Today all of us went on a city tour not for the weak of heart. Northern Ireland has two parts:
Protestant/Unionist and Catholic/Nationalist. Both halves are physically divided by a wall, which
is opened at 6:00 AM and closed at 10:30 PM every day. Walking through both parts of the city,
it became evident right away what each part represented. The Unionist camp was adorned with
UK flags and featured the walls of the buildings with murals of the British royal family. The camp
also featured memorials for the people killed by IRA violence, remembering the lives lost in
those violent years.
This may sound a bit odd but when we were walking through one of the neighborhoods it felt
really off like we weren’t supposed to be there.
In contrast to this, the Nationalist area boasted Irish flags and murals narrating a tale very
different from those expressed earlier—recalling the dead of The Troubles but from their
perspective. What was so impressive about the Nationalist side is that they are far more than
about themselves. They advocate for international issues and have a massive wall that is all
about raising awareness for things happening across the world. When we were there, they had
an entire section on the Gaza crisis. It was so heart-wrenching to see that, especially
considering how many countries, including my own, are shutting down programs to help
Palestine. The memorial was truly a huge reminder of how connected struggles for justice
anywhere are.