I wanted to like Basel more than I did. Perhaps it was the weather that dampened the soul of the city. If that is true than my account of this city shouldn’t put any weight upon your mind because I did not visit Basel, but rather a watered down version of it. I don’t think the weather was the factor however. It was warm on my first full day there, not a cloud blocked the sun’s rays. Perhaps, it was the museums and their inability to inspire. That couldn’t be further from the truth however. Every museum I visited displayed what every museum aught to: art, culture, information and creativity. The museums I visited are not to blame. Those I could not however, may be. I find it, frankly, concerning that all three of the historical museums in Basel were closed throughout the duration of my stay. I find this concerning because it can mean one or both of two things: people don’t care about history anymore and therefore the museums can’t open five days a week or Basel’s history is so boring that no one, even if they are interested in history, cares to go to these museums. I find the latter to be improbable. I won’t dwell on the importance of history because that’s not what this post is about, but I will leave you with the fact that those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it and are in general the portion of a population most ignorant to their own disaster. Back to Basel. In parallel with the museums, or lack there of, Basel I found paled in comparison to many of my previous visits. Sure it housed Cathedrals and Churches, but none as grand as those in Strasbourg or Brussels. Sure it had wonderful art to behold, but not as majestic as Amsterdams’ or Rotterdam’s. It was simply a city. It was beautiful, mind you, and there was nothing wrong with it. It just lacked that spark of life and distinction that make cities remembered.

Museums/Landmarks:

Basel Minster

Basel Minster is at the center of Basel, standing high on a hill. Surrounded by a makeshift market this structure has been around for about as long as the city itself has. What you see in the photo below however, is just part of the structure. It also has a courtyard in which people are buried and has a wonderful view of the Rhine.

Hauptbau Museum

I would regard this museum as the second best art museum in Basel, behind Neubau. Hauptbau has a large variety of paintings, drawings, and a few sculptures mixed in on each floor. It houses a lot of older works, many of which are wonderfully crafted.

Gate of Spalen

Like most cities in Europe, Basel was surrounded by a wall and parts of this wall still remain to this day. The Gate of Spalen is one of three gateways still remaining from this ancient period,

Gegenwart

The Gegenwart museum was intriguing, in a good way. It harnessed forms of poetry and film to display art. Moreover, this museum focused a lot on African’s lives throughout the world: their cultures and rituals, as well as segregation and hardships.

Middle Bridge

The middle bridge is exactly that, of the three bridges in Basel this one lies in the middle of the other two. It is the oldest bridge in Basel and provides a wonderful view of the city from either side. Moreover, in the center of the bridge lies a house where people, like smaller bridges in Europe, lock small padlocks to signify their love.

Neubau

This museum was my favorite out of the three art museums I visited and was one of the gems of the city. It is directly connected to the Hauptbau museum and yet outlines a completely different area of the artistic world. Boasting more modern forms of art, note that it is not all modern art, this museum connects poetry to painting and gives the history of the beginning of cubism in the world… i.e. Picasso’s claim to fame. I would have loved this museum even more if there hadn’t been a film crew in there filming one dude walk through the museum…

Town Hall

This colorful building was and still is the cities town hall. The inside was unfortunately closed off to the public when I was in Basel, but it is truly a stunning piece of art that is distinct in a rather bland city when it comes to architecture… that seems harsh. Wouldn’t this be such a cool place to work though?!

Food!

Shnäggli

So this is what the bakery I got this at called it. It seemed to be a pretzel with sweet coconut inside of it, but to be honest I’m not sure. The point is it was delicious, but the internet has no idea what Shnäggli is so I’m at a loss.

If you want to feel as though you have been transported to a place so different from the hustle and bustle of the city, Colmar is a good place to start. Colmar, I would argue, is the gem of Alsace. The entire town is composed of colorful buildings, with the traditional wood frame either still showing or painted on. Cobble stones encase the city’s streets, harkening back to a time in which phones and tablets didn’t captivate our eyes and emails and politics didn’t consume our minds. I small stream runs through the town, barely stout enough to endure the heat of the summer sun, but I imagine in the fall it roars from the energy given by fallen rain drops. The stream is decorated, as many streams and rivers in Europe are, with large baskets of flowers, varying in color, that bring a levity and beauty to the entire town. Bakeries, or Pâtisseries as they are referred to in France, line the streets offering there best loaves and eclairs and kouglof (it is a very dangerous place when you are trying to eat healthy, but I didn’t care much what I ate as long as it tasted good because I’m walking an average of 9 miles a day and that’s when I’m not traveling). It is this picturesque place where I spent the better part of four days. Now four days for such a small town is rather long so I took one day to rest. Near my hotel there lies a field overlooking a vast corn field and which few frequented. I brought my towel and phone to this field and just layer there, listening to my audiobook. I realized that this was my first actual break during the duration of my trip. I don’t want to sound ungrateful nor lazy, but most days I spend my time exploring and consuming as much information about cities and museums as I possibly can. On the days that I am not, I am traveling which either consisted of biking for roughly six hours or walking for eight. A break seemed in order and with a knee that doesn’t like being overworked and a city which I had already explored fully now seemed like the best opportunity. It was wondrous, besides the fact that my torso is now the color of a tomato, I finished my book and just took time to reflect on my trip and ruminate on the questions that constantly swirl around in my mind.

