BlogHer - race - Comments

Marketing to African-American Moms: The Greening of the Black Co

WellnessGuru — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 23:25:57 -0600

This blog post is right on target.... and definitely has me thinking. As an African American Woman and Mom, it really hits home for me. Ihave always been involved with the green movement and I have converted my house to a green state...so to speak in a big way. However...it never occurred to me that Other African American Moms were not involved and as conscious as me.

Monica L. Rowland

Check Out My Blog! www.themoneymom.blogspot.com

The Money Mom~Creating Financial Wellness Through A Balanced Life!

Looking to work from home?

http://mytimeandfreedom.com/MonicaRowland

Well...

adrienne is — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:51:29 -0500

I was pretty interested to find out who had written this post.

"Is it a fellow black traveler I thought?"

No, but all the better and thank you Pam. Too often I feel as though I get into these discussions with other African Americans and the end result is always the same. We relate to one another, but we've not shared our experiences with someone who may not know what it's like "TRAVELING WHILE BLACK."

However, the black travel experience itself can be just as diverse as America's melting pot. I can relate to some of the stories above andeven your outburst in Montana. Believe me Pam, had I been there I would have probably hollered out the same words. I probably would have gone as far as racing up to him to inquire about his background. But I'm a little on the nosey side. Smile.

Before I share some of my own experiences in the big incredible world, I'd like to share one of my favorite poems by Countee Cullen. He was a poet from the Harlem Renaissance and I wrote a small plug about him last year. Here is the link:

http://adrienne-is.com/blog/?p=183

Here is the poem titled, Incident:

Once riding in old Baltimore,
Heart-filled, head-filled with glee,
I saw a Baltimorean
Keep looking straight at me.

Now I was eight and very small,
And he was no whit bigger,
And so I smiled, but he poked out
His tongue, and called me, “Nigger.”

I saw the whole of Baltimore
From May until December;
Of all the things that happened there
That’s all that I remember.

Now of course Countee Cullen lived in different times and I never used this poem as an example to say "if you're black and traveling to beware!!!" Moreso to say of all the castles, gardens, beaches and temples you may find on your travels - it always seems to come back on the people whether ot not your trip was truly enjoyable. The snobby and rude waiter, the overly helpful kid on the streets, etc... My own opinion of course.

While I was in Romania in 2001 at a museum in a very rural area there was a man (pretty drunk) who seem to be making a lot of chatter about Africa and looking at me (I was the only black person there). His friends were EXTREMELY embarassed and tried to keep him hushed, but he wouldn't shush. He made a gesture as if to hang himself or a noose like gesture and when I finally asked what he was saying to the women their only response, "it's nothing, he's drunk." Hmmm... It doesn't make me think negatively of Romania or that particular area in Romania, but it happened.

While in Tajikistan in 2006 I recieved an incredible amount of unwanted attention which was strange because there was another person of African heritage (from Scotland) in our group. It could have been my hair-do at the time (corn rows / plaits), but even then it was still all too much. Chased by kids with camera phones in the streets and so on. I posted my feelings on this experience over at Gadling.com. The link can be found here:

http://www.gadling.com/2006/09/23/being-invisible-in-foreign-countries/

Lastly, I agree with Lola on many points. I think there are so many more benefits than disadvantages. Seeing a village (Vrang, Tajikistan) bicker and fight over whose house I will have tea at is just awesome. In Western Europe people think nothing of my resence and I'm naturally left alone in many of the darker countries.

Anywho, I think I've gone overboard here. Thank you again for posting. I'll be visiting many of the links/blogs you mentioned and I hope that I provided some insight.

My personal blog is www.adrienne-is.com/blog

Cheers,

Adrienne

Timely piece

geotraveler — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:27:03 -0500

Hey Pam.

Thanks for addressing this issue and more importantly, addressing it from a different pair of eyes.

Just like the other black avid travelers who've left comments, I too have experienced the gamut of emotions from hostility to adoration while traveling as a black woman.

Though one would think the challenges of traveling as a person of color would significantly outweight the advantages, I've certainly reaped some benefits.

For one, especially in Western Europe, you get to travel without being bothered because locals think you're an immigrant. You're less likely to be a target of theft because what of value could you possibly be carrying?!

