Food

Food. My favorite part of the trip involved food. Spoken like a true Italian I’d say. My grandparents would be proud.

A tavola non si invecchia.

It’s an old Italian proverb, or at least I think it is. To be honest, I just grabbed it off of Google. Literally translated, this means “a table does not age,” but I like Google’s translation better: “At the table with good friends and family you do not become old.”

The best part of the trip was our fellowship at the table. After a tough semester with both academics and Bonner, sharing meals with my Bonner family was a great way to celebrate, and like the proverb says, it is keeping me young! From lunch at the inner harbor in Baltimore, to a BBQ with Bonners from the University of Richmond, to a mahi mahi filet in downtown Richmond, to PB&J at our service site, to tamales at NachoMamas, to fried chicken at a restaurant run by ex-cons, to our last meal together at a Burger King just outside of Richmond, the Sophomore class grew closer. Breaking bread with someone is one of the best ways to bond. And oh, did we bond! So, while I learned about the Civil War and visited a city I have never been to before, I enjoyed most the eating, talking, singing, and laughing with my classmates at the table.

Ok, I need to write about something other than food in this blog, so I’ll briefly share what I learned on this trip. On our walking tour of Hollywood cemetery, we saw confederate flags almost everywhere we looked. At first I was taken back; I have always automatically associated those flags with racism. But then I was challenged to view history from a Southerner’s perspective. For some, the flags may represent Southern pride, or freedom/independence in general. This moment, along with a visit to the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar, reminded me to be open-minded and to try to pick out and take note of my biases.

I also learned that the South (and Virginia isn’t even that far south) is not a place where I would want to live.

Lastly, Boaz and Ruth, a faith-based reentry program, was awesome! To learn about it, just look at Chelsea’s blog below. Sheesh, I’m lazy. Anyway, it was great to see such a mature/well-established re-entry program, for now I have a measurement for success for other programs in Jersey that I may encounter. Now, back to food…at Boaz and Ruth, and the other site that we worked at, we worked in a community garden. While community gardens are becoming popular in New Jersey, it took a trip to Richmond to show me how useful they can be. I never gave much thought into how gardening in an urban environment can be useful. By going to Richmond, I have become a much bigger advocate of YouthBuild’s community garden!

Overall, I’m glad that I decided to go to Richmond! And now to quote my good friend DJ (see blog below), who seems to have stole my blog about food (and now I shall steal his quote): Atlanta here we come! We’ll all be twenty-one! (I was going for the rhyme?)

Eating Good, Growing Great

Despite the grammatical incorrectness of our favorite mural in Richmond, the phrase "Eat Good. Grow Great." really describes our time in Richmond. Our trip was defined by both good food and a variety of meanings of the word "growth."

It seemed that, no matter where we went or what we did, we could not escape food in Richmond. We ate well in Richmond, visiting some very interesting restaurants (including one, called The Firehouse, which is run by Boaz and Ruth). And the majority of our time at William Byrd Community House and Boaz and Ruth was spent in sustainable and organic community gardens. Our service entailed a variety of tasks to help these organizations with the upkeep of their gardens. As we plucked weeds and harvested vegetables, we learned about the benefits that these gardens provide each of these organizations. William Byrd Community house provides a farmers market where patrons and local community members can use food stamps to buy the crops, offering a healthy and organic alternative for those living in a "food desert." Boaz and Ruth, who just started their garden, are able to use the crops at The Firehouse and also plan to use the garden to draw the local community into the Boaz and Ruth community.

The food was definitely exciting, but "growth" was much more definitive of our time in Richmond. From educating ourselves about the Civil War to learning about the exciting organizations that we worked with, Richmond provided us all with a variety of growth opportunities as individuals and as a group.

Our time at the Hollywood Cemetery and the Civil War Museum, and our individual interactions with some of the people we worked with, gave us a new perspective on the Civil War. We were able to view the history of the war through three lenses: the northern perspective (which we have been taught traditionally), the southern and confederate perspective, and the slave perspective. It was interesting to be learning about the war in the city that was once the capital of the Confederacy. Our time learning about this has helped me to grow in my understanding of the cultural and political differences between the north and the south of our country. And while I still would find it impossible to live in the south, the concept of time is far too slow and my perspective just does not align with the majority culture down there, it is nice to have a new understanding of it.

Learning about the advanced and progressive strategies and models of the two organizations that we worked with in Richmond also allowed us to understand the growth that is possible for the organizations that we work with in Trenton. As someone who spends three out of five days of my week at East Trenton Center, it was inspiring to the way the William Byrd Community House runs its organization. It provided a vision for the future of the center and what my primary site, Learning Lab, could one day become.

