How diverse is your Instagram feed? If you’re only following travel bloggers with a white western point of view, you’re missing out!
Right now Americans (and the world) are standing up to systemic racism and Black murder, at a scale that that’s never been seen. The world is demanding policy changes and justice for Black Americans, as well as taking a close look at the racist double standards in their own countries.
Part of supporting the movement is giving more visibility to Black voices, Black excellence, and culture.
Why you need to follow more black travelers
Why follow more Black travel bloggers? What does travel blogging have to do with race? Well, as Ciara from travel blog Hey Ciara puts it, for a Black person, you can’t turn it off, it’s with you wherever you go.
“Traveling(and living) while black means being hyper-aware of your existence and how it shapes your experience within the world. I’m also aware that other people are aware and it’s the exact reason that I have no choice but to be.”
Read her full post here.
I’ve written before about travel and feminism, and from that starting point, I began reading more about race and travel. It’s important as a citizen of the world to know how others experience travel and to know how White people have contributed to denying Black people the same freedoms and luxuries of simply going on vacation.
“For African-Americans, domestic and international exploration used to be filled with significant roadblocks. From the late 19th century until the civil rights era, the lack of parity in pay left African-Americans with little to spend on leisure (a disparity that continues to this day); segregation meant substandard seats and service on public transportation; and finding lodging on the road if you were black, in particular, was a challenge, especially in the South. “The Negro Traveler’s Green Book” was published from 1936 until 1964 to give black travelers a list of places where it was safe to stay and to stop. “
Farai Chideya, New York Times. Read the full article here.
Following people with diverse experiences, perspectives, and travel styles can be a great way to broaden your mind, build empathy, and recognize your own biases. They may also visit places you’ll never get to go to or have even heard of. And, besides all that, they are simply fantastic content creators with great feeds and travel advice.
