Ocean Bay Enjoys a Trip to Washington D.C.
Story and Photos
By Theresa M Racine
On Saturday August 31, children, chaperones and The Council of Ocean Bay, woke up very early to take a trip to Washington D.C. The trip was funded by The Ocean Bay Council, president Visol Smith, first vice president Jeanine Latimore, and second vice president Tyhessia Brown. The whole council voted to take the kids to the National Museum of African American History, to teach them about both the horrors their ancestors endured and the greatness they achieved. They felt it would be a great idea for the children from the ages of 10 to 17 years old to learn about their history.
The Ocean Bay Community Development Corporation also graciously provided the guests with some of the food and drinks for the duration of the trip as well as attending as chaperones for the children. The day started off with bagels and cream cheese and some juice. There were three buses in total, and it was the first trip ever in the NYCHA development “to take the kids out of the state,” Latimore said. As we arrived in Washington D.C, one child shouted, “This is a trip of a lifetime!” The kids were all excited to see the White House, taking photos with their phones. The next “wow” was the Washington Monument, which one child called “the pencil,” but then said, “My teacher taught us in school and showed us pictures of the Washington Monument.”
After arriving, each chaperone had ten kids to take around the large National Museum of African American History. The museum has four floors with each floor providing its own ambiance. For example, the ground floor gave visitors the experience the Atlantic slave trade was like. Lights were very dim and dark. One of the parents said she couldn’t get out of her mind the bathrooms that enslaved people were forced to use compared to the white people at the time.
Visol Smith and Mann with Brothers of Social Change said, “The kids had a trivia on their bus on the way back.” They were pleasantly surprised by how much information they absorbed throughout the trip. The discussions continued about slavery and how much each runaway slave would cost over the years. They also highlighted the great things that happened throughout African America history and all the accomplishments that were made.
“I’m grateful that the TA board was able to pull it off for the kids and the community and saw it was a great experience for the kids,” said Latimore. She hopes to do more of these types of trips for the community. Brown agreed that it was educational and mind blowing. One parent in attendance, Erica, described it as a learning experience for both her and her boys and loved it. She just wished she had more time to soak it all in, adding that she saw things that she had never learned before. Some of the kids even shocked her on how much they knew about their history. Leini, who came as a chaperone, also said she had so much fun and reiterated the same sentiments as others, adding that she loved to read about Rosa Parks, and stated, “how different things are from then to now.” She shared that she would like to return next time with her own children and family.
After the trip, one resident, Ebony, wrote on Facebook thanking the entire council for what she called an amazing experience. “This is how we empower and educate our community,” she said. Everyone got something from the trip, the children were well behaved, and it was an amazing time overall. Next up is possibly a big activity for seniors.
On the way home, we had another surprise from our Creator: a double rainbow. The colors were so vivid, and it followed us for a very long time on the bus ride back. That was another cause for excitement for the kids as they took out their phones to take photos again. For myself, seeing that was another promise and The Divine saying to everyone who took their time to come out and chaperone and make sure the kids all came back with no incident and keeping the kids safe, saying, “Well done, good and faithful servants.”
