By: Jasmine Gates
Changing Our Narrative
As African Americans, we deserve to experience life outside of America; a country that has tried its best to degrade us for the same things people across the world admire about us, like the color of our skin and textures of our hair. Which are also a few things America constantly tries to police, along with the distribution of information through its education system. This system has not been the most genuine when it comes to its teachings, especially when that information has to do with groups that Americans, resembling the founding fathers, consider to be less superior.
I’m not saying throw away education or that America’s education system is completely worth getting rid of. My problem with it is that we devalue the act of learning if the knowledge does not come from one who is more experienced or more learned than the student. Now, this would not be a problem if we could completely trust the information being told to us, but here in America that is not the case. So, I am suggesting that we pair education with experience and give ourselves, especially African Americans, the opportunity to learn about the various cultures of the world through our own gaze in real time. Traveling allows one to do just that.
Traveling broadens perspective and allows one to see the many cultures of the world, which aids in one’s appreciation and educational journey for their own culture. However, as a result of the inhumane actions done to our ancestors by America’s founding generations, many African Americans are unaware of the original culture that belongs to us. So the act of understanding the culture of another group of people looks a little different to us compared to people familiar with their family’s origin.
One thing that I can say is that through my own travels, learning and experiencing other cultures is a gift that has left me more empowered to find out where my family originated. It has given me the framework of what true culture resembles and now I have a growing list of questions, whose answers can replace or even blend my current traditions with the cultural traditions that were practiced by my ancestors. However, a current tradition I wish not to blend is our lack of coming together. There is a real atmosphere of unease that keeps our communities from genuine unity.
In my opinion, aside from the initial blows caused by outside factors, we suffer with the absence of true progress because our mental and emotional states, as a whole, are not as strong as they should be. We can argue the causes of the systematic blocks all day, but since they are here, we must also find ways to effectively get the results that are beneficial to us without losing ourselves.
Well, what does this have to do with traveling?
We all know that most countries’ poverty levels are much lower than ours, but out of the ten countries I have traveled to, the majority of these people, even the ones living in some of the worst conditions, have very strong spirits. Despite the harsh living conditions, they are getting up every day, choosing to live, be united and still celebrate their culture. Although most African Americans are not living in conditions similar to these, I believe our spiritual and mental states are reflective of their physical conditions. I strongly feel that gaining these experiences and witnessing the genuine spirits of others around the world can serve as inspiration for us to get our S%#@ together, so we can be better within, to be better for each other and the generations to come.
So go get your passports, start a savings account specifically for traveling as an investment for your personal growth, and go see the world. You will be better because of it and your community will too.
