Day 8 (January 17, 2009)

From Ben Koch ‘10…

Newseum

With the seminar over, I now have plenty of time to peruse the streets and sites of Washington, D.C., that I had yet to see.  First stop, the Newseum, a newly open museum documenting the history of the news!  The museum features several exhibits, most notably a replica of eight panels of the Berlin Wall, a radio tower from the world trade center, hundreds of interactive displays and daily front pages from newspapers around the world.

My favorite display was a gallery of Pulitzer Prize winning photos.  If you are ever looking to be moved through photographs–this is the place.  The best of human emotion is documented alongside the depravity of indescribable loss.  I was moved by the stories surrounding each photo and the photographer who captured the scene.  Just as the pictures had an effect on me as the viewer, they had a strong impact on the journalists who captured them, as well. A 3D movie highlighting the importance of having a free press came complete with movable chairs and special effects.  I would expect something like this from Disney, not a museum, but I had a good time nonetheless.

National Archives

I love the movie National Treasure, and I felt like character Ben Gates as I went into the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence among other important documents.  I, however, was not there to steal that document.  Rather, I was there to see the oldest and arguably most important record of our nation’s founding that has brought us where we are today.  In the viewing area before the entry to the line for the other documents, a display featured the Magna Carta.  Though the display casing for the Magna Carta was impressive, it paled in comparison with that of the Constitution and the Declaration.  I could see the temperature, pressure and pH-monitor inside the casing of the Magna Carta.   Just like in the movie, when visitors so much as breath on the glass casing, the monitor will pick it up in an effort to keep the document exposed to the perfect environment for preservation.  Now that’s high-tech.

The Declaration was unrecognizable.  At 200 years old, not much of it is left to see on the original document.  At first glance, I even missed the famous signature of John Hancock.  However, upon closer examination I was able to see the famous signature.  It was awe-inspiring to know that the powerful document that declared our nation independent from the largest world power at the time was only inches away.  The Constitution and Bill of Rights were just as impressive in their display, surrounded by thick bullet and explosion- proof glass.  It’s a wonder to see something preserved for such a long time. It is also comforting to know that the strength of our nation, while founded with those documents, does not rely upon their physical existence to move forward.  I enjoyed seeing a piece of history that truly may not last physically for the ages.

On my way out of the Archives, I saw a Caterpillar mobile power unit.  I work at Caterpillar Logistics and found it fascinating to see yet another piece of central Illinois present in the city.  I never even thought about the important work that Caterpillar is doing for these Inauguration events.  I also saw the Internal Services and Revenue Building, the press box where D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty will watch the parade, and the red carpet for the BET honors inaugural gala.

National Holocaust Memorial

I ‘d been told that the National Holocaust Memorial is a must see in D.C.  I was told correctly.  As the Pulitzer Prize winning photos moved me earlier in the day, I was moved once again.  Its permanent exhibit, The Holocaust, documents and presents the history of this atrocity from beginning to end.

To see how the Nazis fueled hatred and anti-Semitism into genocide is disturbing and sad.  The museum is truthful and graphic in its telling. This was, after all, the mass killing of six million people for no reason other than their existence.  One particular part of the exhibit that stuck with me was a room that had thousands of shoes on the ground collected from the concentration camps after the war.

A quote on the wall by Yiddish poet, Moshe Szulsztein said it all:
“We are the shoes, we are the last witnesses.
We are shoes from grandchildren and grandfathers
From Prague, Paris and Amsterdam,
And because we are only made of fabric and leather
And not of blood and flesh,
Each one of us avoided the hellfire.”

The great part about this museum was its call to action.  This was not simply a museum to see and walk away from, but to see and be changed.  The truth is that there is a genocide going on today in the world, and we, as citizens of this planet, have an obligation to speak up on behalf of genocide victims. I’m not sure exactly what that will entail, but I hope to be a stronger advocate for those whose voices are being snuffed out due to such hatred.

“We are One” Dress Rehearsal

Leaving the Museum, Lauren Porto ‘10 and I decided to stop by the Lincoln Memorial to scope out the set-up for the “We Are One” concert tomorrow.  According to the news, over one million people are expected to show up, so we wanted to make sure we knew the lay of the land. The first thing, I noticed were the hundreds of portable toilets among the national monuments.  Despite their extreme numbers, with an expected 4-million visitors and only 5000 portable toilets…well, you can do the math.  We also saw several of the first-aid stations and fences going up everywhere.

As we approached the Lincoln Memorial, we heard what appeared to be a sound test for the concert the following evening.  Jumbotron screens are being constructed throughout the national mall for the concert and the Inauguration.  On the stage we saw Barack Obama and Joe Biden stand-ins conduct stage movements, as the HBO stage crew practiced changing sets for the bands.  The weather was cold, so I will be certain to dress in MANY, MANY layers tomorrow.  But, I’m not complaining. The temperature is still far above the sub-zero temperatures in Illinois lately!

From the scope of the practice session this evening, I can tell that this concert is going to be amazing.  It will be broadcast twice on HBO tomorrow, but you can look forward to the inside scoop and my response to my first HUGE crowd of people!  It’s been a long and exciting week, but now the true fun begins–the official Inauguration activities.  Inside Union Station where I grabbed a bite to eat, Inauguration attendees were arriving by the thousands.  This is going to be historic.

See you all tomorrow!  Please let me know if there are any questions you have about my experiences so far.