Belmont University

July 14, 2009

Show Me the Way

ElisabethCharleston, South Carolina
I have no clue what to say about this place. I have sat here for 10 minutes now pondering what to write…

I got it: the way that class is portrayed with invisible lines that are evident but not completely clear in nearly every neighborhood and city that comes to mind. We were first introduced to this concept on the very first day when we did a driving tour of some of the various neighborhoods in Memphis. Now some 35+ days later I still find this occurring. In Charleston today it was just as true. First we had the market. This was a place that drew a collective bunch of people. What I would call an enjoyable mix of tourist and locals.

Then continue driving and two blocks later I find my surroundings to consist of Starbucks and Louis Vuitton! I like to think that this was a gradual change, but let’s be honest 2 blocks does not really allow for that kind of extreme transformation. So instead of a gradual change you experience this “invisible line .” It seems to be the habit that they start with the upper, middle class place on the perimeter of these areas. Now, do not be fooled, this is very strategic. Firstly, it establishes who should and should not continue down this route. After all if you cannot afford an outfit from Talbots and a highly commercialized and caffeinated beverage from some lovely coffee franchise then you probably cannot appreciate the even finer things like, $1000 purses that are in the center of this shopping island.

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July 13, 2009

Meet Virginia

JenniEither CNN has done a total revamp or I really have changed a lot over the past 37 days. As Emily, Shirah, and I sat down to the glorious cheap salad bar in the grocery store we are parked near, I found myself absorbed in the T.V. Instead of tuning out information that was either too depressing or didn’t seem relevant in my life, CNN was more like a collage of stories that weaved gracefully into my thought process these last 6 weeks.

A black woman in D.C. overcoming obstacles of race and gender to start her own business, Detroit's economy and the film industry arising there because of tax incentives fit right into our discussion this week and were places that we had traveled to within the last 7 days. I am guilty of being the girl who says in a class I can't get excited about "I will NEVER use this is real life." Its been an invaluable privilege to be in a class where the text book is the people and places we visit.

Our day in Williamsburg today was no different. We started the day off at Bruton Parish for their 11:15 prayer service. One of the oldest still operating churches in the U.S. we got to experience the Episcopal church in a place full of history. The Parish was key in some of the early colonial politics and has pews dedicated to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Tyler, and James Monroe who had all worshiped there for significant amount of time.

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