Episode 94: Support BLACK Periodt w/ Franny the Traveler

21Mar 2023 by EJtheTravelDiva

In today’s episode, I will be talking to Princess Francois, aka Franny The Traveler, and we are getting into her new book, Support Black Periodt.

By the end of this episode, you will have the tools, resources, and insights so that we can all support black businesses, intentionally.

Let’s go:

[02:49] Franny’s travel history.

She is an educator, and spent 5 years teaching high school chemistry, 6 hears as a high school assistant principal, and is currently an executive director.

It was only after a year of teaching that she started travelling.

Growing up, her travels included taking the bus or the subway to different neighborhoods in New York.

Her first flight was to Indianapolis to attend a National Science Teacher Conference. That same summer, she took her first international flight to Costa Rica.

Her travels since then have included traveling to a new destination during each teaching break.

[05:17] Costa Rica.

Most people spend their first international trip in Jamaica on a resort.

Franny’s first trip was to Costa Rica with a friend, where they had an authentic two-week experience, taking local buses to travel, traveling with family, and figuring it all out as they went along.

[07:00] Support Black Periodt.

In 2020, around the time of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, there were countless lists of black-owned businesses circulating on social media.

At that time, as an educator, Franny came up with BLACK (Buy. Learn. Amplify. Celebrate. Knowingly), as a way to emphasize the many ways that people could support black businesses intentionally, beyond simply buying at a black-owned business.

[09:02] B.L.A.C.K.

With all the lists making the rounds, many people do not know where to begin.

Taking the book as a framework, Franny maps out exactly where to start, while also representing various industries, their history, and how to support each industry.

[11:51] How long it took do put the book together.

From start to finish, the book took around 2 years to complete.

Having traveled to 35 states, Franny put together lists of places she’s been to, places that were recommended to her, and the lists of businesses that were circulating on social media.

[14:24] Supporting black-owned during travels.

Besides the Instagramable spots, Franny always looks for the black history aspect of a destination, doing black heritage tours, black history museums, and finding black-owned businesses.

[17:08] Revising the book.

At the moment, the book is focused on the US, but Franny plans to release a global greenbooksomeday.

[19:17] Support Black Movement.

One way to become part of the Support Black Movement is to use the #SupportBlackPeriodt when visiting black businesses. Posts with the hashtag become resources for future travelers in the Support Black Movement.

[22:51] Rethink supporting black businesses.

Our old way of thinking is that supporting black businesses is going to a black-owned restaurant for dinner. Even within the food industry, people rarely think about black ice cream shops.

There are so many other types of businesses that also need that support. Consider black-owned art galleries instead of galleries with (probably stolen) African art, black history-dedicated national parks, black theatre, black museums, black-guided tours, black bookstores, black content creators and advocacy groups, and black festivals, to name a few.

[27:29] Supporting black while being black.

Supporting black as a black person means doing so intentionally (the ‘K’ part of BLACK).

Instead of choosing the easiest option when you walk into Target, are you intentionally choosing the black-owned option?

[31:00] More about the book.

This is more than just a list of black businesses.

This book gives you history, personal anecdotes, tips and strategies, and also a list of black businesses.

The book is arranged in the order of BLACK, starting with ‘B’ as the easiest way to Support Black.

[32:22] Why Scotland?

Unconventionally, Franny is traveling to Scotland for her next trip.

She has travelled to other unconventional places, including Norway, Denmark, and many locations where people don’t typically think of when considering significant black history.

This episode was eye-opening. I learned so much, my way of thinking has changed, and I have made the decision to find and intentionally Support Black in my travels.

I hope this episode has helped you change your perspective on traveling, and that your experiences can become enriched through your exploration of black history and culture wherever you may find yourself.