Museums and landmarks

Église des Dominicains

This grand church is a center piece of Colmar. It’s gothic style architecture is a stark contrast against the vibrant and cozy town and yet it’s green and yellow tiled roof makes it fit right in.

House of Heads

I ventured to this house not knowing what to expect. I simply saw it on one of the city maps and was intrigued and the museum I wanted to visit wasn’t open yet so I thought I’d check it out and I’m… glad I did? To be honest I thought it would be a house full of displayed heads, but in hindsight this makes more sense. This building is decked out with around 100 distinct heads and it’s a sight to behold.

La Petite Venice

I don’t know what it is with Nothern Europe, but they really like Venice. Amsterdam and now Colmar, it’s like Venice has a monopoly on rivers and any town who has them must pay a dividend to them. Aside from that though, this is one of the most picturesque parts of Colmar and a really fun place to visit. Plus there’s a market right next to it!

Musée Bartholdi

When you think of the United States of America three images probably pop into your mind: The American flag, and eagle, or the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty was built by a Frenchman though, Frédéric Bartholdi, who lived in Colmar. This museum takes you through his life and how it culminated in the construction of the State of Liberty. It’s an awesome find if you’re an American. #’MERICA

Musée Unterlinden

This is the main art museum in Colmar and is one of the best designed museums I have ever been in. It flawlessly takes you through famous Alsatian art starting from around the start of the common era to the beginning of the 21st century. It’s as if you’re seeing the world progress in the eyes of artists.

Statue of Liberty self tour

So I was just walking around town trying to find a place to get some lunch when I looked down and saw the Statue of Liberty. I got really excited for some reason and I started following the arrows hoping that it would lead me to a replica of the Statue of Liberty. It did not, but it did take me on a tour of most of the landmarks throughout the city and at each one there is a description in three languages (English included).

Food? Nah. Drink? Yea 🙂

When you are in a wine region it would be disgraceful not to try the wine grown there. Luckily for me, instead of having bear gardens Colmar had a wine garden of sorts. For pretty cheap one can try a whole set of different wines. Just a tip don’t get the Pinot Noir, stick with their famous Pinot Gris and Riesling.

I struggle to find words that can truly encapsulate the beauty of this trip, so I shall simply tell you the story and hope your imagination, along with my photos, are enough to bring you into this journey.

I began my walk not in Strasbourg but rather in Barr, roughly 30 kilometers from Strasbourg and 40 kilometers from Colmar. The weather was perfect: a blue sky with isolated clouds as far as the eye can see, roughly 70 degrees, and a calming breeze which prompted the grass’ gentile movement and sound. After about 5 minutes of walking I ran into grape vines. If you asked me what made a vineyard so beautiful I honestly couldn’t give you a straight answer. Is it the fact that one is encased in greenery? Is it the clusters of pearls that we call grapes? Is it the knowledge that what vineyards produce one of the most valued liquids in the world? Or maybe it’s not the vineyard at all, but rather the cornucopia of vineyards that surrounded me as I walked. I couldn’t tell you. What I can tell you is that as I walked through these rows I couldn’t help but laugh. A wave of joy and shear disbelief came over me because I could not have imagined a walk like this. For all of my travels and all of my hikes and rides I have never laughed because a view was so damn beautiful that it was hard to comprehend. It was as if I was walking through paradise.

Vineyards were not the only thing that guided my path however, rows of wild fruit trees and bushes guided my way. tunnels stretching miles long are constructed by magnificent tress pointing me towards my final destination. The wonderful thing about walking is that ones ability to explore is not infringed upon. There’s nothing to worry about, no bike carry or car to lock and so stopping to eat some wild blackberries or apples on the side of the road isn’t an inconvenience. Furthermore, one is able to look at where they have come from. Looking back at your path, I’ve found, will provide you with some of the best sights you could ever imagine. It’s an important lesson – one’s past is often a forgotten gem that is replaced by the future, which may or may not be as wondrous.

While the trip was obviously beautiful, majestic even, it was also informational. Walking for eight and a half hours can be very monotonous. Just one stepping one foot after the other and then repeat over and over and over again for hours would frankly be quite boring. So as I journey throughout Europe I will now be accompanied by esteemed authors in the form of audiobooks. During my journey to Colmar I finished The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli and I began Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, which I finished right before I began writing this post. I have a myriad of books lined up for my journey ranging from books written in the 8th century BC to modern novels dealing with political theory to historical novels dealing with pre-Columbian America. I am so excited to read all fo these books and I implore you, if you don’t have one already, to simply pick up a book. Any book, it can be fiction, biographical, comedic, horrific, just start reading or listening to something. It’s something I wish I started doing a long time ago.

