Meet the Tarltons', who are in search of our lost, stolen, and distorted history in the US. The Tarltons' believe our roots stem from Africa but our stories have become an intricate part of Black History which is essentially "American History." They are on a journey to educate their children about who they are and what it means to be Black in America. This is their motivating story below!
1. Where are you all living
now and where did you move from?
We are currently living in
Georgia, USA. We left from Virginia.
2. How long have you been in Georgia?
We have been in Georgia for
about two months. We travel the US and stay in different state parks. We
started our travels in June of this year.
3. How many kids do you have and what are the ages?
Between the two of us, we have
nine children. Our three minors are traveling with us. We have a set of twin
boys that are eight years old, and a daughter that’s nine years old.
4. What was
the reason for the move?
For years we have wanted to
travel around the country to take the children to see the US. We started
going places during our summer break but then my husband had an accident at
work, so traveling stopped. Now my husband is retired and this enables us to
travel full time. Our move is a bit different. We rented out our home and we
travel from state to state and stay in state parks. So we are not totally
stationary. At times, we park our RV and spend a few days in another state and
then come back. For example, we are currently staying in Georgia but we will
also get in our RV and head to Florida in December for a week or so. By doing
it this way, we will get to travel and see all the states.
We are also traveling in search
of our lost, stolen, and distorted history in the US. Black history is not
taught in the school system, so we took it upon ourselves to go find our
history ourselves and teach our children.
We are so done with the slave
narrative. Our history here in the US is so much more but we would never know
it because no one teaches us. They show us only what they want us to know and
that’s NOT our true history.
First we made the decision to
do it. Afterwards, we decided how to do it. I sat down and wrote out everything
I thought we needed to take care of, I love writing and making lists.
6. Have you all had any bouts
with homesickness?
I am thankful to say no.
However, I do miss connecting with my friends. I think my husband misses his
siblings. We both miss our grown children, and grandchildren back home. But to
say homesick, not me!
For the most part our
families have been excited and supportive. There was instance where a family
member was not happy and felt abandoned. What I have learned, is this. There’s
a fear greater than that of moving forward and that’s the fear of being left
behind.
Not really. We did small
scale things, but I would not equate them with traveling. Often, we let money
hold us back.
They are actually
“road-schooled!” We do school on the road! So, the road is our classroom.
10. How has the move affected
your family (pros & cons)
Oh boy, this is a good one…
Good things come to those who travel! We learn so much and we meet so many new people.
What has been most astonishing is how much we have learned about black people
and their accomplishments right here in the USA. It has been incredible!
We have also started doing
things we would most likely would not have done, such as, kayaking, canoeing
and just waking up to see the beautiful parks and water everywhere.
Did I mention my clean up
time is drastically cut! Each child has a few chores and then they’re out the
door! They’re responsible for gathering and stacking wood, taking out the trash
and collecting pine cones to put in the fire. This is positive because they
feel a part of what we’re doing and they have fun with it!
Maybe it’s something about
living in the middle of the woods with all the fresh air that my children are
doing very well, in terms of their health. My kids use to catch every cold,
virus, infection, and flu. Since we started traveling seven months ago, they
have been well and they sleep in late, thank God!
One thing that means a lot to
me is the fact that I get to determine what and how my children learn. They are
not fed a bunch of stuff that does not relate to them or things that don’t
build them up and encourage their natural abilities. I teach them because I
care and love them. Our core values are not compromised but strengthened. My
children see our people as teachers and builders of each other. We even came up
with our own mission statement. I’ll include that at the end.
Our children love the water
and they get to live in the water most of the time. It boils down to freedom! Now,
is there such thing as too much togetherness? I must admit, sometimes we need a
break from each other. During these times, one of us, must make special effort
to take the children and make sure the other has some alone time.
Another thing, date night, is
non-existent. Since we don’t live in a community where we have established
connections, we do without dating. This could take its toll if we don’t at
least carve out time to close the door and watch a movie, or watch a movie
outside and talk, while the children stay inside the RV. With
these things in mind, we make the best of it all. Everything in life has
challenges, even traveling. But the good, far outweighs the bad.
So far, so good! We have not
experienced racism so far, at least not that I could tell. Lots of people are
just uptight; I don’t take some stuff personal. Most of us know, customer
service is a thing of the past. Times when I felt customer service was lousy, I
spoke up. An apology followed, with an invitation to come back. We won’t be
going back though. With all that’s going on and
the US climate, we are very prayerful these days, as we travel, that’s for sure.
