Peace is Universal

We are four days into this Ireland study abroad trip and I have witnessed one of the most powerful things, the Peace Wall in Belfast. In history class, I was always intrigued by photos of protests for civil rights, protests against war, and protests against big businesses. I admired their courage even because they would fight regardless of whether it directly affected them. On Wednesday, I saw protest embodied in the form of art in Belfast.

On the wall, you could see drawings combating social injustice and the exercise of freedom of speech. There were paintings on both Irish issues and worldwide issues. One picture included a quote that was inspiring, "Peace is more difficult than war. We were not scared as we resisted; we will not be scared when we make peace. This quote alone made me question my position in the fight of social injustice. Another touching thing was seeing a vibrant mural of African American leaders.

I was in awe seeing a picture honoring more than several blacks. I didn't think people outside of the U.S. shared our pain of racial and social injustice. To my surprise, Irish people used our movement to fight for rights. That day, I was proud to be black.