounding areas, has potential for life-changing experiences for school communities. Teachers enjoy working with our organization because experiential learning abroad takes a team of teachers and international educators to extend the classroom into meaningful, culturally enriching activities!
Do you want a better idea of how teachers and schools infuse our organization's resources and tools into their academics? Please check out the detailed description of this unique, fully customized German immersion program from the perspective of one of our trusted partners!