My sentiment is that Dr. King's dream is becoming a reality. For example, look at the current variety of Presidential candidates. We are experiencing history in the making, and we are showing the world our American color blind community. The ability to look past color differences and see human beings instead will enable travel to be more pleasurable for everyone.

About seven years ago, my personal experience was different from the average traveler because I'm a young minority, and traveled with my family. Those characteristics alone made my travel experience somewhat unique. I was surprised on the trip to Europe during the summer of 2001. I didn't realize how rare it would be to see African Americans in popular cities, like London and Paris. I have traveled across the country and to neighboring countries where I saw Black, Asian, and Hispanic minorities. Therefore, I assumed that African Americans would be more represented visually in Europe.

The trip to Europe was educational in history and a great experience for me culturally. However, the trip did have a disappointing side that only people who look different usually face. It was heartrending because some people had stereotypes about minorities, and it was evident with their behavior. I felt like I was under a microscope, when some stared. I have surmised that one logical reason for the stares my family received is the lack of African Americans traveling there with teens. The Black populations there leave from the Caribbean and Africa basically for work opportunities, not leisure.

I realize that Blacks have made some progress, but even abroad they still can face racism. As a world, we have a lot work to do to avoid "micro-aggressions." According to the University of Dayton School of Law, "micro-aggressions are unconscious stereotypes of Black people by White people at every level of the human experience." In England, a customs employee was simply checking the authenticity of passports. However, when it was my family's turn, the employee decided to ask us some questions after checking our passports.

For example, "Why are you here, how long will you be staying, etc. The other employees didn't do that and they probably should have because Europe has been experiencing terrorism. The interesting aspect of the trip was it happened to be exactly one month before 9/11. Ironically, the Arab populations were not treated with suspicion, but they faced other minority hostility. Many Arabs freely traveled because they are geographically near and migrate to Europe in large numbers for economic opportunity.

Another isolated case includes a White man at a perfumery in Paris. He made a statement that was unnecessary, while my family was standing directly next to him. He said, "Nowadays you see more people traveling and you know why, credit cards!" I guess he simply refused to believe that we could afford to take a trip. The entertaining part was before we left the perfumery; I spotted him using a credit card. Hopefully, he learned to avoid holding others to a standard that he can't reach himself.

My journeys in London and Paris didn't end there. My family and I did meet nice people there, but the few that had stereotypes need to be educated about other cultures. Today that should be our goal, especially during Black History Month in February. Then, everyone can benefit and start to erase the "micro-aggressions" that people have. Possibly, the subtle racism in the world will disappear someday. But in order for that to happen, we all must pull together to share experiences, culture, and friendship.

Dr. King's dream may have to wait a little longer, but eventually it may become a full reality everywhere. I proud to say that America is taking a leading role in making sure Dr. King's dream is a reality. After all, the best part about traveling is that you get to see for yourself what reality is. Entertainers, heads of state, and other high profile individuals can't honestly tell what the experience is like. The high profilers all have status and usually no matter the color they have a different experience from the average. I am glad, when I see places on TV that I have visited. Now, I have the ability to say, "I've been there. I know what it's like to see the sights, while being one of those with different look."

An interesting side note is that London and Paris have the same temperatures constantly. The weather is usually bad, so the majority of stores don't have air conditioning. Usually, if a sign says air conditioning it means an electric fan. In 2001, the two cities were experiencing a heat wave. Beware of buses and cars because they won't stop when pedestrians cross the street. Beware of beverages because they don't believe in keeping drinks too cold. For example, Beer is usually served with no ice and warm.