humanity
If nothing else, travel opens your eyes to the colorful quilt that is humankind.
The City That Never Sleeps
Welcome To Las Vegas Sign Las Vegas is one of those cities that is so popular and visited so frequently that its taken for granted. The buildings and lights are shown in movies or talked about in songs. Its always represented by gambling, shows, and loosely clad women, but our city is so much more than that. While those things do exist in the city that never sleeps there's also a lot more hidden in between.
By Blue Dymond5 years ago in Wander
Suburban Myth
Saturday mornings are arguably the busiest time of the week. The farmers markets are bustling with couples buying their locally grown produce and handmade soaps. The soccer fields roar as crowds of families cheer on their players. As you drive through the countless neighborhoods, the smell of fresh cut grass creeps in through the window. It sounds like a suburban myth, but its exactly what draws the droves of new families moving in weekly: The sense of togetherness and pride in the community. There is a reason it was ranked number two in the nation for safety and places to raise a family and you can get lost in the euphoria of that bubble.
By Kristen Lantz 5 years ago in Wander
Welcome to Little Haiti, Miami
Living in New York was always where I wanted to be—with its skyscrapers, shopping and nonstop activities. However, much of the time, there’s nowhere I would rather be than right back home again. Enjoying the pristine, white sand beaches and Miami’s tropical weather. At least, that is the part that everyone recognizes. For myself, however, Little Haiti, which is also located in Miami, is much more than that.
By Queenie Reigns5 years ago in Wander
Michigan Made
It's almost funny to me, to talk about a place you can say you know like the back of your hand. Growing up in Michigan it becomes too literal when you hold up your hand to show someone where you come from. It's called the mitten state for a reason though, isn't it? But it's more than that, it's home.
By Danielle Marie5 years ago in Wander
Losing the fear of traveling in times of COVID-19
As I write this article, I am in Terminal 2 of the Cancun International Airport (CUN). It was hard to get back, but I have never had such an intimate reunion. I felt safe, the company Cancun Airport Transportation, took me to the airport and I mention it, because it is also one of the many affected by the economic crisis in this sector.
By Victor Sánchez Ojeda5 years ago in Wander
Gem of The Pacific Northwest
Gem Of the Pacific Northwest North Bend, Oregon We all live in a metaphorical snow globe. Now, before I get tarred and feathered as some sort of conspiracy theorist, let me explain. Our snow globe is our scope of understanding of the world surrounding us. The more of the world and people you meet and experience, the larger your snow globe grows. The theory invites exploration and travel with the byproduct being growth and evolution. My snow globe began in North Bend, Oregon.
By Tom kerins5 years ago in Wander
The Sahara
The blazing sun evaporates all water in sight. No sign of life has been seen for hours. His feet vibrate with every step; his blue eyes surrounded by dirt, fair skin turning red, brown hair peeking from a button down shirt wrapped around his head. Not knowing where he is going or why; he slows his pace walking up to an old abandoned boat. Halfway buried in sand, he finds his way in.
By Dominique Taylor5 years ago in Wander
Hometown Magic
Usually peace and tranquillity wrap their arms around the fringes of my childhood stomping ground. This is a place I climbed the rocks as a child at the edge of the Allendale Neighborhood. We would climb the cliffs to the Lake Michigan below, knowing that if our parents knew they would worry about us being swept away by the unrelenting waters. Many have drown in these turbulent tides. Today the water is calm, but back in August 2020, that silence was shattered by seven bullets. Seven bullets unloaded into the back of a black man at the hands of police. Seven bullets shot in his back while he entered his car where his children sat in the backseat. After that fateful day August 23, 2020, my once quiet and tranquil city has had a racial reckoning. People took to the streets in anger. The entire Uptown neighborhood burned down in what is a metaphor for the fires of racism that burn in the Kenosha Community. A privledged white teenage militia member took it upon himself to protect and defend the streets of a city that he doesn’t even live in and took the lives of two protestors with an assault rifle. This assault rifle became a symbol of the white privilege that Kenosha has grown to embrace. While police threw curfew violating people of color in jail over curfew violations. They tossed bottles of water to this white teenager with his gun as an “atta boy” type of gesture. It has been six months since that day, and our city is attempting to heal. Unfortunately the hashtag that rose from the ashes of Uptown after the riots has a divided message. #Kenoshastrong for those of us who want to see a new more equitable Kenosha see #Kenoshastrong as a movement towards a better justice system that truly echos the message, “Erected by the People of Kenosha County to the Cause of a Just and Capable Governement,” etched on the stone above the grand entrance of our Kenosha County Courthouse. My father spent almost 20 years committed to working as a Court Commissioner committed to justice and equal rights for all. I often wonder three years after his death how he would feel that the steps of the Court house have seen tumultuous protests since the nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd in May and June. I believe that my hometown is a place that truly can serve everyone in the community as do many other community activists who have taken to the streets, the screen, and the paper calling for unity and change. Faith communities have come together to work for social justice. Unfortunately there is a divide between working class Uptown and upscale Dowtown. I am worried about the effects of the fire that burned out Uptown and the possible gentrification that could grip a once diverse neighborhood full of people helping people. It seems that the priority is more division in the wake of tragedy. In spite of the ongoing racial divide, I still call Kenosha my home. Today I have hope as I cast my vote for what could potentially be the first judge of color in Kenosha County. This is the dawn of a new day. Hope springs from the shores of that tranquil Lake where I played with my childhood friends until the street lights came on and my mom would yell down the street for me to come inside for dinner. It is a place I grew up feeling safe. A place I learned to love everyone no matter who. A place that a community activist can bring back the magic of Christmas with letters and sleigh bells delivered in the middle of the night to small children. I wrote 60 of those “Santa Letters” because even as an adult in my forties, I believe in the magic of a place I call home, Kenosha, Wisconsin.
By Elissa Werve5 years ago in Wander
Midwest Memories
To some, Woodstock, Illinois is just a tiny dot on a map clumped in with Chicago. I did not spend my childhood here nor is it the place I have lived the longest - but for my family it earns the title of home, where 3 generations are preserving and creating memories.
By Janine McCollum 5 years ago in Wander
