The District of Inclusion
by Ana Milosavljevic (Spring 2017)
Growing up as “third-culture” kid, I never I completely felt like fit in, not in the United States, nor in Serbia. Third culture kids grow up in a country or culture that is different than their parents’, and so I became accustomed to people from my small hometown in New Hampshire inquiring about the pronunciation of my name and questioning the type of food I ate at home. Then, I entered high school, and learned that every fall, winter, and spring, we would all attend a school-wide pep rally. Suddenly, there were no questions, because it didn’t matter. Any differences I had with my classmates were forgotten, because we were all on the same team. This unifying characteristic of my high school community is something I have noticed of the Washington DC community. Although various backgrounds are represented throughout the District, some that citizens are not even aware of, at nearly a second’s notice people are capable of dropping their personally held preconceived notions to rally behind a common cause.
After spending some time in the District, I learned about DC’s lack of statehood, and how large the international community is here. I saw the gentrified communities that minorities sought refuge in, and analyzed the murals representing them. I have since then concluded that DC’s lack of a streamlined culture is actually a culture in itself.
Mural in Shaw area (Credit: Ana Milosavljevic)
Through spending an afternoon walking the U Street corridor, the mural pictured struck me as the most accurate representation of my predetermined impression of DC. The mural shows a divided DC, with individual communities shown underneath the Capitol. This representation appears analogous to the relationship that many communities throughout the United States have, where various underrepresented groups of people feel detached or removed from the mainstream culture.
DC has accepted being both the capital of the nation and the capital of frustration. Angry about civil rights? Protest. Upset with the President? Protest. No matter who you are, or where you come from, if you believe in a cause, you will be welcomed.
This characteristic of DC was especially noticeable at the People’s Climate March. As an Environmental Policy and Analysis major, I am fascinated with humans’ interaction and relationship with the natural environment, and I am even more interested in the way we, as a society, are approaching climate change. It is troubling to me that so many people lack interest in the stability of the planet and the sustainability of the human species, and I was inspired by the multitude of backgrounds represented at the march in support of climate change policies. If a high school can rally behind their sports teams, we, as citizens of the same planet, can rally for the sustainability of life on this earth.
This photo is from the People’s Climate March on 4/28 and represents the DC that I now know and love, one where everyone congregates around the Capitol, not below it. The Capitol is the centerpiece of the large, diverse table that is DC. (Credit: Ana Milosavljevic)
Even amid the hyper-partisan political climate, togetherness as a theme is prevalent throughout the district. You can’t walk anywhere without seeing an array of signs and posters calling for the mobilization of citizens in support or opposition of a common cause. Despite how cliché this concept has become, I believe that the district’s culture is one that focuses on what unites us as people, rather than the differences that divide us.
As the semester closes, I look forward to translating the dynamic I experienced in DC to the BU community to ensure that no matter the circumstances, individuals of all cultures and backgrounds feel welcomed to protest for what they believe in.
Ana is a rising senior majoring in Environmental Analysis and Policy and interned at a government relations consulting firm.