This picturesque little city was not on my original itinerary, but, as I said in my previous post, we improvise. I am so glad that I ended up in this town and to be honest I am not sure why I hadn’t thought of going before.

Strasbourg was and still is a strategic point on the European stage. It’s life as a city began as a Roman fort called Argentoratum which is the cause of the cities small streets and condensed atmosphere. It was then taken into the Holy Roman Empire, then annexed to France under Louis XV, then annexed to Germany after the Franco-Prussian war, then annexed back to France after World War I , then taken over again by Germany in World War II, and finally given back to France at the conclusion fo World War II where it remains to this day. This back and forth between being German and French has given this city a unique characteristic not found many other places. It boasts the colorful and cute architecture of the French countryside while maintaining a cuisine that is more Germanic than it is French. Everyone there speaks French and yet there is a sense of discipline in everyone which harkens back to the time under German rule. Walking down the streets of this cultural crossroad one is able to see how differing cultures combine to make something truly beautiful. The Germans and the French were enemies for the better part of their history and yet Strasbourg is a testament to the ability of differing cultures, waring cultures, to assimilate into one hybrid society.

Surrounding this cultural harmony stands representations of arguably the greatest cultural unification in the world: The European Union. Strasbourg became known throughout Europe as a symbol of peace and cultural integration and so Strasbourg was chosen to be one of the cities to house several European Union institutions including the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, and the European Court of Human Rights. If you ever have a chance to visit this city I implore you to do so. The history of this place is as rich as it’s food and the future of Europe will be dictated there… How cool is that?!

Museums and Sites:

Alsatian Museum

If you want to explore how people lived throughout the ages in the Alsatian region this is the place to go. Home to thousands of relics it is easy to find understand the lives of the Alsatian people because you can see the products of their lives. This museum takes you into what people did for a living, their religious pursuits, how they dressed, how they played, what they ate, and even where they slept. I loved it.

European Parliament

Touring this building may have been my favorite part of my stay in Strasbourg. It is the home of democracy in the European Union. A place where those elected by the people debate and pass laws for the people of the European Union. It is a place where history has been made and the future comes to form. So yeah, walking through the rooms and the hallways of this grand building was pretty amazing.

Strasbourg Museum of Fine Arts

The Strasbourg museum of fine arts is actually three museum combined into one… they really like doing that in Europe… it houses the fine arts museum, the artifacts museum, and the decor museum each which go into depth about the palace that this museum used to be. With that being said, not many of the pieces are genuine and it is more of a duplicate than anything else. It is still very informational and a beautiful place to visit, but you won’t get the same sense of awe that one may get when seeing an original painting or artifact.

Strasbourg’s Notre Dame Cathedral

This Cathedral was an amazing achievement for it’s time. Built in 1015 this place of worship is a beautiful example of Gothic architecture. In 1439 the structures spire was built making it the tallest building in the Christian world for nearly 400 years. If you want to venture up the spire it will cost you a few Euros but if you want to just enter the church it’s free. What struck me most about this colossus however was the delicacy it had. It is covered in some of the most magnificent stained glass windows I have ever seen.

Self-guided tour of European Institutions

I stumbled upon this by accident on my way to the European Parliament. Throughout the city of Strasbourg there are informational signs that tell you about the European institutions and other landmarks in the city while also giving you directions to the next sign. This route takes you around Strasbourg so you not only get to learn a lot about the European Union you also get to see a lot of the city.

Food and Restaurants:

Tarte Flambée

I know, I know, it looks like pizza. It’s not though! It uses a extremely thin flat bread, cream, cheese, and usually Canadian bacon to make this delicious dish. It might be better than pizza if I’m being honest. You’re gonna find this dish at most of the places you go, but just in case you want to be certain it’ll be good get a reservation at Binchstub Broglie.

Kouglof

I mean come on this is France of course we’re going to be eating pastries. Kouglof is a bunt cake shaped bread with raisins and almonds and is delicious 🙂 they usually come in sizes about three times this size, but some pastry shops you go to will have the smaller versions.

Bouchée á la reine

If you ever get to try this I envy you because I don’t remember what is called. In the center of the creamy, chive, chicken sauce is a puff pastry! On the side is a skillet full of Alsatian pasta and when you mix these two delicacies together what you get is one obesity but two delicious, rich, warm, loving, food.

