The Nation’s Capital, The World’s Expression Board
by Alessia Riccio (Spring 2017)
It is difficult to truly understand the deeply expressive nature of Washington, DC until you live in the heart of it all. As a student in the BUDC program this semester, I was lucky enough to both live in the heart of it all and get the chance to take part in its liveliness. Through rallies, marches, expertly planned social media firestorms, and interactions with lawmakers, residents and visitors of Washington, DC are able to communicate the diverse narratives of the district’s history, culture, and national and global significance.
Alessia took this photo at the Women’s March in Washington, DC after being amazed by this marcher’s dedicated to multiple causes, including women’s rights, climate change, and LGBTQ+ rights.
My first experience with the extensive freedom of expression in Washington, DC was with the Women’s March in January. As I had never attended something of this size or stature, I had unclear expectations. Immediately upon loading into the packed Metro car, while swaying side to side next to men and women who supported my views and respected my voice, I knew I was in the right place. I was most surprised to find that marchers were not only expressing their views on women’s rights, but also on many other relevant topics of the time such as climate change, immigrant and refugee rights, and LGBTQ+ power. I was empowered by the camaraderie of it all and inspired to explore the expression in DC further.
Alessia at the Women’s March, actively engaging with residents and visitors of the nation’s capital to take place in freedom of expression.
My second experience with freedom of expression in Washington, DC took me by surprise. The Day Without Immigrants was planned for February 16; however, I had not paid much attention to the news and did not truly understand the meaning or intensity of the day. The Day Without Immigrants was a planned protest and boycott to prove the importance of immigrants in America. Immigrants were encouraged to take off work and stay home to show residents how the economy would suffer without their hard work.
Alessia took this photo after running into multiple restaurants that completely shut their doors on February 16 in honor of a Day Without Immigrants.
On a trip to get lunch with my coworkers, we ran into multiple restaurants that were entirely shut down because most of their staff were immigrants and they did not have enough workers to keep the restaurants open without them. As the daughter of an immigrant, I was moved and overjoyed to see people finally recognizing the worth of immigrants in this world.
On a field trip with BUDC, Alessia took this picture behind the House of Representatives podium after learning about the true influence that constituents can have on their members of Congress.
These rallies, marches, protests, and freedoms of expression are aimed to spread awareness, not only throughout the district, but also throughout the entire world. News organizations hear about the extensive reach of these movements and word begins to spread. In turn, members of Congress and other lawmakers with the power to make a difference start to understand the needs of their constituents and enact laws to properly represent their people. It is vital that the nation’s capital has the power to serve as the world’s expression board, with freedom of speech and the power to spark change.
Alessia is a junior studying public relations and political science and is the 2016-2017 Menino Fellow at the National League of Cities’ Institute for Youth, Education and Families. Her interests lie in early childhood policy, health and wellbeing of children and families, and immigrant and refugee rights.
