The past few weeks we have seen a massive shift.
The Black Lives Matter movement is now front and centre in the United States, and amazingly has spread into many countries around the world. And rightfully so. We are so, so overdue for this consciousness, awakening, and this revolution. Minorities have the odds stacked against them, and should they be accused of something they have not done, such as George Floyd was, their only hope is to find a lawyer similar to this Fort Worth DWI Lawyer to defend them. That’s if they survive being shot or attacked by the police, that is.
As I have tried to digest everything that has happened over the past few months. Watched my industry (the travel industry) crumble from a virus. And now the Black Lives Matter movement bringing much-needed attention to the blatant systematic racism that exists our everyday lives. I ask myself what can we learn?
In times like this, there are always lessons.
The coronavirus stripped us of our “normal lives,” taught us GRATITUDE, and gave us a new appreciation for everything we took for granted. But it also was working to SEPARATE us. Not too long ago (less than two weeks to be exact), we were so scared to be within six feet of each other. We covered our faces with masks, further distancing ourselves. We were being trained to be wary of being outside of our home bubble-and part of that was being scared to travel.
BLM Required Us to Unite
The Black Lives Matter movement has taught us the strength of UNITY and reminded us HUMANITY above all else. We still have a long way to go, and this is not a lesson that will be learned overnight. But I truly hope we hold on to it moving forward.
The Travel Industry Has to Change
What I have always loved about the travel industry is I always worked with people from all backgrounds and ethnicities. An industry so inherently diverse, one would think it would succeed at inclusivity. But the travel industry has much to learn as it is far from perfect. From old, white, cis, straight, conservative male boardrooms to white-washed marketing materials to the actual travel experience-all are areas that can use some much-needed improvement.
I hope that as the travel industry goes through a giant reset that we truly take the time to rebuild with more diversity, we check and re-check our “old ways,” and most importantly we actively work towards providing more opportunities as well as go above and beyond in providing travel experiences for the black community. We have to take ownership of our behaviors and truly strive to be anti-racist and all-inclusive and not hide behind a veil of “inclusivity.” Now is our time to truly be the change we need to see.