Places I Won’t Visit in 2019
At this point in the year most people have running lists of what countries/cities they’ll visit this year. Travel sites are telling us what we “must see” and how to get the most for our money in *insert new IT location here*. Meanwhile, I’m thinking of the places that won’t be getting my money in 2019. It’s possible they’ll never get my money if I’m honest about it. As a Black woman with the privilege of having the access to travel, it’s vital that I’m responsible with my travel dollars.
If I visit countries that have a known history of abusing people who look like me, I’m saying that I’m okay with that. I’m saying that I expect my American-ness to overcome my Blackness and protect me. As someone who believes in ethical travel and is wholly unashamed of her Blackness, those are not things I want to support. Because I don’t support those things, here’s a list of places I’m not going to visit in 2019.
Dominican Republic
The D.R. and I have some serious beef; blame it on Edwidge Danticat’s The Farming of Bones. The book is fiction, but it’s based on a very real past. While I don’t expect you to read a novel to understand the why, it is an amazing read. TLDR: The Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. The two countries aren’t unified, and Haitians are generally treated poorly in the DR. The abuses go back to the 1930s when Rafael Trujillo basically sanctioned genocide.
That’s not why I’m refusing to visit though. My reasons are more recent. In 2015 the government essentially found a way to “undo” the birthright citizenship of thousands of Dominicans with Haitian ancestry. They deported, assaulted, and even lynched (sounds familiar right) people. After that, I swore that I would never put any of my hard earned money into visiting that country. Call it a grudge if you like, but the sentiment remains.
Thailand
This one hurts. Last year I started planning this massive 3 week trip through Southeast Asia. I was going to start in Bangkok, and have the time of my life. Then Thailand’s government decided to get ignorant and target “dark skin people” with their immigration policies. They were loud and proud about it too, so I put them on “The List”.
I won’t lie to kick it, I considered shoving my ethics in a suitcase and going anyway. Thailand almost caught me slippin’. Then they did what I should have known they would and messed up again. They decided to detain an 18 year old Saudi woman who was fleeing her country afraid for her life. She didn’t even intend to stay in Thailand. Sis was on her way to Australia (we’ll talk about them later). They did eventually get their -ish together and let her handle her business. I’m still completely unable to can here. Thailand, I need you to redeem yourself in my eyes so that I don’t have to completely dismiss you as a valid travel destination.
Australia
I gave up on Australia before I really had it in my head that I would travel. Australia as a concept is as wrong as 2 left shoes. I don’t have to go back to the beginning to find something that pisses me off. Nope, they’re doing things right now that have me deeply perturbed.
Remember the young Saudi woman from why I can’t mess with Thailand? I’m not sure she thought this Australia thing through. Why would I say that? Well because Australia isn’t exactly friendly to refugees. They don’t want them, so they’ve been depositing these people on 2 small islands that are barely habitable. Factor that into their continued abuse of the Aboriginal people, and you have exactly why I don’t think Australia deserves my money.
Greece
This one is an edge case really because it’s based on anecdotes from friends and other travelers. All involved were Black, and encountered flat out racism when visiting the country. I’m a Southern girl. I know racism, I can handle racism, but I’m not running out to buy a plane ticket just so I can experience it in another country. I don’t need a passport stamp to encounter the same crap I deal with in the States.
Israel
I know this one is touchy, because it’s easy to equate being against the actions of Israel the state with being anti-semitic. My issue is strictly based on the actions of the government. I know that’s a broad stroke, so let me be specific.
- Palestinian Genocide
- Abuse of African immigrants
Basically if you’re fighting rocks with guns, I don’t give you my money. If you’re displacing people, I don’t support you. If you’re abusing and forcing birth control on people who look like me, I’m not interested in visiting your country. Thinking about Israel makes me angry on a level I typically reserve for the US government. That about covers it.
Honorable mentions
Honorable mentions go to France and China. My issue with France is one based on academic encounters so I wouldn’t turn down a free trip, but I wouldn’t go on my own dime. China, well I’m going to just not because if I ever decide to go, they’d probably deny my visa if I lambasted them on my blog. I’ll stop shy of lambasting and leave you with these 3 words Human Rights Violations.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t visit these places, and I won’t judge you if you do. In some cases, I might even change my mind and decide to visit them myself. For now though, my ethics and the rawness of residing in America as a Black woman just won’t let me do it. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night knowing that I contributed to the atrocities and general bullshit outlined above. I barely sleep at night as it is, but that’s another topic entirely.
