Meet our Board: Jacqueline Donnelly
Meet Jacqueline Donnelly! She serves on the Board of Joy Worldwide Inc. as the Treasurer. She is a retired Enterprise Applications Architect and current digital nomad and content creator.
How has travel transformed you?
“Travel has made me more curious about the world around me. It helps me to connect the historical dots as they affect me. Truly, travel has grown my global perspective and the ability to share this knowledge with others who may never travel to these places. Travel has given me the ability to be adventurous, try new things, and learn about new cultures. Understanding what people value in different parts of the world and seeing the contrast with my own culture and subculture, as an African American woman, has been most eye-opening. It has given me a legacy to pass on to my children and grandchildren. The courage to explore, the need to get out of your box, and the example of what it takes to do it are all valuable.”
Why do you think it is important for African Americans to have access to travel?
“It is important for African Americans to have access to travel because it tells a broader story of who we are. America has a unique story of who black people are that is different from the story the rest of the world tells about black people. Our history in America is rooted in the stench of slavery, which took a Civil War to end. Though slavery is a large part of the history of people of African descent around the world, most countries do not have that same layer of racism and hatred attached to it as it is in America.
Therefore, for me, I have been able to see the wonderful workmanship of our people throughout the world. We are more than what we think. The effect of the transcontinental slave trade is that people of color are everywhere. As minorities in the USA, we do not always see this worldwide reality. International travel helps one to see the overwhelming effort that is put into having people of color believe what we are told about ourselves instead of hearing that we are ingenious people. Our labor has built much of the world. We are creative, skillful, and adept craftsmen among other things.”
What advice would you give to people that want to travel?
“Do it… and take others with you. Travel within your budget and let your experiences increase as you work hard and your means increase. It’s important to get out of your own space and to see new things. It’s important to expose your children to new things as well. The return for travel experiences is exponential personal growth.”