THE LUGG XPERIENCE: AFRICAN-AMERICANS TRAVELING ABROAD

Nadirah's Perspective:

Last November, my husband and I traveled to Europe as a quick Thanksgiving getaway. As usual, we enjoyed the culture, architecture, food, and overall nightlife. Interestingly enough, during two separate casual conversations with a native Australian and a Canadian (both were fairly recent relocated residents of Amsterdam), the topic came up as to why Black Americans don’t travel.

Although some of our inalienable rights are often questionably under-protected, my husband and I have always encouraged family, friends, and young minds to see the world to get a better appreciation for our civil liberties. However, the stigma of African-Americans not internationally traveling had become an issue not once but twice during our excursion and we immediately became the US ambassadors of Black culture/behavior. I know some would have taken the newly appointed title as insulting but we saw it as an affirming sign that this has become a perplexing issue with our neighbors from abroad. We know that black people travel, however the problem is that the perception of African-Americans traveling abroad is unheard of or just plain nonexistent. Is it money, time, fear, or plain disinterest that prevents our culture from statistically getting higher numbers or is it just the preconceived stereotypes that are planted in the minds of foreign nations? Maybe the answer or answers lies somewhere in between!

Troy's Perspective:

As an African-American male, my experiences with friends and family having passports or traveling outside North America are mostly nonexistent. Through discussions of my travels to Asia or Europe, the questions that often come up are, “How long is the flight” and “How can you stay on the plane that long?” As we all know, traveling on a plane for 8 – 16 hours is definitely not the most enjoyable circumstance, but that particular time can also be utilized for much needed rest, self improvement (reading, etc.), and travel planning. It is whatever you make it! The end result has always been the overall experience of the final destination that keeps me going. The third question that often comes up in the conversation is, “How can you fly over water for so long… aren’t you scared?” This shows that we are limited to experiences due to our preconceived fears that threaten our ability to live through life. My answer is no! The planet is here for us to experience. For us as human beings not taking advantage of the opportunity to see what this planet has to offer really restricts our ability to understand the world as it exists in the past, present, and future.

Life is more than what we know and see here in the US. Not traveling causes stereotypes and prejudices by basing all your information from the television. What is shown on television is a bias point of view created for entertainment. As an American with the opportunity to travel, I feel that it is not just my right but an obligation to see the world and what it has to offer. Some live in communistic countries like China have no rights to travel outside their country due to the laws and restrictions that are placed upon them. Therefore, I have always found it as a requirement to venture out and self-witness the variety of cultures, languages and people that exist among the planet in which we live. That is truly experiencing life as we know it.