Started From An Island Now We Here

TOTAL READ TIME: About 6 minutes

Los Angeles, California

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Where are we exactly?

I’m currently sitting in my home office in Los Angeles. It’s 10am and I’m thinking about how my next blog post will be from somewhere out there USA.

In 24 hours I’ll be heading out of the city for a week long road trip across the country to the east coast ending in Delaware followed by a quick jaunt down to Georgia. I’ve never been to Delaware (who has?) and I’ve never been to the south at all really. I’ve never actually been on a real road trip. But here I am sitting next to 5 backpacks, a tripod and a helmet accepting exactly what it is I’m about to do.

This will be the last post from this location for at least 30 days and when I get back I’m going to be a totally different being.

I’m from an island in the middle of the ocean with a total coastline of 277 miles and on top of that growing up I never really left my town. So when my partner asked me to drive across America with her as she moved across the country it literally took me a few weeks to even process the proposal. It didn’t feel real even after I had agreed to do it.

I’m a black, non-binary, gender non-conforming, lesbian with double diaspora who’s about to travel across the United States of (the stolen) America(s) through high racial tensions, extreme climate change and a global pandemic.

YOLO!

My partner is white passing, our dogs are adorable and though I’m non-binary I do believe I still have some of that Black Girl Magic so I’m pretty sure we’re gonna be okay. Pretty sure. But hey - we might not be. I might run into some racists, we may have to drive through some fires and though fully vaccinated I may still get sick and I do not have health insurance. My dog does. I can’t afford it for myself. Priorities ya know?

I know the risks associated with what I’m about to do and I know a good amount of people would be against it. Fortunately I keep my circle tight and those who I have told have been just that - TOLD. I’ve been telling people what I’m doing with such conviction that they don’t question me at all. I am the type of person people expect to do this type of thing because I do these types of things.

I have got to be brave and I must be visible. It is in most occasions that I am the representative for humans like me in most of the spaces I go to. This is not intentional on my part. I don’t even believe I’m the only one like me in these spaces. I think I’m just the one of the only ones that has made myself visible. Depending on your circumstances being visible can be very dangerous especially as someone who is a member of both the BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. In addition to this I am a content creator which means I’m constantly broadcasting my authentic truth unapologetically and actively advertising this on a daily basis.

So what the fuck am I doing?

I’m obviously not safe out there.

I’m refusing to give into the systems attempts to oppress my human rights.

I’m feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

I’m leading by example.

I’m LIVING my life.