My favorite growth experience on the trip, however, was much simpler than the others. Simply put, our time in Richmond also allowed us to grow in our relationships with each other as a Bonner class. I thoroughly enjoyed spending a week with the individuals that I serve with at TCNJ. Getting to know them on a deeper level and enjoying their company has been the highlight of the whole experience for me. I am so glad to have gone to Richmond and look forward to next year's trip. Atlanta here we come!

Katie Kahn--After Richmond Blog

Learning: I am a total hands-on learner.  I found it very beneficial to get to walk through the Hollywood Cemetery and Tredegar rather than just talk about the Civil War.  I think the most valuable knowledge I took away from the learning aspect of our trip was seeing a Southern perspective on the war.  I think a lot of times when we study the Civil War, there is a very "us vs. them" mentality, and us Northerners tend to think we were right and they were wrong.  It is so important when learning about history, especially our own country's, to keep an open mind and not view everything in black and white.  Even today, the media would have us believe that there are people who are right, and there are people who are wrong, and there is no in between.  Bias can cause confusion and misinformation that really can be harmful to the further progress of the United States.  This trip helped me to remember that, and I can bring it into my service as well as my every-day life.

Serving: My favorite part of the trip was by far seeing Boaz & Ruth.  What an amazing program! Reentry has always been an interest and passion of mine, and it was great to see such a program existing.  I would have loved to do even more service there, and get to interact and serve alongside the members of the program even more.  Furthermore, the William Byrd Community House was an excellent example of a successful asset in a community.  Seeing the way their after-school program is run, I am returning with new ideas for ASA as well as hope that our many education sites really can improve with hard work and dedication.

Bonding: Sometimes, I forget how great of a family my fellow Bonner Scholars can be.  Freshman year we lived together, went on two trips together, and became so close.  This year, however, we were all separated and much busier as Sophomores.  I am so grateful for this trip, and the opportunity to reconnect with my Bonner family.  I think I laughed more during this trip than I had all semester, whether it was during service or exploring all that Richmond had to offer.  Also, Maddy and En En were excellent staff to have on the trip.  En En knew so much about Richmond and the Bonner program there, and he was positive throughout the week.  Maddy was a great leader, and her passion for history made our learning experience very enjoyable.

