Lively music and an expansive feast of international cuisines marked Washington Educational and Cultural Attaché Association’s second annual DC Diplomatic Day of Kindness on Nov. 22.
This year’s event honored the International Student House of Washington, DC (ISH-DC), which received WECAA’s 2024 Kindness Award for their efforts in unity and cultural exchange through their residential program.
“Empathy, kindness, understanding, importance of promoting peace — this is what we do here and our residents are the ones that are making this happen,” said ISH-DC Executive Director Daniel Bremer-Wirtig, who accepted the award on behalf of its board and students.
“There’s a lot of darkness out there and we see this house as a beacon where [the residents] come light their candles and take them out into the world.”
WECAA, a nonprofit that facilitates education and cultural development in the diplomatic community, launched the Diplomatic Day of Kindness last year to encourage foreign embassies to come together and make a positive impact in Washington.
The association’s president Joan Brammer was inspired by UNESCO’s World Kindness Day, established in 1998 to promote acts of kindness big or small around the world. The local celebration serves as a platform for diplomats to showcase their heritage, foster cultural understanding and actively engage in philanthropic missions in the nation’s capital.
“Kindness is how we treat each other,” said Brammer. “It’s not how many degrees we have. It’s not because of where we are or who we meet. Kindness rules the world and I think we should all remember that.”
For more than 80 years, ISH-DC has been a home to young adults from around the world going to school or interning in Washington. Opened in 1936 by a group of Quakers, it met a need for safe and affordable student accommodation, and became a place of unity and understanding on the eve of World War II.
The House regularly hosts cultural and professional programs for their students and members of the public.
The Nov. 22 reception brought together foreign ambassadors and their staff, WECAA members and friends of the diplomatic community at the Meserve-Lloyd residence on R Street in DuPont Circle, home to ISH-DC since 1946.
Gathered in the Tudor-style Ella Burling Hall, ISH-DC received its award while an official proclamation from Mayor Muriel Bowser recognized DC Diplomatic Day of Kindness.
“Kindness and diplomacy encourage positive constructive dialogue and promote collaboration across cultures, fostering empathy and mutual respect,” said DC Secretary Kimberly A. Bassett, on behalf of Mayor Bowser. “Acts of kindness are a vital component of international engagement.”
Several diplomatic missions contributed a variety of culinary classics for the celebration, including couscous from Tunisia and brownies and apple cakes from the Slovak Republic. Other dishes were represented by diplomats and guests from The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, China, Philippines, Qatar, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Trinidad & Tobago and Zimbabwe
The event also featured live music, including a performance from Bethesda-based musician Andrew Kutt. Guests had the opportunity to sign WECAA’s kindness pledge and meet residents of the International Student House, where they could tour the historic building.
“We’re honored to be receiving this, we’re honored to be hosting you here and we’re honored to be practicing something so close to our mission, which is breaking bread together,” said Bremer-Wirtig.
Last year’s first DC Diplomatic Day of Kindness benefitted the Covenant House, a nonprofit helping youth that are facing homelessness.
Check out WECAA to learn more about what they do and how to become a member.