My time in Saarbrücken was more of a time for reflection than exploration. Not to say that I didn’t explore, but most of my energy was spent on figuring out what I should do without a bike. Should I buy a new bike and then continue on as I had been? Should I completely change my trip and buy a Eurorail pass to cover more territory? Should I say screw it I’m going to walk the rest of the way? There were a lot of options and when it came down to it I found that a mixture between bussing and walking was going to be the best. After a bit of research I found that Europe contains about 18 different walking routes that hikers and backpackers use to cross the continent. Now obviously most of my biking routes are either too long or aren’t even applicable anymore so, from now on, during the course of this trip there is going to be a lot more improvisation. I’m going to still try and stay on my original route, but there may be times in which that isn’t possible and I have to diverge from the route a little bit. For example, I’m writing this from Strasbourg which was not on my list of cities I was going to visit, but it made more sense for me to come here than my previous destination.

I have been lucky enough to experience almost every single kind of transportation during the duration of this trip (plane, fairy, train, bus, car, bike, and walking) and what I’ve found is that the main difference between each mode of transportation, besides speed, is it’s sensory effect. When someone is on a plane for example the effect that natural surroundings have on you is slim to none. You may be able to see something out of a tiny window, but that’s about it. Furthermore, because you are flying you’re detached from the earth. Every time a mode of transportation simplifies one is able to experience more: one’s senses are more effected. This is why I am excited for walking. Being able to fully immerse myself into my surroundings and being able to travel off roads as well as on is something I couldn’t have done on a bike. In addition, the prospect of conversations with other hikers is something that I am extremely excited about.

This is honestly what this trip is all about. When things go wrong one must adapt to the new situation and sometimes those situations turn out better than you could have hoped for… let’s hope that that’s how this adaptation works out.

Before I get into my impression of Luxembourg and tell y’all about some of it’s history I feel I should mention the most influential part of my stay in Luxembourg. Going into this trip I was warned about two things: a darkness that lives within humanity, those who are composed of dishonesty and prey on the weak to better themselves, and flat tires. Unfortunately, I don’t bike when I’m stationed in cities so it wasn’t the flat tire. As I walked to retrieve my bike from the bike rack I had locked it at, so that I could begin my 90 kilometer ride to Saarbrücken, I noticed something strange. There was nothing there. No bike, no lock, nothing. Fear, confusion, disappointment, despair, anger all rushed into my mind as I dropped everything and crumbled onto the street. After getting in contact with a voice of reason, that being my brother. I was able to pull myself together and file a police report and inevitably book a bus ride to Saarbrücken. Apparently Luxembourg has a very large and organized bike theft problem and the probability of retrieving stolen bikes is slim to none.

As much as those last hours in Luxembourg have consumed my mind for the past 36 hours the rest of my trip to luxembourg was quite lovely. Luxembourg is a unique town in that it is a fortress. Now I know what you’re thinking, weren’t most European cities fortresses at one point in time? Yes, but Luxembourg is the ideal fortress. It’s on a hill surrounded by towns about 50 meters below the core of the city. Many buildings and much of the infrastructure can still be traced back to when Luxembourg was first constructed in the late Middle Ages. To limit Luxembourg to it’s old town however, would be an atrocious mistake. A bridge length away from the city center is essentially another city, the modern city. Boasting buildings such as the Philharmonie and skyscrapers as far as the eye can see this portion of Luxembourg houses the center of the EU and truly establishes the character of the finance center of Europe. Speaking about finances, fun fact coming up, banking is not actually how luxembourg made its fortune. Steel made this little city into the economic power house that it is today. Furthermore, Luxembourg’s willingness to make risky investments when no other country would makes Luxembourg’s economy a strange one. When satellites were first being developed luxembourg back a project with 2/3 of their governments budget because the banks wouldn’t and now they had a large share in the satellite industry. In addition, many entrepreneurs now are flocking to luxembourg because they have established laws making space mining possible. Walking into Luxembourg I certainly did not expect the amount of innovation that is happening there. Luxembourg is a true testament to how cities in Europe are able to grow with the future while maintaining there past and I immensely enjoyed my time there… that is until the last morning.

Museums/landmarks:

Adolphe Bridge

One of many bridges in Luxembourg this bridge connects the inner city with it’s outer, more modern, parts. It’s views, while stunning, are not what set this bridge apart from the rest however. Underneath this bridge there is a walkway for bikers and pedestrians to stop and enjoy their view on their commute, not having to worry about or be disturbed by the traffic above them.

City Skyliner

This may have just been a stroke of luck for me. City Skyliner is a mobile company which transports the largest viewing tower all around Europe. They’ve been to Luxembourg three times however due to the owners love of the city. The video below will take you on the 360 degree journey that I went on 🙂

Contemporary Art Museum

When one tries to go to as many museums as possible in a city, the potential to find strange ones is extremely high. The contemporary art museum in Luxembourg falls into this strange category. With exhibitions that equate artists and human beings to houses and evocatively creepy films this museum is truly an experience. Don’t get me wrong, there were parts of it that made me think more deeply about a certain topic, but I still find myself preferring other styles of art than contemporary.

