Its A Small World...

It is a known fact that children tend to be what they see. For decades, air travel was for the affluent. For many, air travel and careers in aviation, mainly pilots was seemingly unattainable for blacks. However, it the past decade, international travel among blacks has skyrocketed. There are several Facebook groups that promote international travel and recreation for blacks. As the ranks of the college educated black professionals has greatly enlarged, travelling is now an affordable option and reality. Given that previous generations of blacks had their mobility greatly restricted due to segregation, it is very important that the current generation of youth are exposed to worlds far beyond their immediate.

To remedy this, Karen Akpah became a founder of the blogs THE MOM TROTTER and BLACK KIDS DO TRAVEL to give new perspectives on blacks and their children having worldwide access and exposure to a global perspective. On one of her blogs she writes, "Children change you so much. I looked at my son Aiden and I said, “I really just want him to be different. I want him to respect other cultures. I want him to learn about other people. I want him to see the world through another lens.” Having him was the fuel to the fire for traveling. We’ve been traveling since then." Se went on to start a Facebook group that has now gone on to gain multiple thousands of members.

Black Kids Do Travel is a group where you can have those safe conversations. It really means a lot when people can understand you. The idea came about because my son asked, “how come we don’t see anybody like us when we travel?” Now we have almost 24,000 families in the private Facebook group. It’s blossomed to be something I didn’t even realize how much we needed until it was here.", she writes. This is very important in that black youth have to have access to this rapidly evolving global society and economy that they are expected to live and compete in. Kristi of Birmingham, Alabama shares the very same sentiments.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham graduate and wife and mother wrote one of several children's books entitled, "We Travel." Available on Amazon, the book highlights the adventures of 6 year old twins, Zeke and Zoe along the different modes of travel. Kristi R. Smith lives in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, Terry, and their three daughters Krysta, Kacey, and Terri Eden. After graduating with her Bachelor's from UAB, where she also was initiated into the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., she then earned a Master of Arts in Education and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from UAB. "My new book, "We Travel: The White House Tour and the Missing Teddy Bear" will be released next month. It highlights the election and visiting the White House with the new President and VP being there." she also said of her forthcoming literary works.

"I have always had a desire for travel and traveling with kids. I wrote a blog for a year called, "Beyond the Backyard Land and Sea Travel". We have gone on a couple of cruises to Mexico and the Bahamas.", Mrs. Smith speaks of her literary origins. The devoted mother of three is among thousands of parents that desire to expose their children to a broadened horizon. Jennaye Fennell, a Washington D.C. resident and single mother of three wants to give her children a greater world of exploration. For many youth, particularly black youth are confined to their immediate environment. Unfortunately, many misperceive that the entire world reflects that of their own.

Jennaye Fennell and her 3 entrepreneurial children are the creators of Fennell Adventures, which is a collection of unique travel books for Children. Her 16-year old Jiyah, 12-year old Jace, and 11-year old Merl are the talented writers of the series. In the midst of the pandemic, they believe that there is no reason for families to be held back from traveling within their imagination during COVID-19 or for children to be reading boring books while quarantining at home. It was while in college at the University of Delaware, that Fennell's class was asked by the professor, “Who has traveled?” Jennaye was an inner-city child who had only traveled to Disney World once. She watched all of her Caucasian classmates describe all of their extraordinary destinations and was determined to make a change with her own children.

All of the books will help your child learn and travel while being homeschooled during COVID-19. Your child can learn about culture, geography, language, food, and learning concepts while choosing the order of each book. Each book is unique because the reader decides the path and can be read over 25 different ways.