Washington Contrasts
by Erika Agbi (Fall 2016)
The fall of 2016 has been a unique one, much due to a presidential election with results that stunned people around the world. Not only was I lucky to get to spend the semester in Boston University’s Washington, D.C. Internship Program, I also got to produce the University’s Washington, D.C. coverage on the night of the election. In the team were also two other students, who reported live, and we had the help of the Program Director and Program Manager.
President Obama mural outside Ben’s Chili Bowl in U Street. Photo: Erika Agbi
The political aspects of Washington, D.C. are to be expected, maybe except from this year’s presidential election results, which took many by surprise. However, there were other sides of Washington, D.C. that surprised me, in positive ways. I remember when driving through Georgetown on the day I arrived in August, I did not expect to see parts of the city looking like that, almost like a small village. And with very few skyscrapers, the architectural style is quite different in Washington, D.C. compared to some other major American cities. Another distinct feature in the Washington, D.C. landscape, is the traffic circles, like Dupont Circle and Columbus Circle, where several of them also function as parks. Unfortunately, homelessness is a serious problem in Washington, D.C., and it is not difficult to see when walking around. This also highlights the contrasts between the city’s poor and wealthy, and that people in the nation’s capital live under very different circumstances.
Florida Avenue Grill. Photo: Erika Agbi
As part of orientation week, we went for brunch one day in the beginning of September at the historic Florida Avenue Grill, known as “the oldest soul food restaurant in the world.” From there, we walked further through Shaw, and towards U Street, to also see other places of particular significance in African American history and culture, like the African American Civil War Memorial and the restaurant Ben’s Chili Bowl. It was great getting to also see these important parts of Washington, D.C. and the country’s history. What did spark international attention, however, was the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which we visited during the opening weekend. The part that is maybe the most surprising one about the new museum, in my opinion, is that there has not been a national museum dedicated to African American history until now.
From the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Photo: Erika Agbi
Interning at Voice of America (VOA) this fall, made me realize the important role VOA plays in providing news to parts of the world where accessing the information otherwise can be difficult. Through television, radio and the Internet, VOA reaches an estimated audience of over 236 million people weekly, in more than 40 languages. VOA is congressionally funded and part of the government agency Broadcasting Board of Governors.
Outside the Voice of America headquarters. Photo: Erika Agb
Erika is a Journalism graduate student at Boston University, with a concentration in TV broadcasting, and will graduate in January 2017.
