Welcome to Crowned And Cultured

We are travelers, adventure seekers, creatives, entrepreneurs, and advocates for our community…. we are everything you say we are not, and we do everything you think we are incapable of doing! We are not your statistic, and no box can hold us. We embrace the culture and wear our crowns with pride. We are Crowned And Cultured.

Yes, I am saying WE. Crowned and Cultured is my tribe!!! Crowned And Cultured is WE, SHE, HE, US….and if you are reading this, Crowned And Cultured is YOU. If you haven’t located your crown yet, don’t worry it’s there! I’m hoping the tribe can help you find it!

Crowned And Cultured is also me, Courtney Antoinette. A girl who discovered on her 1st international trip to the UAE that seeing the world, and realizing what a tiny space you occupy on this gargantuan place we know as Earth, is just as important to her as education.

Seeing the world opens both your mind, and your heart. Just for a moment, your thoughts are no longer being controlled by the media, the internet, or those text books they assigned to you on the 1st day of class. You get to think freely. You get to think deeply. You get to think FOR YOURSELF!

That trip was a break though moment for me. For the 1st time I was outside of the US. The laws were different, the beliefs were different, the attire was different, the people were different. It wasn’t culture shock I was feeling. It was some other exuberant feeling that I still can’t put into words today.

It felt similar to figuring out the cheat code to get to the next level of Aladdin on my Sega in 1993, after being stuck on the same level for a week! (Aa Bb Aa Bb A) Sorry my 80s baby’s might be the only ones that get that reference, but really….

I imagine this is probably the same feeling a runner might get after completing their 1st marathon, or an artist might feel after finishing up their 1st masterpiece. Pure joy.

Which brings me to this. Although I would love for EVERYONE to experience international travel someday and I have high hopes that I can inspire many to do so, the end goal is joy! Even if it’s rare, even if you haven’t seen it done by someone who looks like you, if it brings you joy, go for it!

Often times society tries to put restrictions on the things we can do and the things we can accomplish. I know you’ve heard some of them. “Black people don’t swim, we don’t travel, we don’t sky dive, or hike, we don’t give back, we don’t vote,  we don’t know how to run a business….” Guess what, black people do all of that and some! It often gets overshadowed by the negativity that the media chooses to shed light on, but that just means we have to take more responsibility in uplifting and shining our light on these positive images.

Welcome to Crowned And Cultured!

Never limit yourself to the tiny crown you were born with. Trade that in for something bigger, and brighter! Yes, it may be a little heavier to carry but the strength that comes along with the weight of that crown is worth every step. -Courtney Antoinette