College News

Politics students enjoy virtual Washington D.C. experience

Politics students from QE may not have been able to travel to Washington D.C. for their annual visit this year, but that hasn’t stopped them from enjoying one of the highlights of the itinerary. Thanks to a video link, second year students were able to meet and speak with Hilary Shelton, one of the leading figures from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). During an hour long session, students were treated to an insight into how the NAACP is hoping to persuade the new American president, Joe Biden, to introduce policies to achieve equality for people of colour and how the organisation works with Black Lives Matter. They also obtained Hilary’s thoughts on the recent presidential election, including the effectiveness of the Biden campaign and the impact of having the first African American and Asian female vice president.

Student, Ben Massey, comments: ‘I found the session really engaging. Hilary answered our questions well and it felt like he was talking to you personally’. Katelyn Jeffels adds: ‘Hilary spoke with such passion and determination about his cause and answered our questions thoroughly. It was an honour to be able to speak with him’. Tony Dabb, Course Leader for A Level Politics at QE, concludes: ‘After every trip, students always comment that meeting Hilary is their favourite experience. From his anecdotes about his weekly meetings with Barack Obama to his experiences of dealing with members of Congress on a daily basis, Hilary always impresses with his eloquence and breadth of knowledge. This was the second virtual experience that students have participated in following a similar session with Chelsea Wiggins, a legal counsel for the National Abortion Federation. These talks have provided them with at least a flavour of one of the highlights of the Politics course which we very much hope to run next year’.

For more information on A Level Politics and other courses offered by QE, please contact Laurence Job, Deputy Principal (ljob@qeliz.ac.uk.).

The featured image is of Hilary Shelton speaking to students about the NAACP during the College’s most recent trip to Washington D.C. in February 2020.