Comments on: Travelling in a post 9/11 world. http://afrospear.com/2007/06/19/travelling-in-a-post-911-world/ A Blog For People of Color Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:22:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Rombo http://afrospear.com/2007/06/19/travelling-in-a-post-911-world/#comment-948 Rombo Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:27:58 +0000 http://afrospear.wordpress.com/2007/06/19/travelling-in-a-post-911-world/#comment-948 In a post 9/11 world, you are guilty until you provide an impossible mass of evidence that proves way beyond reasonable doubt and into ridiculous extent that you are innocent. There was a time that travelling while black was the worst thing that could happen to you. I empathise with your situation. I do recognise the indignities that one is apt to be subjected as an Arab/Muslim as one travels these days. In a post 9/11 world, you are guilty until you provide an impossible mass of evidence that proves way beyond reasonable doubt and into ridiculous extent that you are innocent.

There was a time that travelling while black was the worst thing that could happen to you. I empathise with your situation. I do recognise the indignities that one is apt to be subjected as an Arab/Muslim as one travels these days.

]]> By: asabagna http://afrospear.com/2007/06/19/travelling-in-a-post-911-world/#comment-929 asabagna Sun, 24 Jun 2007 22:41:15 +0000 http://afrospear.wordpress.com/2007/06/19/travelling-in-a-post-911-world/#comment-929 <em><strong>"You are soo lucky. You have options."</strong></em> Regardless of my <strong>"options"</strong>, I do get stereotyped when I travel, first in general becasue I'm <strong>Black</strong> and specifically because I'm of <strong>Jamaican</strong> heritage, which the officials only know if I travel on my Jamaican passport. Yeah... us Jamaicans are the cool thing ever! [;o) “You are soo lucky. You have options.”

Regardless of my “options”, I do get stereotyped when I travel, first in general becasue I’m Black and specifically because I’m of Jamaican heritage, which the officials only know if I travel on my Jamaican passport.

Yeah… us Jamaicans are the cool thing ever! [;o)

]]> By: Kizzie http://afrospear.com/2007/06/19/travelling-in-a-post-911-world/#comment-908 Kizzie Sun, 24 Jun 2007 07:16:39 +0000 http://afrospear.wordpress.com/2007/06/19/travelling-in-a-post-911-world/#comment-908 You are soo lucky. You have options. I don't:( My dad travels with his united nations passport so its pretty easy for him but with my green passport, travelling is exhausting. I didn't face any difficulties going to the far-east but I was totally singled out by the US embassy. "when they searched my luggage and found “books” and not “drugs” along with my clothes!" lol Do you get stereotyped because you are Jamaican? I imagine the questions you are asked (are you a rastafarian? etc..) Jamaicans always give me this feeling that being Jamaican is the coolest thing ever! You are soo lucky. You have options. I don’t:(
My dad travels with his united nations passport so its pretty easy for him but with my green passport, travelling is exhausting.
I didn’t face any difficulties going to the far-east but I was totally singled out by the US embassy.
“when they searched my luggage and found “books” and not “drugs” along with my clothes!”
lol
Do you get stereotyped because you are Jamaican?
I imagine the questions you are asked (are you a rastafarian? etc..)
Jamaicans always give me this feeling that being Jamaican is the coolest thing ever!

]]> By: asabagna http://afrospear.com/2007/06/19/travelling-in-a-post-911-world/#comment-905 asabagna Sun, 24 Jun 2007 02:34:22 +0000 http://afrospear.wordpress.com/2007/06/19/travelling-in-a-post-911-world/#comment-905 For the longest while I travelled on my Jamaican passport. I would get hassled and sent to secondary all the time when I visited the U.S. or returned to Canada from visiting my family in Jamaica. I could see the disappointment in the customs/immigration officials eyes when they checked my name and found that I didn't have a criminal record (then they would ask me if I had ever been arrested) or when they searched my luggage and found "books" and not "drugs" along with my clothes! Although they did question me on some of the titles I was reading..lol! I decided to travel on a European Community passport when I went on my pilgrimmage to West Africa in 1997, but that even caused issues when I was returning home to Canada. I was sent to secondary on all my stopovers because the officials were sure my passport was a forgery. They couldn't get their head around a Black man travelling to Canada, who was a Canadian citizen, but was born in England, grew up in Jamaica but travelling on a European Community passport! My wife advised me to get a Canadian passport to avoid unnecessary hassles and questioning when we travelled to Miami last year for our honeymoon. We were going on a western Caribbean cruise and she didn't want us to be delayed due to U.S. paranoia. She was right.... we got no hassles at all. BTW... I now have 3 passports: Jamaican, E.C. and Canadian. Depending on how I feel that day, when someone asks me my nationality, I pick one of the three...lol! For the longest while I travelled on my Jamaican passport. I would get hassled and sent to secondary all the time when I visited the U.S. or returned to Canada from visiting my family in Jamaica. I could see the disappointment in the customs/immigration officials eyes when they checked my name and found that I didn’t have a criminal record (then they would ask me if I had ever been arrested) or when they searched my luggage and found “books” and not “drugs” along with my clothes! Although they did question me on some of the titles I was reading..lol!

I decided to travel on a European Community passport when I went on my pilgrimmage to West Africa in 1997, but that even caused issues when I was returning home to Canada. I was sent to secondary on all my stopovers because the officials were sure my passport was a forgery. They couldn’t get their head around a Black man travelling to Canada, who was a Canadian citizen, but was born in England, grew up in Jamaica but travelling on a European Community passport!

My wife advised me to get a Canadian passport to avoid unnecessary hassles and questioning when we travelled to Miami last year for our honeymoon. We were going on a western Caribbean cruise and she didn’t want us to be delayed due to U.S. paranoia. She was right…. we got no hassles at all.

BTW… I now have 3 passports: Jamaican, E.C. and Canadian. Depending on how I feel that day, when someone asks me my nationality, I pick one of the three…lol!

]]> By: thefreeslave http://afrospear.com/2007/06/19/travelling-in-a-post-911-world/#comment-855 thefreeslave Thu, 21 Jun 2007 03:27:00 +0000 http://afrospear.wordpress.com/2007/06/19/travelling-in-a-post-911-world/#comment-855 It was likely the American neo-cons who did 911, yet they have the power to make travel and everything else horrific - punish other people for their sins. I wouldn't come to the States if I were from somewhere else, though, its clear that some many other parts of the globe suffer because of policies that this government forces down people's throats. It makes the States far more inviting that it would be if other countries were allowed to develop in their own way. It was likely the American neo-cons who did 911, yet they have the power to make travel and everything else horrific – punish other people for their sins.

I wouldn’t come to the States if I were from somewhere else, though, its clear that some many other parts of the globe suffer because of policies that this government forces down people’s throats. It makes the States far more inviting that it would be if other countries were allowed to develop in their own way.

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