Black, Gay, And Abroad: Meet Three Atlantans Who Are Prioritizing Travel
If the app on Lonnell Williams’ phone that tracks his travel is accurate, he has been around the earth 103 times, accumulated over 2.5 million miles, and has traveled enough to go to the moon 11 times, and that’s just in the last ten years. Standing still has never been an option for the digital content creator who navigated the streets of his native San Francisco and Oakland before jet-setting across the globe, and ultimately landing in Atlanta.
“My dad lived in San Francisco, so I was back and forth across the Bay. I would travel on the Bart and the bus,” says Williams. “I had my little bag. I'd go and visit my grandma. So I was always used to being on the move.”
Williams recalls taking his first flight around age five or six to Peoria, IL, or maybe it was Los Angeles—the passage of time has clouded those details. But as a young impressionable Black boy, Williams says the exposure to travel “broadened my perspective of what was available and the exposure to the world at a very early age.”
“I always say, travel is the best education. You can read a book. You can go to college. You can look at slides of what their interpretation is of European culture, but it's one thing to look at the Sistine Chapel on a slide in a lecture hall, and it's a whole other thing to actually stand there,” he says.
“You can read a book. You can go to college. You can look at slides of what their interpretation is of European culture, but it’s one thing to look at the Sistine Chapel on a slide in a lecture hall, and it’s a whole other thing to actually stand there.”
Located in Vatican City, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and “The Last Judgment” created by artist Michelangelo, whom Williams says he felt a connection to for an obvious reason the moment he entered the sacred space, has attracted millions of tourists for centuries.
“The first thing that I thought when I walked in there, I looked up and I was like, oh my God, only a homosexual could do this,” Williams says jokingly with a tone of certainty.
“There's tons of artwork all over the place. But when you walk in that room, it's like, oh no, this is the hand of a gay,” he says.
It’s experiences like this that Williams attributes to the power of manifestation—a principle he lives by and encourages others to tap into, especially those who desire to travel but believe a lack of resources will prevent them from doing so.
“You can't afford not to travel,” he says. “Find a way. Make a way. Don't let money, don't let your fear or your thought process hinder or impede your path. If you only see having enough money as the only way to get somewhere, then you're going to miss all the other potential blessings because you’ve got tunnel vision. If you are open to the process, somebody might give you a ticket, and you think that's crazy, but that has happened to me before. Get out of your own way. Stop telling God how to bless you,” says Williams.
‘A Passport Tells The World You’re Ready To Travel’
Believe it or not, Atlantans are waiting to give the gift of travel to aspiring travel enthusiasts. Anthony Antoine, a community activist, avid world traveler, and Founder of The Michael Anthony Foundation is one of those people. In memory of his late husband who passed from cancer in 2018, “one of the missions of the foundation is to plant the seeds of international travel by paying for a first passport,” according to Antoine.
“Just having the passport tells the world that you're ready to travel, that you're ready to see the world, even if you don't have the means, even if economically it doesn't make sense,” says Antoine.
For a man from humble beginnings who recalls his first trip out of the country at six years old as a bus ride from New Jersey to Canada with his mother, Antoine has more stamps in his passport than he can count, along with memories of life as a London resident after falling in love with the city after his first international flight to the United Kingdom as a high school senior.
“I’ve seen that [Christ the Redeemer] 10 times—three times by helicopter, seven times from the ground. And it’s the most amazing view you will ever see in your life. How can you not want to get to that?”
Having lived in London for six years, Antoine wonders now as an adult how he was able to navigate life as a young American in a foreign city.
“As you get older, you live life and you get bruised or bumped along the way. And so at 17, I didn't have those bruises and bumps to stop me and tell me no you will not make it or no, you will not have enough money,” he says. “When you live a little and have experiences, you operate out of fear, as opposed to just wandering and exploring the world.”
Similar to Williams, Antoine tells the Reckoning that over time he has figured out how to achieve his travel goals, even during moments in his life when his bank account didn’t align with his travel plans.
“Because I love to travel and that's what people know about me—those who have buddy passes often hit me up. I don't ask. When they come across great travel deals, they hit me up because they know that's what I'm about. And so it doesn't always take resources,” says Antoine, who also notes how he has benefited from airline pricing mistakes, which he encourages travelers to take advantage of when they see it.
“I have airline loyalty. So I went to China for 30,000 SkyMiles. I'm going to Alaska for 12,000 SkyMiles. When those deals pop up, I jump on them,” he says.
Although Antoine can now afford to buy a first-class ticket if he chooses, doing so is actually at the bottom of his list when making travel plans.
“It’s not worth it for me. It is better to share a travel experience. I’ll buy a main class fare and share the trip with a friend. And that's why my friends have to have passports,” he says.
