Traveling to the Past

I love museums, moreso when I’m traveling. I like to see how the history of our Ancestors are told based on that particular area. There are always similarities, but it’s very interesting to know about something specific that happened in Charlotte, NC from things left behind by those who have paved the way for us. When I attended Central State University, African American history was a required course (which I believe is true of every HBCU).

Depending on your background before you arrived to your university, you learned so many things that you may have never known. In 2011 when I graduated, I may have been a bit naïve in thinking that even though I was leaving the university, I would still be around a group of people like I had been for the last four years. I was mistaken (and I know I’m not the only one). As I started navigating Corporate America, there was something huge missing. Black people. To be clear, I didn’t think that everyone I ran into was going to look like me, not at all. Okay, actually, there were a few but certainly not enough.

“Enough” can be subjective, but I’m sure some of you may feel me on this. As I switched companies, I continued to see the same thing. Where were we? I looked around at my friend circle and realized we all did different things, so was it just that people weren’t interested in the industry that I was in? Analytics isn’t sexy, at all, well – depending on who you talk to. I actually like it, but was that the reason that I was often the only Black face in the room? A few years into working, I started taking an interest in travel. Before then, I would do a road trip (or two) with college friends to neighboring cities. Years later, I was taking solo trips and longing for the connection to Black people that I didn’t see in my work life at the time. I found myself saying, “I wish I saw at least one Black person in the workplace aside from myself”. Going from an HBCU to being in the office and being able to count how many people there are that look like you is…a shock to many. I adjusted pretty well, I think, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t miss it. How could I incorporate this newfound interest in travel and couple it with making sure that I’m always reminded of our magic?

In 2018, I decided that I would attempt to travel outside of New York (the state in which I reside) at least once a month. One of those trips included going to Charlotte, NC. Most of the time when I travel, especially solo, I choose my destinations by who has the most affordable fare for the area of the country (or beyond) that I want to explore. I usually make a short list of “Must See” landmarks. Sometimes it’s a restaurant, catching a basketball game, or a famous landmark. One of the days that I was there, I decided that I wanted to go to a spa but everything was booked. I started Googling museums, because they’re always a good idea. I was specifically looking for museums centered around the African Diaspora, when the Levine Museum of the New South popped up. There was an exhibit titled “K(NOW) Justice K(NO)W Peace”. I was definitely intrigued by that. Aside from their exhibit, there were other exhibits that touched on different time periods of our past. Aside from my frequent support of Black businesses (whether I’m traveling or not), visiting museums that highlight the African Diaspora has been something that I have started to look forward to on my travels and it continues to make me feel connected. I may only be in these buildings for a few hours, but the feeling lasts long after I leave.

Dr. M. T. Pope, one of North Carolina’s first licensed African-American physicians. Also shown are his father’s freedom papers that he used to carry around.

POpe HOuse museum, raleigh, north carolina

1972 Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1971’s “Theme from Shaft”. hayes became the first African-American in history to win an Oscar for music.

The Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Memphis, Tennessee

huey p. newton display

National Civil Rights Museum (Lorraine Motel) – Memphis, Tennessee