Golden Lady

This statue was erected after the First World War in honor of those who chose to enroll in the French army (Luxembourg is a neutral state and therefore cannot hold an army). During World War Two however the German army occupied Luxembourg and had plans to destroy the statue, but the night before the statue was set to be destroyed it magically disappeared. While no one really knows what happened that night the theory is that students at the local college took it down in the middle of the night and hid it. The hid it so well in fact that it was only found in the 1960s. The statue now commemorates World War I and II veterans as well as Luxembourg’s spirit of resistance.

Luxembourg City Museum

This 5 story museum takes you through this cities wonderfully complicated and fickle history. Starting with when it was first settled and ending with the future of this city you are really able to see how much change this city has gone through and how many countries have influenced what we now call the city of Luxembourg.

Modern Art Museum

Walking into this museum it is clear that is houses modern art. The building is surrounded by nature and simplistic and smooth in style making simply walking through the museum, regardless of the art, a joy. Housing multiple different artistic mediums and styles this museum encapsulates the European modern art movement.

National Museum of Art and History

This was my favorite museum in Luxembourg. Taking you through the history of the Luxembourg area (before and after it was a city). You are able to see how humanity evolved and in turn how the city evolved into the city it is today. Furthermore, the art collection there, albeit small, is spectacularly diverse.

Notre Dame Cathedral

It’s not the one your thinking of, but it’s still really cool. The Cathedral’s modern and traditional aspects flawlessly integrate making it transcend centuries. Furthermore, the international architecture that it displays is wonderful… you can see Incas etched into the carvings due to Spanish missionaries helping with the construction of the church. Also, architecture students give free tours of the Cathedral which are super insightful, so if they’re there when you go check it out.

Philharmonie

While I was not able to go into this concert hall the outside building is still stunning and a really fun place to check out when you visit.

Saint Michael’s church

This tiny church is the oldest in Luxembourg and has an interesting history attached to it. When the French invaded Luxembourg, the first time, they ended up destroying the church , but King Louis’ wife was catholic, very catholic and scolded him. So the church was rebuilt and no bears the seal of King Louis.

Scenic Lift

I ended up finding this place on my walk over to the modern art museum. It’s an elevator that brings you from the valley onto the hill and vice versa. Connected to it however, is a viewing deck where you can view Luxembourg and stand on glass to look directly down at the valley below.

*Promenade of Luxembourg

While this is not a viewpoint, museum, or building I thought I should mention it. This cheap, two hour tour, takes you through Luxembourg with a fun guide and gives you incites into the entire city. It’s a really good way to both meet people and learn about the cities history while you walk through it.

Restaurants/Food:

Chocolate House Nathalie Bonn

This lovely, little, local shop was the second place I visited when I got to Luxembourg. I wanted to find a cafe of sorts where I could get away from the rain and enjoy some hot chocolate and s found this place on my way over to the cafe I was originally going to go to. With a huge selection of different kinds of hot chocolate, cake, and bonbons this place is a must when you want to unwind.

Colisée

If you want to both eat unhealthily and eat healthy this is the place to go. With a selection of salads and other superfood heavy items as well as a myriad of pastries this place can satisfy your every desire.

As the 2020 presidential election comes to full swing the debate of reparations for African Americans has become a hot topic in America media and on the debate stage. In parallel with this occurrence I have been reading The Color of Law – check out my post about the book if you want to know more – so, naturally, the idea of reparations has been a constant in my mind.

Democrats vary on what we should do to pay for the original sin of slavery. There are some like Marianne Williamson who believe that it is necessary to make cash payments to descendants of slaves. Others, like Bernie Sanders, support bills like H.R.40, which aim to research and develop a reparations bill. Pete Buttigieg, on the other hand, brought forth his plan, the Douglas plan named after Fredrick Douglas, which focuses on large, racially focused federal spending in education, public health, and housing. It is fair to say that the democratic nominees are not in alignment on how the United States should move forward with reparations, but they do agree that it should be addressed.

In contrast to the Democratic Party, the Republican Party has and seems to continue to hold the stance that reparations should not be pursued in America today. While, President Trump finds the topic of reparations “interesting” and even strange he doesn’t think it should come to fruishion anytime soon. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnel believes that paying for something that happened “150 years ago” is a bad idea. Other conservatives, like Ben Shapiro, believe that reparations, while good in theory, have no way of being properly calculated and therefore the pursuit of them is not necessary.

While my views on this topic most align with that of Pete Buttigieg, there is a problem with the debate as a whole. In the majority of the debates I have watched surrounding this topic every candidate, every spokespersons, and every news anchor believes that reparations should be focused on correcting the original sin of slavery. I wholeheartedly disagree with this diagnosis of the issue at hand. The conversation of reparations needs to start shifting away from slavery and towards the time after slavery, in which African Americans suffered from government sponsored racism, abuse, and segregation.

