Global Portfolio
Welcome to the Global Studies section of the website! This page will contain all of the information on the events, zoom meetings, and workshops I've participated in as part of Watkinson's Global Studies program thus far.
Global Studies
ADL Walk Against Hate
There were numerous reasons why I chose to volunteer during the ADL Walk Against Hate, such as it being one of the Global Studies events or because my friends wanted to, but none of those reasons were the main reason I chose to volunteer; it was because I identify as Jewish. I've seen a lot of anti-Semitism in the world in my life, and I'm constantly concerned about it and trying to think of ways to help prevent it in the future. I feel that as a Jewish American, I can contribute to the end of anti-Semitism by participating in as many events, programs, and activities as possible. When I went to the large ADL conference in New York City two years ago, I felt like I had a greater understanding of anti-Semitism after hearing from a variety of people. Volunteering at the Walk Against Hate allowed me to demonstrate how I can contribute to reducing anti-Semitism by assisting the ADL and informing my non-Jewish classmates about Anti-Semitism.
Bethel Woods
Going to Bethel Woods was a very educational experience for me, and the workshops we attended helped me have a deeper grasp of it. I originally visited the museum with my family two years ago and didn't really comprehend many of the things that transpired at Woodstock; however, I feel that coming this past Monday gave me a greater perspective of what truly happened in culture during Woodstock, not simply who played there. One thing I learned more about is the peace sign. Before visiting Bethel Woods, I thought of the peace sign as just another hippy symbol of peace, but after visiting the museum, I learned more about it. The peace symbol was used in banners and clothing pins as a protest against the war and how "hippies" saw the country as wanting it to be free. Overall, I believe that Global Studies and Cap's trip to the museum was very beneficial to their understanding of American culture.
ADL Never is Now Conference
During the ADL Never is Now conference I chose to attend the opening session of the conference, specifically, to hear Vice President Kamala Harris and Daniel Dae Kim speak about the ADL and anti-Semitism. In this session, Kamala Harris expressed her gratitude to the ADL for their work and how they are helping in the fight against antisemitism. However, I believe that if she spoke a little more about what she can do about anti-semitism as Vice President, her speech would be better in my opinion, because her speech was very brief and only discussed incidents of antisemitism and what the ADL does. One of the speakers during this session, Daniel Dae Kim, said some powerful remarks that I didn't even think to look at. Daniel discussed how, as an Asian, he is exposed to a variety of types of hatred, some of which are similar to Jewish hatred, and how few people are aware of these forms of hatred and need to be educated with these forms of hate. I agree with Daniel that many people around us, even those in our own community, are unaware of the different kinds of hatred that many people face, and that without this knowledge, the rate of hatred will only rise. This remark is the main reason why I chose to join the Global Studies Program, to help give people in my community a better understanding of Jewish hate because I’m pretty sure they only know a little. Like the swastika where many people think “oh that’s a Hitler symbol, that’s no good” where people don’t know the real meaning that symbol has. It’s not just a drawing, to Jewish people that is a terrible thing to see because when the holocaust happened many Jews lost their families, and when they see that symbol, and only means that the holocaust is still here and will never go away. Ultimately, giving people a better understanding of different forms of hate is the main thing the ADL tries to do but struggles with.
Viewing of the Movie "Flee"
I had the opportunity to view the animated documentary Flee as part of my global studies class. The story of Amin, a refugee from Afghanistan who escaped with his family. What makes this narrative so unique is that the main character, Amin, tells us his experience, which he has never told anybody about and has kept a secret for the past 20 years because of how terrible it was for him. What I liked best about this story was how the director of this film perfectly illustrated Amin's powerful story in animation. Many outstanding true story documentaries are live action throughout the world, but when I saw Flee, I was amazed by how elevated this genuine story was, and how they did their best to recreate Amin's story without revealing his identity. Also, this film taught me how many refugees had awful experiences escaping their countries; none of them had it easy, and through this film, you can understand how difficult it is to be a refugee; you don't just leave your country and bam, you're free. Many challenges must be overcome before even the tiniest bit of freedom is granted. Apart from Amin's story as a refugee, what truly stood out was that, although he was struggling as a refugee, he also had no idea who he was. He was always thinking about this since he knew he loved boys and was homosexual, but he didn't really understand what it meant, and he assumed that people would treat him differently because of it. Overall, the film did a fantastic job of illustrating Amin's motivation for fleeing his country through animation.
