Visiting Senegal was an unbelievable experience. I stood where 2-3 million slaves were tortured, raped, murdered and sold on Gorée Island. I saw hope amid poverty and that French colonialism continues. I enjoyed the many museums and the safari/wildlife tours. Next stop-Barcelona!

Barcelona is AMAZING! Its friendly people, deep culture, endless side streets with restaurants/shopping and historic architecture are inviting and accepting. It is a global city that has retained its individual character. And did I mention the great food? Next stop-Madrid.

Madrid with it’s museums, incredible palace and great food was a joy. Next stop- Rome.

Rome was an unbelievable walk through history: the Colosseum, Sistine Chapel, Vatican, Pantheon, Spanish Steps and on and on. And the museums....incredible! Next stop- Florence.

Florence was charming and a real workout - 463 steps to the top of the Duomo, 400 steps up its bell tower and 297 dizzying steps up the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The exercise builds an appetite and the city’s famed T-bone steaks delivered. The Uffizi Gallery was great! Next -Venice.

Venice is stunningly beautiful. Dodge’s Palace and St. Mark’s square were wonderful to see and explore. The unexpected highlight was finding seafood pizza! Next - Athens.

Visiting Athens the birthplace of democracy and home to Plato and Aristotle reminded me how much the modern world owes Greece. Seeing the Acropolis and making the trip to Delphi (the Oracle wasn’t home 😀) was inspiring. I also found a jazz club. Next stop - Ho Chi Minh City.

Arrived in Ho Chi Minh City for the start of the Tet holiday which celebrates the lunar New Year. It was AMAZING! Visited the famed Cu Chi tunnels, the sobering War Museum, saw the local wildlife and observed a booming economy alongside deep poverty. Next stop - Sydney.

For a Black Mathematician, What It’s Like to Be the ‘Only One’ - The New York Times - A story that reflects the experiences of too many African Americans and people of color across many professions. nytimes.com/2019/02/18/us/…

Sydney’s still celebrating the lunar New Year complete with fireworks at its famed Darling Harbour. The iconic Opera House is stunning! Shopping’s a nonstop full contact sport and the nightlife is lively. Highlight: found another seafood pizza. Next stop-Melbourne.

Melbourne is fascinating-quiet during the week and alive on weekends with an active jazz scene. Really enjoyed visiting Mount Dandenong and the friendly wildlife in nearby parks. Next stop- Auckland, New Zealand.

The islands off Auckland, New Zealand are breathtakingly beautiful as was the city view from the Sky City restaurant’s 360 degree rotating floor. The local crabs down at the wharf made for a wonderful meal and, of course, I found a jamming jazz spot. Next stop - Santiago, Chile.

Santiago, Chile was nonstop fun: riding the cable car to San Cristóbal Hill, seeing the Pacific Ocean in nearby Valparaiso, being awed by the majestic Andes mountains and watching 1.9 million women (and some men) marching for equality. Next stop - Buenos Aires, Argentina

Buenos Aires - great food, especially the steaks, a dynamic night life and, of course, tango which was unbelievable to watch. I also visited Iguazu Falls in the rainforest bordering Brazil with its 270 (not a typo) magnificent waterfalls. Next stop - Disney World In Orlando.

Disney still has the magic for all ages. Next stop-the museums in Washington, DC.

Spring has sprung in DC. The Smithsonian’s Air and Space, Indian and African American (where I saw the newly found photo of a young Harriett Tubman) museums are national treasures. Also saw the “slave” bible on loan from Tuskegee Institute at the Bible Museum. Next stop-NYC

The NYC museums were great! The African exhibit at The MET, the largest dinosaur ever found (70 tons) at Natural History and the sold out Andy Warhol exhibit at the Whitney were highlights. Also saw the Guggenheim and Jewish Heritage Museums. Next stop - my hometown of Chicago.

Reflecting this MLK Day on how far we’ve come as we see anti-voting efforts surge. youtube.com/watch?v=1u27co…

Wow. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissent.

nbcnews.com/news/us-news/s… This is affirmative action: “75 percent of the white students admitted from those four categories, labeled 'ALDCs' in the study, “would have been rejected if they had been treated as white non-ALDCs,”