Her Bags Were Packed is Ready To #PullUpForTravel
Photo by Atikh Bana on Unsplash
Earlier last week, I learned about a newly formed group of Black travel content creators called the Black Travel Alliance. This organization is calling for travel publications, travel brands and tourism boards to #PullUpForTravel by taking their support of the Black Lives Matter movement “beyond social media and (putting it to) work toward meaningful representation of Black voices in the travel industry.”
Here’s why this matters:
Readers who are not entrenched in the travel industry or media, may not realize there is very little Black representation in the leadership teams, management and staff of larger travel companies. There is also limited representation on press trips (these are trips that destinations invite travel writers on with hopes that we will write about their destinations) and in marketing campaigns.
I have also heard on multiple occasions from colleagues in the travel writing industry that there are ongoing issues with sexism and racism in the offices of many major travel publications.
Some of it is blatant, while some of it is people continuing to do things the way they always have, without stopping to question whether or not their workplace culture was built around systems that benefit some but not all. Intentional or not, white people have been benefiting from systemic racism throughout history, and it’s up to us to acknowledge this and start taking action to shift the culture (no matter how uncomfortable it makes us). It’s no longer enough to not be racist. We must actively choose to be anti-racist.
(If you’d like to gain a better understanding of systemic racism, I would recommend checking out this piece by USA Today, this really helpful breakdown by Ben & Jerry’s and this video series by Race Forward.)
This weekend I chose to join the Black Travel Alliance, as a white ally, because I believe it is time for the travel industry to more accurately represent the world we live in.
The Black Travel Alliance is going to start holding travel brands and organizations accountable by implementing a “Black Travel Scorecard to evaluate travel brands on not just what they say but what they do.” This week, they invited brands to send in data on Black representation in these five areas: employment, conferences & trade shows, marketing campaigns, press, and philanthropy.
As an individual with a small platform, I didn’t think anyone at the BTA would care to have me participate. I don’t have any employees (Her Bags Were Packed can’t even pay me yet); I don’t host conferences or trade shows; I haven’t run any marketing or press campaigns, and talking about my financial contributions publicly feels weird. I figured this was just about the larger corporations that are leading the travel industry. But then they shared a post from Kendal of the Get Away Girl blog. Kendal is a new-ish travel blogger (she focuses on helping you travel without waste) with a small following, but she didn’t let that stop her from sharing her goals and committing to making her blog a more inclusive place for Black travelers. This got me thinking: I may not be a major corporation or industry leader, but, to you, my readers, followers and community, I am a leader in the travel industry; so that means I also have a responsibility to “pull up,” speak out, listen, learn and lead.
Today I am sharing with all of you, and the Black Travel Alliance, the current state of affairs at Her Bags Were Packed and where I hope to go. I am sharing this for accountability as I continue to grow the site, and as an invitation for you to help me build a more inclusive community here.
Representation
I have always said that I don’t want Her Bags Were Packed to just be my stories. I actively pursue and invite “ordinary” women to share stories about their solo travel experiences because I want readers to see themselves in these “ordinary” women. I want readers to be able to recognize their dreams, fears and insecurities in these women but also be inspired by these women to pursue their dreams, face their fears, and release their insecurities.
I also say that I believe travel should be accessible to everyone. Usually when I say this, I am referring to women traveling alone, and my belief that limited funds shouldn’t hold us back. My privilege has allowed me, at times, to forget that racism is also a hindrance to travel accessibility.
So if I want all women to feel travel is accessible to them, and I want readers to be able to recognize themselves in the women I feature here, then I need to make sure every woman can see herself in the women I am inviting to contribute here.
Photo by Joshua Abner from Pexels
Up until this point, 29% of the contributions for round-ups, guest posts, and features on Her Bags Were Packed have been from women of color (WOC) or featuring women of color (12% Black). As I move forward with scheduling interviews and inviting contributions for guest posts, my goal is to have the content of the site more accurately reflect the population of women in the United States. Within the next 12 months I would like to move from 29% representation of WOC to at least 50% (with a minimum of 20% Black, 20% Hispanic and 10% Asian).
I invite all women, but especially Black women, to reach out if you would like to discuss guest post ideas or be featured on Her Bags Were Packed. (As someone who makes my living freelance writing, I feel it’s important to be transparent that I cannot yet pay contributors. As I mentioned earlier, HBWP does not yet have an income.)
I am particularly looking for:
Ordinary (not bloggers or professional travelers) women with solo travel experience for the Unpacking Solo Travel series. Know someone? I’d love for you to introduce us!
Travel professionals, therapists, self care and/or wellness experts who would like to talk about their favorite travel items.
Mental health experts who would like to share their expertise as part of a panel of experts to answer reader questions regarding mental health topics and releasing emotional baggage.
Personal essays about solo travel, personal development, life lessons learned through travel, minimalism and how it relates to your well-being, releasing emotional baggage, traveling light, healthy relationships, etc.
Education
As a former educator, I am a big believer that we should all be life-long learners. I am committed to continuing to learn and humbling myself to admit that I don’t know or understand nearly as much about racism, civil rights, and Black history as I would have liked to believe.
I have an ever growing list of Ted talks, books, podcasts, TV shows, and movies that I am slowly making my way through over time. In addition to currently working on GloGraphic’s 30 Days & 30 Ways To Be a Better Ally, I am planning to check out at least four of the items on that list each month.
As I come to terms with my own blindspots, I am realizing that despite my best efforts to be loving and inclusive to all, it is extremely likely I have many more. And this applies to not just issues of racism but also to immigrants, the LGBTQ community and more. I am learning from this moment and committing to remaining humble and staying open to listen and learn from all people who have been marginalized.
And just like with all resources I find useful, I will continue sharing them as I come across them.
Charitable Giving
I have made monthly financial commitments to the following organizations:
The Grove Church // Love Bryson
The Ronald McDonald House, in honor of Ashton’s Birthday Wish
As a freelancer without a steady income, especially during the pandemic, it’s difficult to calculate what percentage of my income I am donating. But I can say that despite a significant drop in my income, I have increased my charitable giving this spring by 50%. I am committed to reviewing my donations every 6 months and making alterations if and when my income increases. By the end of 2021, I would like my charitable giving to be at 15% of my pre-tax income.
Action That You Can Take
If you would like to check in with me from time to time to see how I am doing with these goals, I welcome the accountability.
If you would like to join me in setting any of your own goals or sharing what you’re learning, I would love to hear about it.
If you know someone that you think I should feature here, please introduce us!
If, as travelers, you want to make sure you are supporting travel brands that are actively working to create a more just world, I would encourage you to check out the data that Black Travel Alliance has started gathering.
