10 Years of Traveling While Black

I always knew I was black, but it really hit me when I arrived in Minnesota, USA to go to college. To be honest, Minnesota did not meet my expectations of what America ‘looked like’. It didn’t help that I’d first arrived at JFK so getting to Minnesota a day later was a bit of a shock to a 16-year-old leaving home for the very first time. I was born and raised in the most populous black nation on the earth and because of that privilege (yes, it is a privilege), I never needed to think about my race. Not until August 2002.

Coming To America

Truth is, in all my preparation to ‘come to America’ it never occurred to me that I would become part of a minority group. Why would I though? I was 16, I was certainly not googling race in America with my precious weekly one-hour slot at the cyber cafe in Ikeja, Lagos.

I was thrown right into the deep end in Minnesota. I stuck out like a sore thumb in Winona Minnesota. A girl could not even skip classes without feeling guilty. As the only or one of maybe two black people in most classes, the professor would certainly notice. I did not like to be noticed.

I found my main community in university to be the international student group. Students who, like me had moved from their home countries to pursue an American higher education. We came from all over: Europe, Asia, and African countries. I had quite a few friends from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Poland, Ghana, Sierra Leone, the UK, Kenya etc. This community reignited my childhood curiosity about the world. I learned a Sri Lankan song during my first week in the USA and I still remember the words today. I can’t wait to sing it when I finally make it to Sri Lanka. My Nepali friends gave me a nickname that still holds today. We had a small West African crew and we’ve remained connected.

Making It To The American Workforce

In 2010, after undergraduate studies and a master’s degree I made it to the American workforce as the only black person in my start class of 30. At this point, I had a fair handle of being ‘the only.’ I didn’t like to be noticed, nor did I like being the ‘only’ but I could handle it. This time, I even anticipated it.

After my first year as an Associate, I did what no one in my circle or family had done. I applied for visas, bought a red backpack at REI. It was finally my turn to walk streets I’d read about in books, seen on travel shows, or read about on travel blogs. I was going on a two-week Europe back packing trip to Turkey and Greece.

The First Trip

On my first full day in Istanbul, I stood near the benches outside the Blue Mosque taking it all in. Vendors milled around selling cotton candy, doner kebabs, and corn. I was one of hundreds of tourists in the area. But next thing, it started with one guy asking for a picture with me, and before I knew it there was a line of people waiting to take pictures with me. Me!!! I agreed to some pictures and then stopped after a while. I ran back to my hostel to ask the front desk ‘What in the actual ….’ The gentleman at the front desk looked at me apologetically and confirmed that it also happened to another black woman a month ago. I had come all the way to Turkey alone and my curiosity, my hard-earned savings, and my hard headedness had me going back out to explore again within an hour. This time though, I was no longer oblivious to the attention around me. It was the first time I felt what ‘traveling while black’ meant.

When I think about it, none of the blogs I’d read were written by a black woman or a black person. So, while they provided very helpful tips, they could not have prepared me for something they did not experience: The stares, the pointing, and the pictures (with or without my permission). I was called Beyoncé (can’t say I was mad at that) but I was also stared at with looks of confusion and some that border lined disgust. I was stared at while I tried to sleep on an overnight bus. I quickly learned to cover my braids at odd hours of the day with my silk cap (yup, that silk/satin cap).

I was finally traveling but here I was ‘the one’ again. I’d always wanted to travel and see the world, but it was always out of my own selfish desires and curiosity. I had NO IDEA that the world DESPERATELY NEEDED to see more people like me taking up space in travel.

The Journey Since Then

July 2020 will make it ten years since that day in Istanbul. I’m still traveling and I now share my experiences on this public platform and there are more melanated people doing the same. I love it. There are places in the world where there are still stares at our skin and hair but, traveling while black goes beyond that. I have been called the N word in Scotland (nope, I did not see that one coming either!), I have taken several pictures with Indian families that I’ll never meet again but that’s okay. There are places where we are celebrated and invited in and even given discounts (hello Mr. Mohammed in Zanzibar with the sarong discount for a sister!, Gabrielle at the hotel in Santorini, and the ladies at the safari lodge in South Africa ). Even amongst black travelers, our stories and experiences of traveling while black differ based on our passports, occupations, background, and sometimes plain luck in our encounters. We share our individual experiences through our blogs, vlogs, and Instagram captions. Collectively, we are what I wish I had a decade ago. Travel is more popular amongst black people globally today and I love it.

A few months ago, I was in a strategy session for a non-profit I support, and we got to talking about whether we should allocate scholarship funds to help our students’ study abroad. It was unanimous. People around the room that did not look like me advocated for study abroad as an equalizer for our students, who are mostly POC. We not only level the playing field through tuition scholarships, but we can do so through enriching experiences that provide exposure and access to possibilities and new relationships. Study abroad does that.

Celebrating Increased Visibility of Black Travel

So, this Black History Month, as I tell my story as a black woman on the road, I celebrate the increasing visibility of black travel across black travelers of all generations. I acknowledge that there is no single black travel story, it is all very nuanced and all the more deserving of more platforms that facilitate sharing. My experience as a Nigerian passport holder differs from my sister who travels on an American passport. I have been met with curiosity, bewilderment, and I’ve also been met with joy. I have accepted the kindness of strangers, and I’ve challenged my definition of ‘normal.’ I’m encouraged by the fact that my 8-year-old niece sees the world as her oyster because she’s seen someone in her world explore the world. She can go ahead and solve other world problems without questioning if there’s room for someone like her to travel the world.

A Message For You

To the person reading this that has no person in their world traveling, I hope you count me and others. I hope you take advantage of how social media has brought the world to your mobile device. If you’re afraid to get out there out of fear of racism or profiling. I cannot guarantee what your experience will be, but I hope that you step out anyway. I can tell you that my experiences have not been perfect but they have been overwhelmingly positive, enriching, educative, and perspective altering. Know that it is for you that I share my travels publicly.

To the person wondering if there’s room for you in travel or in any space where you are planted, may I remind you that the world awaits you and your unique perspective. I’ll quote the napkin on the Delta flight I’m on right now that says ‘The World IS Better with You Out in It.’

To the not-black person reading this and wondering how you fit in. First, thank you for reading what it feels like to travel in my skin and from my perspective. Second, please use your voice to amplify our voices and share our stories. You can make it a point to ensure your timeline is filled with diverse perspectives across race, life experiences, and gender?

For anyone in branding and marketing, please be intentional about making sure your campaigns are reflective of the diverse audiences you serve. To anyone looking for tangible ways to support young travelers of colour in the USA, here are organizations that I know of and/or have supported, please share them with people in your world and consider donating to these programs.

1. Take Flyte
2. Fund For Education Abroad
3. API Diversity Scholarship
4. IES Abroad (program for HBCU students)
5. David Porter Need-Based Diversity Scholarship

Here’s to the the next hour, day, year, and the next decade of life and travel as God passes breath through this beautiful brown (and apparently Beyoncé-like) nose of mine!

With every journey, I’ll remember that the world desperately needs to see me, and I’ll remember the world is better with me out in it! I hope you do too.

Till next time,

Ms. Heels

 

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