Barnabas File

I have been to Washington, DC, a number of times and always came away with new insights.    We took a family trip there this past week to introduce our granddaughter, Erin, to the nation’s capital.   As always, I left with a new set of impressions.   This time I was especially sensitive to the diversity I observed.   Here are a few vignettes: The young father—possibly Ethiopian or Eritrean—sitting on a bench with his wife and two children between the Vietnam Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial and explaining to his family in precise English the importance of these sites. Muslim women carefully covered with full length dresses and the hijab while sitting at Ben and Jerry’s eating ice cream. The group of French students and their professor admiring the art works at the National Gallery of Art. Visiting school groups, both from out of town and local, composed of students of various ethnicities. Overhearing conversations in many languages and d...

My grandson, Noah, and I visited Washington, DC, during the Spring break.   One of the highlights was a tour of the U.S. Capitol.   We had done this before, but each time is a learning experience.   As our guide pointed out the statues in the Rotunda and in Statuary Hall, both Noah and I noted an interesting juxtaposition.   In the Capitol are statues of both Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, and Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, the chief executives on the two sides in the Civil War.  There are also statues of both commanding generals of the opposing sides at the end of the war—Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee.  Of course, the individual states have the opportunity choose the statues in the Capitol Building based on persons that they consider notable, so Davis of Mississippi and Lee of Virginia are there because of their status in those states.  (You would be surprised at some of the se...

The Mall in Washington, DC, is one of my favorite open spaces.  Anchored at one end by the Lincoln Memorial and at the other by the U. S. Capitol building, the Mall is impressive not because of what surrounds it but for what it represents.  The Mall is an area that symbolizes the openness of the United States of America to fresh ideas and new people. Certainly, one does not have to look too closely to observe the security precautions even in this area, but I am always impressed by this great open space in the middle of a busy major city.  On most days, the Mall is occupied by people walking, jogging, playing games, taking pictures, or just “hanging out.”  These are U. S. citizens from many different ethnic backgrounds and many of the states, representing the diversity of our nation.  Visitors from other countries are evident as well, coming to see the national capital of our country and its many sights. For me, the Mall is an expression of community....