A word from our FOUNDERS
If you’d have told me on New Year’s Eve 2019 that the new year would have grounded planes, halted air traffic, and deserted cruise ships I never would have believed you. The only thing that has happened so far this year that I would have believed without a doubt on December 31, 2019 was that another Black man would lose their life at the hands of current or former law enforcement.
I was angry when Ahmaud Arbery was shot while jogging, I was mad when Breonna Taylor was murdered in her bed, and I was mad when George Floyd was murdered in the streets of Minneapolis by an officer who clearly had no regard for his life. These instances aren’t sporadic, or unusual; they have become ingrained in the minds of so many of us that many times we become desensitized when hearing the long list of lives lost senselessly.
Trayvon, Eric, Philando, Tamir, Sean, Michael, Laquan, Walter, Freddie, Alton, Tony. There are so many names of people we have seen or heard take their last breaths that we can’t even count them anymore. But for every name we have committed to memory, there are thousands more that we will never know. Since the first slave ships arrived from West Africa Black lives have not mattered to the masses. Black lives have been seen as inferior, material, and disposable; and the system was created to maintain that social standing long after the death of the framers of the constitution.
At Girls Vacation Club we feel it is important to expose as many women as possible to different cultures around the globe. Whether it be Bajan food in Barbados, Junkanoo in the Bahamas, or Oktoberfest in Munich. Our differences are amazing, and embracing those differences is integral to opening our hearts and minds. But somehow it doesn’t seem right to promote the understanding of international cultures when we have so much to do in our own backyards first. Don’t get me wrong, I encourage you to travel the globe — get those stamps, girl — but I implore you to look around you right now. The Black community is in pain from hundreds of years of oppression and systemic racism, and now is our time to listen. If you are Black, share your stories and voice your opinions. If you aren’t Black, please sit back and listen to your Black friends and neighbors to understand the injustices they face and how you can use your privilege, whatever it may be, to further the cause of racial justice.
Black Lives Matter, they always have and they always will; and now is the time for us all to come together to enact the change needed to end racism and lift up our Black brothers and sisters.
Please join us as we declare Black Lives Matter, and help us raise the voices of the oppressed. If you aren’t sure where to start reach out to us at info@girlsvacationclub.com.
Stay Safe and End Racism,
Vanessa Bowling Ajavon and Tye Thorpe