Image from DA Teacher

On January 27th, the 6th grade of DA went on a field trip to the Museum of Natural Sciences. It was a fun and educational experience, and even though I didn’t really learn all of the science at the museum, I think it still taught me a lesson. Getting out of school and classes and having a change in the schedule was refreshing, and getting to talk with your friends was nice. 

In the museum, there was a RACE exhibit, and I think that’s what I took in most. What I especially remember was reading that race didn’t exist. That might sound strange. African American, Asian, white, etc, aren’t those some out of many examples of race? Well, yeah. But race is a social concept. There really isn’t anything biological that separates a Japanese and Mexican person. We’re all people. My question is, why did we create a barrier between skin colors? All that’s different is melanin. 

In the museum, there were lots of animals, dead and alive. The fossils were intriguing, and the replicas of skeletons and dinosaurs were interesting to see. There were live turtles, fish, and insects. 

My group took a walk outside in the state buildings, and we saw some statues of North Carolina historical figures. You’d have no way of knowing this, but half of the statues were of white supremacists or friends of white supremacists. The quotes on the statues were positive, they weren’t racist or anything, but it was interesting because I knew they were the same people that made racist comments. 

Overall, I’m just really happy that we spent the day in Raleigh learning rather than learning in a room.