Quick history lesson. After the defeat of the Confederacy in the United States Civil War the southern states were occupied so that the new laws imposed upon them were enforced. In other words United States soldiers were there to protect the African Americans still living in hostile southern states. This time period became known as Reconstruction and it worked. The percentage of African Americans voting was extremely high, local governments were filled with newly appointed African American judges and legislators. It was a new age of inclusivity that was being protected by the federal government. Then in the election of 1877 violence at the voting polls put into question the legitimacy of electoral college votes in three states and in turn put into question the Republican winner, Rutheford B. Hayes. A committee was formed to investigate the election and a compromise was struck between the northern Republicans and the southern Democrats – Hayes would be the president so long as all troops were withdrawn from southern states. This compromise marked the end of reconstruction and the beginning of Jim Crow law in the south, which would inevitably spread throughout the union and lead to further, more discrete, segregation focused legislation.

It is this failure by the United States government to protect its citizen’s inalienable rights and frankly their human rights we should be talking about when addressing the concept of reparations. Any African American who chose to immigrate to the United States after the abolition of slavery and before the end of legal segregation in 1968 were treated as second class citizens and should be repaid for this injustice. Furthermore, any African American who is a descendent of someone who lived in this time must have had to and still must face the consequences of de jure segregation and should be repaid for these injustices.

It is not a matter of repaying African Americans for an original sin committed 150 years ago, which, by the way, is an inaccurate number Mitch McConnel, because that is not when the United States government failed to enforce its constitution. It is not a matter of slavery because, and I understand that this may be a controversial viewpoint, African Americans during the time of slavery were not American citizens, they were not protected by our constitution nor by our laws and therefore the United States government did not fail them in any legal sense, in a moral sense they of course did. If Reconstruction had not failed, if America had held onto it’s integrity we would not be having this debate. What this debate should be about is repaying African Americans for a sin committed from 1877 to 1968. 1968 was 51 years ago, our President is 22 years older than that.

With all of that being said, what can we realistically do about it?

There is no way that congress will pass a bill giving out checks to decedents of slaves and frankly I agree with that stance. There are many African Americans who, despite the odds, have done well for themselves and giving them a $1000, or more, check is a waste of American funds. Furthermore, as I have addressed multiple times this should not be a debate about slavery, but rather the post reconstruction era. Black immigrants faced the same injustices during this era as decedents of slaves did.

The Sanders approach of supporting bills like H.R.40 which are geared towards further investigating the issue at hand is a step in the right direction, but should have happened a long time ago. Moreover, this bill is once again too focused on slavery: it mentions the word slavery roughly 25 times while failing to mention modern issues which modern legislation has effected. In addition, there is no tangible action associated with a bill of this sort and we need to act on this issue before it loses popularity in the eyes of the media. With the attention it is receiving now there is pressure to put forth a tangible plan.

To actually pass legislation being able to get the votes of moderate Republicans and Democrats is a must. The idea of reparations must be a double edged sword: it must attempt to remedy the injustice of our past while also contributing to the benefit of the country as a whole. A bill that focuses funds into low-income, predominantly African American, areas to promote both social and academic education, public health, and infrastructure revitalization is the best option for this nation because it is an investment in the future of our nation by addressing the failures of our past nation.

If you don’t agree with me please leave a comment and if you’d like we can have a discussion over the issue. I always love debating with others 🙂 just make sure you have something substantial to say.

As I said in the introduction to this blog I’m not only going to be writing about the places I visit nor the pathways that take me there, I will also be writing about the books I’m reading and basically anything on my mind.

I started reading The Color of Law when as I arrived in Cambridge and I finished it on my second day in Brussels. In this book, Richard Rothstein goes into to depth about de jure segregation in America, specifically pertaining to African Americans housing. For those normal people out there who don’t know what de jure segregation is, it is “segregation by intentional government action”. For example, the Jim Crow laws implemented after the end of reconstruction after the civil war is considered de jure segregation.

Rothstein contends that de jure segregation did not end when most people think it did, with the voting rights act passed in 1965. It officially ended with the passing of the fair housing act of 1968, unofficially the end has no date, but I’ll get into that later. While de jure segregation ended, the effects that 246 years of slavery and another 103 years of segregation and treating African Americans as second class citizens were not fixed over night, nor are they fixed today.

If you are interested in this topic please find the time to read this book it is insanely interesting. However, if you don’t have the time to read a book but do have the time to read my blog I’m going to outline some major points written in the book.

