Name: Eli Silva
Social Justice Group: Homelessness in NYC
Date of Fieldwork: January 12, 2024
Name of Organization and person (people) with whom you met and their title(s):The United Nations
Type of Fieldwork: [69]
What I did and what I learned about my topic, activism, social justice work or civil and human rights work from this fieldwork?:
Visiting the United Nations was a very enjoyable and educational experience. We visited various important spaces such as the Trusteeship Council, Economic and Social Council, Security Council and the General Assembly. These rooms were very large, and the size and granduire reflected the tremendous desicions that are made in these rooms. It’s quite humbling to sit in the same chair where famous leaders and changemakers sit and make important desicions about our Earth’s future. Throughout the campus, I noticed this same architecture that is shown in the rooms we visited. The massive main building is very humbling, but not in a bad way. When I stepped into the building, I felt aspirational, willing to act as not just my self, but on behalf country represented on a world stage.
In terms of activism, I learned many things about the UN’s goals from our tour guide. Around General Assembly building, there were a few murals or projects that exemplified the core principles of the UN, and its 17 sustainability goals. I also learned that the UN has various peacekeeping forces/initiatives in various other countries, contrary to the critism of the UN as an orginization that is all talk. The guide also explained the structure of the UN, including the current memebers of the security council, it’s permanent members, and how desicions get made in the security council (which meets on request) and General Assembly (which occurs yearly).
In addition to the activism and architechture, the were many exhibits and artworks in the UN, many of which were donated to the orginization by member states. Some of the most notable artworks were the slave trade memorial in the courtyard area, “Good Defeats Evil”, a sculpture constructed out of actual fragments of Soviet and US missilies, which depicts a person on a horse slaying a dragon with a spear. One exhibit I enjoyed was the hallway about militaries, and the amount of money the US and other countries worldwide spend on our militaries compared to the UN’s budget. It also showed the devastating effects of our military such as the nuclear attacks on Japan.
Overall, this trip was a very educational and enriching experience where I was enlightened to an international point of view on life. When visiting the United Nations, you are opening a viewpoint of the entire world. This orginization inspires hope in me and the population of the world to achieve world peace.