Chelsea VanOrden- Richmond: Before, During, and After

When we left for Richmond I was excited. It was a city I had never been to and I looked forward to getting to learn more about the civil war.  I previously had explored it through AP courses in high school as well as a course about the conflicts leading up to the war this past fall semester. Having that background what intrigued me the most about Richmond was the perspective they were going to take on the North-South issue and how they were going the explain the causes. Coming from a Northern background, I was taught about the war from a young age differently than some students are in the south. I looked forward to hearing opinions of the locals as well as seeing how the museums would portray the war.
Once we arrived to our first day of service at the William Byrd community house I was thrilled to hear that we were going to be working in the community garden area. I had expected it to be a larger farm like Fernbrook and have a building with many divisions in it after hearing about all of their initiatives. Instead it was a small community garden. For the actual service we worked in the fields harvesting vegetables and then I later helped to move mulch onto the playground area for the kids. While I was working I started reflecting on the history that farming holds for people. When we are working in the fields we are a part of something that has been occurring for millenniums. Humans investing in agriculture is what started society. It is so much larger than just us. It felt amazing to be a part of something larger than myself not only in the physicality of doing community service, but also across the landscape of history.
After we worked in the garden we headed over to Hollywood cemetery where many Confederate dead are buried along with Jefferson Davis, James Monroe and John Tyler. I was surprised by the negative reactions the group overall held toward the Confederate flags in front of the graves of the dead. I had forgotten that others may not have sat through the courses I had and been forced to consider all viewpoints for the war both then and now including states rights and independence as well as the causes for soldiers joining which were not just limited to their belief in the system of slavery, but rather as a fight for their freedom, families and friends. The flag that to us would hold a negative connotation does not necessarily for everyone who sees it. Even today it can stand as a sign of asserting independence and not the wish to enslave people. As we walked I was impressed by the passion that our hosts had for their city. They knew so much about how it developed and their families had a history there as well. This enabled them to see the transformation of the city since it was first established and permitted them an expert knowledge in the changes of it. I really enjoyed seeing the graves of James Monroe and John Tyler as I had no idea they were buried in Richmond. I wish we had gone to see Jeff Davis', but it was so hot that I do understand why people were ready to stop the climb up and down the hills. 
This day made me think about how I would like to see Bonner grow. I loved that they created a community garden and I wondered how we could use our connection with Fernbrook and the gardens they build at schools to create community gardens for the city. That way we can be a part of making healthier options more accessible to the students and their families. I also enjoyed how they are involved in so many social justice issues, but they keep it contained enough that they can make the maximum impacts on those who they serve. Rather than choosing one issue and helping people in that one way they chose less people and help them in as many ways as they can. I really appreciated that because I feel when we spread ourselves out so far across so many areas it makes it difficult to remember the individuals we are serving and allowing them to get lost in our quest to serve the greater good.
The second day of service we went to Boaz and Ruth which is a a reentry program for men and women who were in prison. I did not expect it to be as inclusive as it was. I imagined one large building not the block or "campus" of homes that they owned for those in their program to participate in. It was interesting to me having just returned from my brother's rehab in Florida which was set up in the same format. That was very unexpected for me to find so many similarities across both of the issue areas and their methods of classes combined with job opportunities as well as living with others in the program. We also worked in the garden and it was great to get to speak with the two men who were assigned to us that day. They were so knowledgeable about history and political issues that it was interesting to hear their perspectives on life. It made me wonder what it would be like to be away from society for so long and to enter into what likely seems and is a completely different world. 
After we went the the Tredager Museum on the James River. It was set up to teach about the four years of Civil War and divided it up into the Northern, Southern, and Slave perspectives. They called it, Union, Home, Freedom. I found it interesting to see it set up in such a way. As if Union was not related to home. I bothered me to see that they ignored that there were southerners who supported the Union and there are books on it, ones I have read for class. They created a division today in their portrayal of the war. Plenty of people wanted to see the nation stay together, but once their brothers began the battles, there was no way to go back. It was also interesting to see their videos about the war. I, along with others in the group could not help but analyze the gender and racial roles that were played such as the white man standing tall in the middle and the black man always speaking when something was being said about slavery. Overall it was a nice museum. However, the end shocked me. The wall of post it notes asking what the country would be liked if the North had not won and several notes said "better." I was not shocked that people felt that way, but I was shocked about the forum they chose to express their opinions on the matter.
Once I arrived home I sat back and I started to think about how I had spent the past several days. I was once again interested in American history even though I have spent most of my college time in my major pursuing Russian history. I remember why I loved the starting of this nation and all the challenges we faced that were similar across the global landscape. It was a great trip overall and it was nice to get to see friends and to work side by side with Bonners that I do not always have the opportunity to work with. It was a trip well worth it and I would suggest it to all of those who are able to go in the future.

Katie Kahn Before Richmond Trip

"The Bonner Enrichment program was created to provide TCNJ Bonner students with a series of service trips to increase knowledge of democracy and citizenship." Honestly, I'm no history buff.  My roommate is, but I am clueless when it comes to most things related to history.

Freshman year, I found the trip to Philadelphia to be enriching and enlightening.  I had never been there before, and to look at the birth of democracy and connect those deep roots with the service I do was a valuable experience. Also, being able to see the obstacles that oppressed groups have overcome throughout our nation's history was moving.  Although there is still a lot of work to be done for social justice, it is always inspiring to remember how far we have come.

I hope to learn more about the slave trade, the Civil War, and African American history through our service trip to Richmond.  I hope the service we do there will give me a new perspective on the service we do in Trenton. Finally, I hope that my sophomore class can continue to bond and become stronger as a group, because I do believe our strength as a unit affects our strength in our service.

The Second Year TCNJ Bonner students are traveling to Richmond, VA on May 21st through May 24th! The Bonner Enrichment program was created to provide TCNJ Bonner students with a series of service trips to increase knowledge of democracy and citizenship. The service trips start with bringing students to the birth of democracy in Philadelphia. It then progresses to learning about the struggle for equality during the Civil War in Richmond, to the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta, and finally to address the needs of a developing country on an international scale.

These trips are opportunities to start making connections between service at our sites in Trenton and the larger scale of social justice. They expand on how our "movement" is connected to earlier movements that sought to empower others, treat others equally, as well as improve quality of life for all. The heart of these service trips are to give us a foundation of understanding of our nation's political history so in the future we will be more likely to participate in the political processes to bring change on the law-making level.

In Richmond, our Bonner Community Scholars will learn more about the history and impact of the Civil War in the struggle for democracy by visiting museums and historic sites, including the Richmond Slave Trail and the American Civil War Center. The Bonners will also conduct service at Richmond-based sites including Boaz and Ruth and the William Byrd Community House. This blog is an opportunity for our students to share their experiences and reflect on the time they spend in Richmond and the impact it has on their ideas on the struggle for democracy and social justice.