I however was stuck in class most of the weekend at GWU's satellite campus out in Ashburn, Va. But yesterday took the opportunity to visit Mount Vernon to celebrate George Washington's 279th birthday. Admission was free, and while the rest of my weekend was spent at my namesakes' school, I decided to take advantage of a historic national site and its weekend festivities.
The weather was chilly and rainy, I had to take a shuttle from where I parked to get to the estate and the grounds were crowded with visitors, and lots of kids... and by the time I left, my boots were covered in mud.
But despite all this, I had an excellent time. The drive to Mount Vernon took almost 45-50 minutes from where I live in the DC Metro region. We took a tour of the house, the grounds and various structures on the estate. Although we missed the wreath laying ceremony, I was absolutely moved by the tomb wherein laid our first President. I was surprised to learn that his body was moved from its original location overlooking the Potomac to a larger structure that was erected near to his orchard.
After perusing most of the structures on the property, and being absolutely fascinated by the farm animals grazing across the knolls, we attended the surprise Birthday Party held in honor of GW, hosted by who else but his accommodating wife Martha. We were treated to music, jokes singing and various tidbits of a history lesson.
The best part however was after the celebration visitors could line up to meet the President, actor playing him, and "make an image" with GW, who btw is over six feet tall, towering over my mere five feet and three inches.
When on the Mount Vernon Estate, visitors are constantly reminded that the year is 'perpetually 1789' the year GW died. So being from western Post Colonial descent, unlike other Americans in attendance, it made me think what my life actually be like if I existed during GW's lifetime and what implications of this time lapse would mean for women, people of color and eduction as a whole.
Although I'm not black, I would definitely be a slave or be regulated to some form of indentured servitude as my own ancestors were when they migrated to the Caribbean. I would probably be illiterate, as it was illegal to teach people of color and servants to read. Life as a woman would be particularly tough because, well honestly when hasn't womanhood been tough? But a woman slave was basically a voiceless piece of chattel, a breeder that could produce more servants for her master.
But most worrisome is that women had no choice in the matter. History bombards us with romanticized ideas about the white masters having relations with their slave mistresses, often loving her and taking care measures to free their offspring. While that may have happened, she was still in bondage, with no agency to refuse her master's requirements of her. To me that is he most fearful aspect of projecting my life back to the time GW lived.
Gladly now I am able to voice my concerns, have a choice in any given situation and be self sufficient as a woman of color in 2011. Most of all I can pursue a Doctorate at the George Washington University and not face segregation or discrimination in the same way that those before me struggled to overcome.
Happy President's Day!
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