JFK Library
After a long arduous bus journey, we finally arrived in Boston. We thought that the weather in Washington D.C. was cold, but never did we expect that the temperature got even lower. (Brrr…) The moment we stepped out the hotel doors, the cold Boston wind greeted us but we were all bubbling with excitement. Our first stop for the day was the John F Kennedy library which documented the life and times of the late president John F Kennedy (JFK). Our guide, Ms Lena brought us through the tumultuous times of the civil war when JFK was in office before bringing us around the museum that displayed JFK’s life before presidency, his run for president and subsequent years in president before he was assassinated. Before bringing us around the museum, Ms Lena spent a substantial amount of time engaging us in an interesting workshop on civil rights, mainly about a long “legal” battle between an African American, James Meredith, and the University of Mississippi.
What essentially happened was that James Meredith, as an African American, wanted to go to the University of Mississippi. This action was unheard of because schools then had not yet been integrated and the University of Mississippi was then considered and all white school. Hence, his application was rejected immediately once it was found that he was an African American. However, James Meredith had connections with certain people in the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) who decided to help him fight this battle which eventually resulted in a year and a half of legal battles. Although the federal court eventually ruled in favour of Meredith, the governor of the Mississippi Ross Barnett went on state TV to protest against this statement, inciting people of Mississippi to join hands with him to prevent such a ruling from coming true! This made the entire situation worse, with Barnett saying on state TV- (and this was telecasted to all the people in Mississippi) that he would do anything in his power as the governor to prevent this from happening. That situation quickly escalated to a human barrier to bar James Meredith from entering the school to register, constantly until Robert and John Kennedy, then US Attorney General, threatened to reveal secret recordings on phone conversations revealing that Barnett had been negotiating with them about diffusing the situation while effectively lying to his citizens about his dead-locked stance on the issue.
James Meredith was just one case that John Kennedy made a difference on in his short run as President before his assassination in 1963. Besides pushing for civil rights, he was well known and loved for his other work in providing foreign aid, improving minimum wage, diffusing the Cuba Missile Crisis and also Peace Corps.
“We will stand against the tyrannical ruling of the federal court! Join arms with us… (If we integrate the schools, it will mean genocide)… We will not drink from the cup of genocide.” – Ross Barnett on his stand on the James Meredith case.
Fun-fact #1: John Kennedy was also famous (or infamous) for the failed Bay Of Pigs invasion which he ordered. It is called Bay Of Pigs because the bay on Cuba’s southern coast they landed on is called Bay Of Pigs… or Bahia de Cochinos.
Sad-Fact #2: The University of Mississippi only has 16% African Americans- really really low compared to the 37-38% in lead schools.
Reflection Questions:
1) Do you think John Kennedy was a good President? Why or why not?
2) Robert Kennedy once said, in support of civil rights, “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” Do you think this slow build-up solution is, in context of the people and views and space etc, possible to achieve? Have we/ do you know anyone who had achieved?
Quincy Market
After which, we headed to Quincy Market, a quaint shopping area, for lunch. Some of us had the famed Boston clam chowder in a bread bowl, which was certainly very hearty- and a really, really short (window) shopping trip around the square- which could unfortunately be our only time shopping in Boston- before heading to our next destination.
Harvard University
Our last and most anticipated place that we were visiting for the day was Harvard University. Harvard University ranked 2nd in the QS World University Rankings- and 1st in the employability list in the world. Our tour-guide is a student currently studying evolution in biology in the very campus we visited. The entire campus was supposed to include around 70 libraries and more dormitories meant for the seniors and juniors of the school- we did not even visit half of its entirety! The entire trip was kind of like a dream to us where we never dreamt we would step into the grounds of Harvard University even before our A-levels and the beautiful dreamy mostly red-bricked architecture will remain an inspiration to us for years to come. (We also went a bit crazy in the Harvard Shop. But it’s Harvard!)
Myths & Facts:
Fact: Harvard University was not founded by John Harvard.
Fun-fact #1: A student burnt down the Harvard Hall in 1764 due to his negligence when he was inside trying to refer to a book for his report. In his rush to smuggle a priceless book out of the library to finish his report due the next day, since the reference books were not allowed to be checked out of the library, he forgot to blow out the candle and the Harvard Hall burnt down as a result.
Fun-fact #2: After the fire, most, if not all of John Harvard's possession including portraits of him that he donated were reduced to ashes. The famed statue of a man (supposedly John Harvard) with the shoe that most visitors touch is actually NOT John Harvard, but the nephew of the President of the university at that time as nobody knew how John Harvard looked like.
Fun-fact #3: Harry Widener was a student (who loved books and ice cream) in Harvard that was on board the Titanic. He was able to get on a lifeboat but rushed back to the ship to retrieve some papers when the ill-fated ship sank. In memory of him, his mother donated a library (The Widener Library) and had many ice cream outlets built around the campus which would serve ice cream to the students whenever they liked. Now, the ice cream shops change ice cream flavours (they have red velvet flavour!) almost every week. The Widener library, due to certain stipulations made by his mother when donating the library, has 5 floors downwards due to expanding and upgrading. (It’s cold and dark, but definitely really, really cool. Pun intended. Or not.)
Fun-fact #4: There is a belief in the university that all students would only pass through the main university gate (Johnston gate) twice --- once, when they first entered the university as freshman and another when they graduated as seniors. Anyone who passed by the gate more than once would (purportedly) not be able to graduate.
Fun-fact #5: The dorms located at the main yard of Harvard campus is only meant for freshmen so that they feel more comfortable, with people in the exact same age and situation as them surrounding them instead. (And apparently dorms are co-ed!)
Myths & Facts:
Fact: Harvard University was not founded by John Harvard.
Fun-fact #1: A student burnt down the Harvard Hall in 1764 due to his negligence when he was inside trying to refer to a book for his report. In his rush to smuggle a priceless book out of the library to finish his report due the next day, since the reference books were not allowed to be checked out of the library, he forgot to blow out the candle and the Harvard Hall burnt down as a result.
Fun-fact #2: After the fire, most, if not all of John Harvard's possession including portraits of him that he donated were reduced to ashes. The famed statue of a man (supposedly John Harvard) with the shoe that most visitors touch is actually NOT John Harvard, but the nephew of the President of the university at that time as nobody knew how John Harvard looked like.
Fun-fact #3: Harry Widener was a student (who loved books and ice cream) in Harvard that was on board the Titanic. He was able to get on a lifeboat but rushed back to the ship to retrieve some papers when the ill-fated ship sank. In memory of him, his mother donated a library (The Widener Library) and had many ice cream outlets built around the campus which would serve ice cream to the students whenever they liked. Now, the ice cream shops change ice cream flavours (they have red velvet flavour!) almost every week. The Widener library, due to certain stipulations made by his mother when donating the library, has 5 floors downwards due to expanding and upgrading. (It’s cold and dark, but definitely really, really cool. Pun intended. Or not.)
Fun-fact #4: There is a belief in the university that all students would only pass through the main university gate (Johnston gate) twice --- once, when they first entered the university as freshman and another when they graduated as seniors. Anyone who passed by the gate more than once would (purportedly) not be able to graduate.
Fun-fact #5: The dorms located at the main yard of Harvard campus is only meant for freshmen so that they feel more comfortable, with people in the exact same age and situation as them surrounding them instead. (And apparently dorms are co-ed!)