On this episode of Never Date a Traveler I discuss feelings of being exoticized with dear friends and guests, non-profit exec Jennifer Estrada and writer, creator and university faculty member, Naomi Bishop. These brilliant woman and I discuss our experiences around the world and within the US with the placement and questioning of our identities.

As “others,” we are more often than not asked to define what we are. We also usually have a split second to decide the intentions of our interrogator. Am I black? Am I a New Yorker? Am I an American? Am I Caribbean-American? Naomi happens to love the word exotic. It conjures images of beautiful art. Jennifer and I are wary of the reductionist tone it often takes. Where do we belong?

Get in on the conversation and listen below!

How do you feel about the word exotic? What about the history of your identity?  I’d love to hear! Please share below.

**NOTE: When sharing my anecdote about the man from the Dominican Republic and I say “their history.” I mean the island’s history of racial politics / tensions stemming from Trujillo’s systemized racism and the current policies (mass deportations of Haitians) on the island.