The New Deal

The New Deal was a set of legislation put forth by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression (1929-1939). It is considered by the majority of economists to be the savior of the American economy and in turn is celebrated in America. However, given the bureaucracy of America at the time, certain compromises had to be passed to push these bills through congress. Yes, you guessed it, African Americans were excluded from the majority of the New Deal legislation. When they were allowed to work the possibility of advancement was non-exist. Furthermore, New Deal housing agencies drew up maps of metropolitan areas nationwide. The towns in which African Americans resided were colored in red as to caution appraisers not to approve loans in these areas. Finally, the New Deal set out to promote certain industries by increasing the minimum wage in chosen industries. To get this through congress however, industries with lots of African American workers, like agriculture for example, were excluded from this.

WWII

During World War II the need for manpower to build ships in places like San Francisco was high (Rothstein chose San Francisco due to its traditionally liberal character to show that segregation happened everywhere). At first only White men were allowed jobs, then white women were allowed to join the ranks, and then finally African American men and then African American women as well. Federal housing was built solely for whites originally, but as the demand for housing grew within the African American communities small, segregated, African American housing was built far away from the cities. The housing meant for African Americans was poorly built and made to be temporary, although this housing would end up being the norm in segregated African American communities. Furthermore, after the war the famous G.I. Bill, which gave veterans the opportunity to regain wealth they had lost during the war, was not available to African Americans. Finally, during the war there was a large migration of African Americans from the south to the north in search of jobs. The African Americans who received jobs were put in the lowest paying jobs and had no chance of moving up the latter.

Infrastructure

While this is only briefly addressed in the book, I felt it was an extremely important factor in the story of segregation in America. In 1956 Dwight D. Eisenhower began developing an international highway system that would create jobs, which African Americans weren’t allowed to join, and connect the country. That being said, to build such massive structures towns would have to be demolished. The Eisenhower administration systematically chose poor and even middle class African American communities to demolish. African Americans were given limited time to find new housing and were not reimbursed. This act pushed middle class African Americans into poorer communities and continued the concentration of African Americans in deteriorating low-income communities. In addition, local and state governments would only zone areas for the construction of African American communities near factories, waste plants, and other industrial entities.

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA)

The Federal Housing Administration has one of the largest, if not the largest, roles in government sponsored segregation. As most of you know when one wants to buy a house a loan must be taken out. The FHA would not back loans given to African Americans and therefore banks would not give out loans. Furthermore, the FHA would not back community projects which were not segregated or put African Americans and Whites in close proximity to each other.

Private Agreements

The Supreme Court deemed that the laws of America could not infringe upon the contracts between two individuals, this decision was later reneged upon. As federal law restricting segregation came to fruition this court decision would be influential in keeping segregation alive for years to come. In the contracts of homes sold there were stipulations that this house never be sold to anyone not of Caucasian decent. If someone attempted to sell this house to or even rent it out to African Americans, the buyer, the seller, and the real estate agent could be sued and even criminally prosecuted.

IRS Support and compliant regulators

Up until 1967 the IRS supported academic and religious foundations which perpetuated the growth and sustainment of segregation in America by continuing to subsidize these institutions even when they actively helped segregation flourish. In addition, banks and thrifts were allowed to discriminate against African American due to the fact that they deemed African Americans as a risky investment.

* This argument that African Americans were too risky of an investment was used as a justification throughout this period. People argued that the introduction of African Americans into a community would lower the values of the homes in said community. The opposite was true however because desperate, middle class, African Americans would pay exorbitant prices to move into the nicer white neighborhoods.

Suppressed incomes

This one really shocked me… it’s insane how creative horrible people can get. Appraisers who went throughout the states appraising houses in communities would give higher appraisal ratings to African American communities so that they would have to pay exorbitantly high taxes.

State-Sanctioned violence

When African Americans did manage a way to get themselves into the more well preserved white communities they were met with further hardships. The general tactic of a white community when an African American moved in was to try and buy the house from them. Committees would be formed and pools of money would be gathered to make a great offer. If these offers were rejected protests and riots would ensue. The inevitable violence that came from these demonstrations was not hindered by police and, in fact, on many occasions the police offers who were detailed to protect the household encouraged the rioters. Furthermore, after these events went to court it was usually the African American buyer, the seller of the home, and the real estate agent who were fined or imprisoned not the rioters.

Modern Day Consequences

Look I can list off a bunch of statistics proving the harm of segregation, statistics like African American children get lead poisoning at twice the rate that white children do because they live in areas that have lead paint that is peeling off walls, but the fact of the matter is this: African American’s living situations today, which have inflated the racial wealth divide, the racial health divide, and the racial academic divide, were directly made possible due to the United States government de jure segregation.

The United States has failed the African American population in this country since 1619 when the first slave was brought to Jamestown. This book details a specific topic during a specific time period, but cannot encapsulate the harm the American government has enforced on this race of people. Nor can this summary of the book encapsulate the full content within its pages. The question of how or even if we should repay African Americans for the injustices committed upon them rises out of this book. I’m going to be giving y’all my opinion on that in my next post.

