Black History Month: Sojourner White (U.S. to Spain, 2016-17)

What have you been doing since your Fulbright award?

Since Fulbright I have returned to the U.S and become a remote social worker and travel writer! For my 9-5 I work in qualitative research and evaluation consulting and for travel writing I write about everything from Black travel to train travel. I've written for Lonely Planet, USAToday, Insider, Travel + Leisure, etc. and I also run my own platform called Sojournies. My purpose is to help 9-5ers find freedom and flexibility outside the office to check off their career and bucket list dreams! And of course I still travel when I can, and have visited 19 countries so far.

What does Black History Month mean to you?

As a Black American this is a time of reflection and giving thanks to my ancestors who fought and sacrificed for many of the privileges I have today. From traveling to college to pursuing opportunities in Fulbright, historical Black figures such as Harriet Tubman, W.E.B DuBois, and Sojourner Truth all dedicated their lives to fighting injustice so people like me could thrive. The world is far from perfect. However, this month allows me to reflect and learn to deepen my understanding of Black history while also valuing rest as resistance and reclaiming my peace too.

How do you think Fulbright can be more inclusive?

I think Fulbright can be more inclusive by eliminating the degree requirements to apply and replacing it with professional experience - or at least offering either option. There are a lot of brilliant Black people who do not have the means and access to higher education, but would love an opportunity such as Fulbright. I think we do a disservice to ourselves and the program itself by having university affiliations being the entry to access Fulbright. We are missing out on so many different perspectives with the education limitation and I would love to see it change.