As a photographer, locals who stare subsconscoiusly give me a few seconds more for portraits. I can capture those additional moments of gawking in a memorable travel portrait :)

It all boils down to traveling with an open mind. Some things are inevitable. The color of your skin unfortunately shapes your travel experience in some regions, but you have to make the most of it.

Earlier this year, I actually wrote about the issue of traveling with an open mind -

http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2008/05/01/the-most-valuable-thing-you-can-pack-on-the-journey/

Lola

Oh, it was TOTALLY uncool!

Pam — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:10:09 -0500

Luckily, we were in the car at the time. I have SOME self restraint. Had I been in earshot, I would have deserved the stink eye. It was the shock of realizing that we had strayed from our more diverse home into a place where everyone was so white. The guy was an anomaly, I couldn't help but notice. I also thought, wow, what is it like for that guy to live where he doesn't look like ANYONE?

We had a German guest recently who told us that when she was a little girl traveling in the US with her parents, she ran up to a black man in the supermarket, grabbed his hands, and started shouting about the color of his skin. He was pretty mad.

THAT was uncool too.

Nerd's Eye View

Hmmmm...

Anali — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:26:06 -0500

I understand what you're saying in terms of not seeing any people "browner" than yourself, but if you had done that while seeing me, I would have given you a very mean look.

I love to travel, but have come across some strangeness that I think was attributed to people not being familiar with black people. In Mexico, my mom and I were looking at pocketbooks. We were told to look at some that would be great for us, because they were bulletproof. I guess that is what the seller thought we would be looking for in accessories. We were so pissed!!!

Anali's First Amendment

As You Say, Travel Is About Observations

Megan Smith — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:24:04 -0500

Hi Pam,

As someone who likes to travel and has travelled on my own as a single, black women, it's always interesting to see some of the reactions I get.

If I go to the Caribbean, men flock to me like bees to honey because they think I'm a rich American. How else could I travel on my own as a single black women? :0

I've also had the same experience as Heather, where I'm considered one of the "sistas" only as long as I buy something. If I don't I'm an "uppity American woman."

On the other hand, I've been in parts of Canada where I don't think the natives ever saw black people before. There was no hostility, just lots of staring. That's uncomfortable of course, but you either get used to it, or you travel in a place that makes you feel more comfortable.

I've never had problems in Europe, and in fact as a student, was treated very well in many countries, even staying with a family in Holland. Though I will say, wherever I travel, if I see a couple of black people in an area that's not known for them, we'll almost always acknowledge each other, even if it's just with a nod and a smile. It's as if to say, "Hey, great to see another black person travelling around." It's like acknowledging another American of any race, when you're overseas. It's a way of feeling a bit less "foreign."

Megan

BlogHer CE, TV/Online Video

My Personal Blog: Megan's Minute

Our Experiences Are Different

Fly Girl — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:19:53 -0500

Farsighted Fly Girl: http://rosalindcummingsyeates.com/blog

Thanks for the shout out Pam! I'm happy that you decided to bring this topic up because as you've acknowledged, our experiences are different. I've been traveling since I was a child and like most things that I enjoy outside of the narrow African American box, I 've gotten used to being the only spot of color on planes, in hotels and on foreign streets. That being said, I've noticed an increase of travelers of color over the last 6 or 7 years. Personally, I think part of the hesitancy is that it's one thing to experience discrimination in your familiar land, it's quite another to face it on foriegn soil where there may be language and cultural barriers thrown into the mix. European and Asian racism is different from American racism and none of it is fun. I've not had many negative experiences flitting through 3 continents but just one can blind side you and ruin your overall experience. The most glaring racism that've ever felt was in lovely Costa Rica, where I was mistaken for a local and treated with the disdain that black Costa Ricans have to deal with. It was only one incident in a week's adventure but I'll never forget it. On the bright side, I'm rarely a target for tourist hustlers or pick pockets. I usually don't get quoted the "rich American" price and I can typically blend in with the locals in South America, the Caribbean and major European cities.

Explain the Senegal thing

Pam — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:00:17 -0500

Because, really, that seems oddly random. Or maybe you can't and it IS oddly random.

Nerd's Eye View

Oh do I have stories...

