Cultural ambassador Jessica Nabongo's work is about changing the travel narrative that Westerners tell themselves when they journey abroad. She is the founder and CEO of Jet Black, a travel firm that promotes tourism to a number of countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
The Detroit-born Ugandan-American started traveling when she was six, and now the former United Nations employee is now the first black woman to travel to every country in the world!
In 2016 she set out to visit all 193 countries in the world. On October 6, she claimed on her Instagram page to have arrived at the last on her list, Seychelles.
But hunnay! Someone else is claiming the title and they have receipts!
Yesterday, Woni Spotts came out to say she became the first African-American woman to visit 195 countries and territories after completing her 40-year mission earlier in September 2018.
Spotts has said she can verify her travels via a video project, verification from guides and documentation including tickets and passport stamps and State Department records.
View this post on Instagram

HACKED ? The erasure of history is a crime against everyone. I've spent most of my life following in my father's footsteps. He researched the systematic removal of global African achievements and hidden holocausts worldwide. ? Today I find myself in the position of being erased. The opposition declared every picture, document, or passport stamp I posted, fake. I meticulously consolidated my recent travel documents, and with the help of archivists, my previous travel history was obtained, verified, and written about. ? A news release from YOU KNOW WHO was issued a few weeks ago along with demand letters to every writer that covered my story. The letters stated that she was going to be the first black woman to travel to every country and that they had seven days to remove my articles. When that failed, It was stated that I should be disqualified because I was not black. I'm a Black American with two black parents and a lineage from Africa. The next move was to have a hacker rewrite several online articles. There was also an attempt to break into my website, which is still under construction. ? My story has been suppressed and that's great! I don't like attention and I love being the underdog. I DO mind being misquoted and attacked online. ? All it takes is a hacker and a few corrupt writers misusing their high profile platforms. Before being called out, CNN said YOU KNOW WHO was "first" yet she never stepped foot in Syria. CNN corrected the article by removing the word "first' but then went on to manufacture a quote for me. I was NEVER interviewed by CNN or MATADOR network. YOU KNOW WHO'S travel is not ALL online and has not been verified by anyone. Travel clubs have no authority to verify travel. My existence is a mortal threat to the fame sought by another traveler. I never sought fame, only acknowledgment. ? #essencetravels #travelnoire #wonispotts #FirstBlackWoman #firstblackwomantotraveltoeverycountry #thefirstblackwomantotraveltoeverycountry #firstblackwomantovisiteverycountry #thefirstblackwomantovisiteverycountry #blackhistory #blackpast #africandiaspora

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Whew! are You team Jess or Woni?

About The Author

Author
Maureen Kasuku

Maureen is our resident cat lady and Beyoncé stan. She writes about spas, brunch and ballet recitals but has never been to any. Moonlights as a social justice activist in her spare time. She knows things and is obnoxiously opinionated on the internet but not in real life

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