A Life-Changing Experience
A passport is a required duty item for Atlanta-based flight attendant Dequavious Baker, who was told before receiving his wings that his first trip post-initial training might be to an international destination—an exciting thought that the Atlanta native didn’t believe would be a reality so soon after graduating until it was.
"You don't really think that they're serious, but lo-and-behold, one of my first trips, they flew me right over to Amsterdam on a [Boeing] 767," says Baker. “It was one of the best experiences that I've had.”
Baker tells The Reckoning that visiting Paris for the first time was “amazing.”
“I'll never forget Paris. It was a little different from what I imagined, but it's beautiful. I also got a chance to see the Christ the Redeemer statue when I went to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,” he says, an unforgettable experience that he has in common with Antoine.
“I’ve seen that [Christ the Redeemer] 10 times—three times by helicopter, seven times from the ground,” says Antonie. “And it's the most amazing view you will ever see in your life. How can you not want to get to that?”
It’s the same question that Williams asks about West Africa, specifically Ghana, a country he has visited repeatedly in recent years.
“I’ll never forget Paris. It was a little different from what I imagined, but it’s beautiful. I also got a chance to see the Christ the Redeemer statue when I went to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.”
“I just found it to be a life-changing experience, especially visiting the Dungeons at Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle,” says Williams of the historic sites that served as a starting point along the route of the Atlantic slave trade.
“Nobody goes through those things unchanged, Black, white, I don't care what you are. You cannot physically walk through that space and emerge unchanged. You just can't. I dare you. It’s haunting. It's surreal. You're actually in there in the dark in some of them. And you're thinking that people sat here chained together for up to three weeks at a time, you can still smell it, even after centuries you can't get the smell out.”
Williams tells The Reckoning that he is often asked why he includes such dark moments in Black history during his travels, to which he has a pointed response.
“It’s about speaking the names of people that have paved the way for me to be where I am today, honoring their presence, honoring their sacrifice,” he says.
“It’s about speaking the names of people that have paved the way for me to be where I am today, honoring their presence, honoring their sacrifice.”
It’s the sacrifices of our ancestors that Williams says allows him to have a different experience in his Black skin in Ghana compared to the one he’s become accustomed to in America.
“I realized leaving America, that my Black skin was celebrated as opposed to targeted,” he says.
“If you don't really travel and your only view is that of the American experience, you’ll probably find that hard to comprehend. I found myself in other countries being celebrated because I was Black. And it was very odd and discomforting because it's like, okay, I'm not used to this,” says Williams.
As Black gay men in foreign countries with varying degrees of acceptance for homosexuality, Williams, and Baker say they are always cognizant of their surroundings.
“I think your gut instinct will never lead you wrong. So when I go to these countries or go to these cities, I make sure that I put myself in the safest position possible,” says Baker.
“Dubai is one of my favorite places in the world,” says Williams of the Muslim country where male homosexuality is illegal and punishable by the death penalty.
“There’s plenty of homosexuals in Dubai—plenty. Now you won't see pride flags. But you walk down the street in Dubai and men are holding hands, which is a cultural thing. And so I don't worry about my safety, but I also don't do stupid things. I respect the land, the laws, and the customs.”
Williams says Americans should never visit foreign countries expecting an American experience—” there are going to be things you have to adjust to.”
Lonnel Williams in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
New Adventures Within Reach
But for those who may not be ready to venture beyond the United States or even their current city, Antoine says there is most likely an adventure within minutes of your home for you to discover at an affordable cost if not free.
“It may cost a lot to do some of these international trips. But think about it: what does it cost to get in your car and go to Old Mill State Park and experience a waterfall, a hike, and Georgia nature? I've lived in Atlanta for 23 years and I didn't know Old Mill State Park existed. I didn't know Cascade Springs Nature Preserve existed. These parks are right in our backyard and you can just discover it,” he says, and Williams agrees.
“There are so many beautiful national parks, even in Georgia. There’s so much stuff around Atlanta that’s free. These beautiful waterfalls, natural parks that we don’t even pay attention to because we’re just not exposed to them.”
“There are so many beautiful national parks, even in Georgia. There's so much stuff around Atlanta that's free. These beautiful waterfalls, natural parks that we don't even pay attention to because we're just not exposed to them. Chances are there's a day trip near you. So you don't necessarily always have to pack up and fly somewhere,” says Williams.
But if you decide to fly, Baker encourages aspiring travelers to “save and go, and take one trip at a time.”
“You can read stuff in a book, which is great,” says Williams. “But there's an entire world out there and you need to get out and see as much of it as you can. Stop limiting yourself. Plant a seed. Plant a vision where your mind is mentally seeing you occupy that space and then get your ass there.”
