Traveling While Black: The ABC Travel Green Book | TIS Ep. 24

October 7, 2020 the-introvert-sisters Show Notes Comments Off on Traveling While Black: The ABC Travel Green Book | TIS Ep. 24

Traveling While Black: The ABC Travel Green Book | TIS Ep. 24

Episode Summary:

One thing the sisters have been missing since Corona started is travel. Though they’re not quite ready to hit the skies yet, they’ve already started thinking about where they should go. They plan to consult the ABC Travel Green Book, written specifically for travelers of color, to help them plan their next big trip. The new Green Book is written by Martinique Lewis, and is based on the original Negro Motorist Green Book Compendium created by Victor Hugo Green during the Jim Crow era. Also on deck: 2020 continues to be an interesting year (to say the least). Sharon and Lisa talk about Barbados becoming a republic, and why, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, the word ‘racism’ has been re-defined.
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3 Big Takeaways:

  1. Traveling is different depending on your race: “Racism affects every part of life. What BIPOC experience when traveling is very different from what white people experience.”
  2. Many Black travelers code switch for their safety: “As a Black traveler, you have to raise your game in terms of your appearance and attitude in order to make sure that you don’t get stopped frequently.”
  3. The ABC Travel Green Book is so necessary: “It’s useful to have a resource that says: Here is where you can find people who look like you, here are the places where you are going to be safe, and here are the places to avoid at all costs if you’re a Black woman travelling alone.”

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5 Key Quotes: 

  1. “Racism is systemic. It affects every part of life.”
  2. “The deeper reason behind the original Green Book was ’Here’s where, as a Black person, you won’t get killed, harassed, profiled, or turned away.” 
  3. “It’s always wise to travel armed with information.” 
  4. “Post-pandemic we would like to get back to traveling more regularly.”
  5. “Sometimes, as a Black person, you get a vibe and think “I don’t know if I should even be walking down this street.”

By The Numbers:

  • 0:38 – “Introverts Unite Separately” segment: 2020 is bringing about a lot of major changes. One of those is that Barbados is becoming a republic. The sisters discuss this historic move away from the British Crown.
  • 9:59 – More 2020 changes: the word “racism” has been re-defined, and Black (as refers to ethnicity) is now spelled with a capital “B.” Sharon and Lisa talk about the “why” and “how” behind the updates.
  • 20:34 – “In Our World” segment: Sharon and Lisa discuss what it’s like to travel while Black, and why the ABC Travel Green Book is so necessary.

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