I was so excited going into this ride. My previous three rides were filled with wonderful sights, beautiful weather, and I was finally getting the hang of biking. In my ride from Brussels to Dinant I didn’t take any breaks in my five and a half hour ride and I rationed my water perfectly. I was excited for the challenge of a 140 kilometer ride. I was excited to see how I would fare against 9 hours of rolling hills and fickle weather. My bike, life, God, they had different plans.

Before we get into the adventure that was this bike ride some context.

My bike is a performance road bike. It is made to go quickly on smooth roads, hence the thinner tires, curved handle bars, and most importantly the lack of shocks. Now for the most part I have been on roads. Paved roads I should say. And yes there have been bumps and cracks and sticks that I have run over, but nothing major. That is until google maps started leading me down paths in the middle of hay fields that lead to a paved road. If any of you have been down a dirt road that has also been driven down you know that there are two canyons in these roads that usually fit a car tire perfectly, these paths are no different except for the fact the as you continued on through the path those tire marks begin to slim and the dirt that once layered the ground transforms into rocks. Rocks, uneven ground, and a plethora of bumps incur large amounts of stress on my bike and in turn on my carriage. Without the protection of shocks this stress is pumped through the entirety of my bike: the frame, the wheels, and the bolts which hold my rear rack.

So with all of that knowledge in your brain now it probably doesn’t seem to surprising when I tell you that about 3 hours into my ride a bolt on one side of my rack ripped off leaving me with quite the predicament. This happened to me before in England and was equally as frustrating to deal with, but there were two significant differences that differentiated this event from England: The three screws still intact made it possible for me to ride my bike short distances, but the nearest bike store was about 50 kilometers away. Not wanting to risk the possibility of my bike completely breaking down I opted to do two separate half hour bike rides – one to the train station and the other to a bike store.

I got sooo lucky. By the time I reached the bike store, already having crossed the boarder into Luxembourg, they only had one rear rack left in stock. After quickly installing it I was back on the road… the paved kind… and only had an hour and a half left in my ride, which I rode gleefully.

When you are biking these distances it is as if you and your bike are on entity: as you move your bike moves, as you fatigue your bike slows, etc. So when a part of your bike breaks it is as if you yourself have been injured. The only difference is that limping has turned to walking. I have been injured, due to separate injuries, for a large portion of my life. The feeling of being handicapped is something that I loathe so naturally rides like these frustrate me to my very core and yet there are always moments during these times of trouble that soften my heart. Moments like this:

If you take anything away from these posts it should be that no matter where you are in life there are going to be little, beautiful, moments all around you. Just take a moment and look for them or, like in this case, it may literally run into you.

To understand the city of Dinant, just like most other things, one must look towards the past to see how it shaped this charming town’s present state. The current town of Dinant’s history began in 1914. If that date sounds familiar for some reason it’s because it is the start of World War I. Germany, who was arguably the main instigator in this conflict, had a brilliant plan: invade and defeat France before the Soviet army can invade Germany. The only problem with this plan was the fact that to get into France the German’s decided to invade Belgium first. Now, Belgium, at this junction in their history, was a neutral state, meaning they had no army. England and France protected this little country. So as German troops marched towards France they were met by French troops in Dinant. Starting on August 6th a bloody battle broke out between the German’s and the French with the French finally having to retreat further into the west. Unfortunately, as the French retreated the citizens of Dinant were left unprotected. This wouldn’t have been a problem except the Germans were pissed for two reasons: there had been reports of civilian snipers (after further investigation this claim was found to be fruitless) and more importantly they did not expect resistance this early on in the war. These angered, most likely intoxicated, German soldiers took it out on the people of Dinant. Men, women, and even children were executed and beaten and the majority of the town was burnt to rubble.

After the war came to an end the residence of Dinant were given two options: rebuild in a modern way or replicate the old Dinant. The people in Dinant chose the latter. The town was replicated to its former glory and is that way to this day. Knowing the history of a town changes ones perspective of it as one walks down the streets. The knowledge that someone may have sacrificed their life for their country right where you are standing changes the meaning behind that stone, the viewpoint, that building. The knowledge of the past enables us to appreciate the present far more than we ever could without it. Walking down the river that passes through Dinant I was drawn to the water for some reason. Stopping and staring at the way this fluid mirror moved the image of the sky an extreme peace fell over me. For some unexplainable reason I doubt that this peace would have been achieved without the knowledge of the turmoil which occurred on the very shore I stood on more than a century prior. It’s an odd thing: turmoil bringing about peace. It seems paradoxical and yet when we look throughout our lives it is the truth. Extremes inflate each other. When you wake up in the middle of the night and someone turns on a light it’s blinding, even though it is the same level of brightness that it has always been. In this case it was the lack of turmoil that highlighted the peace.