Today's Black History Month Travel Blogger
Greg Gross
I'm Black and I Travel
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| Greg Gross of I'm Black and I Travel |
"When you are sitting in your own house, you don’t learn anything. You must get out of your house to learn." ~Ghanaian proverb
What are childhood memories of travel?
I remember taking the train with my mother from San Diego to New Orleans at the of age 4 or 5 years old. My great-uncle was a Pullman Porter who working during our trip. That was the trip that clicked for me.
What did you learn as a child about the expectation for black people to travel?
That black people "don't do that."
Greg created the section on his website "Out There" to address this issue that Black people don't travel. He aims to showcase black people "Out There" doing it.
Check out I'm Black and I Travel! Click on the Travelers Tab.
Did you admire or know of any Black people that traveled when you were a child?
Most black people traveled by Trailways Bus or Amtrak. His Great-Uncle was a Pullman Porter.
Why should Black people travel?
Greg believes all people should travel. He was went on a trip to Natchez, Mississippi to visit an Indian Reservation. He went in a store there and met a shopkeeper. While talking with her Greg shared that he came from San Diego, CA. She was dumbfounded. She told him she had never left her town. She never wanted to leave her town. This woman left an impression on Greg. He desires to encourage all people to travel.
What was your first trip?
Greg's first flight was from San Diego to New Orleans was on American Airlines. Greg was 12 years old. It was during the era of dressing up to fly. At that time the American Airlines had TV monitors hanging from the ceiling of the plane at every three or four rows. On the monitor you could see the pilots in the cockpit and hear them talking to the controllers. Greg watched the takeoff and landing on those monitors. He shared the view point of the pilots through the cockpit windows. He fell in love with flying at that time.
Where do you dream of traveling now?
Greg Gross is currently traveling in Gambia to the 10th Annual Roots Festival. Watch his websites for updates on the 10th Annual Roots Festival from February 4-8, 2011 at I'm Black and I Travel.
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| The International Roots Festival 2011 |
Welcome Statement by His Excellency The President Of The Republic of the Gambia
"For over 400 years our people have been separated by the results of the African Holocaust (Trans - Atlantic Slave Trade) and the legacy of colonisation has kept us at odds with our true history, identity, cultural traditions while preventing unity and growth amongst African People and the African Continent.
Roots 2011 commemorates the enforced enslavement and transportation of millions of Africans to the Americas and the Caribbean Islands. Africans and friends of Africa from the Diaspora are presented with a unique opportunity to attend and participate in The International Roots Festival 2011.
Roots 2011 commemorates the enforced enslavement and transportation of millions of Africans to the Americas and the Caribbean Islands. Africans and friends of Africa from the Diaspora are presented with a unique opportunity to attend and participate in The International Roots Festival 2011.
Come home and experience the African Continent. Confront a physical past and glimpse the horizon of a brighter future. Come home, rediscover and reaffirm your African heritage, and unite with your people and your ancestral family.
During the festival, you can visit places of Historical, Cultural and Educational interest such as Juffureh (The Late Alex Haley’s Ancestral home), Fort James Island, Georgetown (now Janjanbureh), and establish cultural ties. Attend International Musical Concerts and Cultural Jamborees, Visit a traditional African Batik Factory, Craft Markets, experience traditional African cuisine, Hairstyles, Fashions and Jewellery and witness traditional events such as “Futampaf” (rites of passage) ceremony in the home village of President Jammeh. "