HeatherB — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:23:00 -0500

1. While living in Spain an older gentleman called out to me "Oye! Negra!" and I promptly died right there somewhere between the Lista and Goya neighborhoods in Madrid. 2. On a trip to Marrakech the men were trying to get us to buy things and then started pointing at me and calling me sister and insisting that I purchase whatever it was they were selling. When I walked off they got all pissed off at me because I was their 'sister' and I should be supporting them. If you read my most recent BH post, you'll know that i had like seven dollars while abroad so I shouldn't have been buying anything but clearly I wasn't purchasing because I'm mean and evil. 3. EVERYONE thought I was from Senegal and decided to treat me as such which included offering to braid my hair in the middle of the street. All of the above occurred while living in Spain though in every other country I've visited in Europe (The Netherlands, Italy, France) no one has given me a second glance.
Heather B.Personal Blog: No Pasa NadaBlogHer CE: Business, Career & Personal Finance

Just Not Getting It

Pam — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:29:25 -0500

First, I'm really glad you commented.

And I decided to write about this knowing that it's a dicey subject.

For personal context, I spent a lot of time living in central Europe, which is a REALLY HARD PLACE to be Jewish. After all, wow, historically, look what happened to the Jews there. And what's left is a pretty pale shadow of what used to be a vibrant community. Traveling While Jewish has its own challenges, I am here to tell you that. You look like everyone else and yet, you are so not a European Christian. There's a big chasm there, too. I've written a lot about this in other places.

I'm NOT saying my experience and yours are anywhere near the same. I AM saying that I am familiar with people Just Not Getting It. One more reason why I hesitated to post and asked for advice before I did. I may still be Not Getting It on this one. 100% admitted. I would like to think I am.

I am saying that I don't know what that experience is. And it must be different because check it out, it's being documented and there are resources tailored for these travelers. There are message boards and communities for "Minority Travelers" and as a curious person and one who LOVES travel stories, I want to know what is happening there.

I am genuinely happy to see the faces of travelers- maybe I should specify, American travelers - chaging from mostly white to something that looks more like our society. I wanted to not just ask the queston - will you share how it's different for you? - but also to say that I'm glad to see things changing. It's taken too long.

Nerd's Eye View

Conflicted

nettalyce — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:09:55 -0500

Nettalyce

Wow I read your post and honestly I was at first a little pissed off. But as I often have to do as an African American woman, I took a deep breath and attempted to understand my reaction. I realize that it is normal to be curious. On a certain level it is also healthy to be curious about others who are different than ourselves. But I can't help feeling some conflicting angst at the fact that I automatically know (this can be argued I know) what you probably experience traveling as a person of non-color (sounds weird in reverse, doesn't it). You however have to ask what I as a person of color experience. This is not meant as a negative criticism of you. It is that somedays the enormous chasm between my experiences and yours is overwhelmingly depressing. Oh well, I'll stop venting to you and go and page my therapist :)

Been there done that...

SAngel — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 22:37:08 -0500

Its the hardest thing in the world to send our little ones out into the world of the dreaded kindegarden....where they have been our own little preciouse ones for so many years, now they face the world and on thier own..

Children are so durable. They are stronger then we think. Somewhere in that class is another soul mate. Another best friend. there will be many.

As a mother of three, birracial, all of them I have beenin your shoes. Praying for them all at some time or the other to meet speical people so they don't travel the roads alone, and I have been answered every time. So shall you be. Now they are grown, they have had their slips and falls and continue to. But still they face life and go on.

We so worry about that, don't we?

Angel

Bust it baby

Southerngirl — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:08:20 -0500

The crash my ride moment happend for me with this song. I have written to radio stations over and over again. but to no avail so I am seriously getting serius. I love the excuse of I can just turn it off. THat would be true if I lived in a bubble but living down the street from some die hard R&B fans it is not realistic.

Michelle

I blog at http://www.mommycan.blogspot.com/

A Bit Late

Dori7 — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:55:59 -0500

I'm a bit late in commenting on this, but I had to add that I was so moved watching this. My hubby and I got up in the early hours of the morning here in England, just so we could see Barack Obama's acceptance speech live. It was so moving. I kept thinking, what would my parents and grandparents think of that moment. :-) I also was so moved like Lisa said, when they spoke with John Lewis on the day. It was a day of living history.

http://fromayellowhouse.blogspot.com

That's One Of The Things That's So Great About Blogs

Megan Smith — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:04:18 -0500

I've discovered so many different people, opinions and information on blogs, it still bowls me over how extraordinary it is.

Megan Smith
BlogHer Contributing Editor, TV/YouTube
Megan's Minute: Quirky Commentary Around The Clock