Oh my word, yes! I’m not sure
if there’s enough space to write about this. I do know that I won’t say
anything new about this but here goes.
Traveling is important, in my
opinion, because of exposure. To me exposure breeds education, not the four
walls of a classroom. Exposure also gives experience. Families, in my opinion,
need exposure, education and experiences to be well rounded and live well.
Now this next answer is
simple and yet profound. FUN. Family fun. Everything doesn’t have to be deep
and serious, all the time. Memories that are fun are the ones that will be
remembered! Who doesn’t like to have plain old fashioned fun?! Traveling, in my opinion,
helps to develop more of a world/global view of life. Seeing how others live
and make a life is very eye opening.
Also, traveling represents
freedom. Often enough, we are enslaved to a system, to one way of thinking
about things. Traveling gives the freedom to explore and see how much life is
out there. It provides an opportunity to experience new things, to see new
places. By traveling you’re giving yourself freedom to build the kind of life
you want, not what someone else has plotted out for you.
For so long society has
dictated how everyone should live. They (those who don’t pay any bills) tell us
to get a job, working for them. Get a house, paying them three times the price
you purchase it for. They tell us how many years to work and then they pay us
scraps for our life work.
They teach our children their
ways to enslave them and then we confirm this by living the way we are dictated
to live. In my opinion, true freedom comes when we release the lies and life of
those who seek to control us and free ourselves to experience what else is out
there.
There’s no American dream
really, it’s more of a nightmare, and we need to awaken from. To dream is to be
free. Traveling is a way to free yourself from the rat race that’s been set up
for us. Traveling and freedom go hand in hand. Travel when you want, settle
down when you want, and then when you feel like it, get up and go again. Now
that’s freedom!
13. How do you finance your
journey?
Very important question! Our
situation works for us because my husband has retired and I work as a
free-lance writer and speaker. The money issue is no joke and not to be taken
lightly. Between the two of us, we can swing this because we rented out our
home.
The plan is to continue
traveling until we want to stop. We want to see all the US, afterwards we plan
to get our passports and travel and explore Africa. Both of my older children
have traveled there and had great experiences. We have talked about one day
relocating to Africa and building a business there.
Go for it! Really, plan,
plan, plan, and then plan some more. Wherever you are, immerse your family in
the culture through books, videos, reading blogs, and reaching out to those who
are doing what you want to do or living where you want to live.
Be sure to investigate your
education options, in terms of your children. We road-school, but we still had
to have a base or a place to file our paperwork. Here in the US, there’s
accountability in terms of your child’s education. Be sure to
secure your health/dental insurance and see who provides care where you plan to
go. Understand your deductibles or out of care costs. These can add up.
If you work via your computer,
make sure to check on how you’ll have internet access. This can be a challenge
because we don’t have cell phones. Remember all your technology needs and plan
accordingly.
Make sure to talk to your
children about your move and more importantly, listen to them. They have
feelings too. My children went along with the program but still they miss their
friends. There’s no way around that. We try to make sure we take them out and
connect when we can to other children. We try our best to make this experience
one they’ll cherish. Always listen and hear them and consider their feelings.
Your children need to be a
part of your plans. Include them when you talk, pick a place, make
arrangements, etc. Make sure they are not just being pulled along but made to feel
important. Remember, all decisions will affect them one way or the other. Our
children should feel like a family unit not an outsider looking in. Find a way
they can still stay connected to other family and friends, through letter
writing, Skype, email, or whatever technology is available for them.
I would also say get out of
as much debt as you can. The more you free yourself financially, the better off
you’ll be. Unplug from this system of debt and despair. When you make up your
mind to move forward, remember, everyone can’t see what you see. Be prepared
for those who may not support you, and carry on. Understand that your journey
is just that, your journey. For all the explaining you do, some still won’t get
it.
Remember, freedom is not
free. You may pay by the loss of friends, family, even support. However,
ultimately, you’ll be free to live the life you were created to live.
To sum it up, plan, prepare,
and then persevere.
What I love the most about
living state to state in state parks, is the view I wake up to. Sometimes, it’s
the simple things in life that mean so much. Back at my house, I did have a
great view of land and pretty houses. But in the parks, we wake up to big tall
trees, lakes everywhere and fresh air from the pines.
There is so much untapped
history right here in the states about our people, it’s unreal. The things they
were accomplishing, with so little, are mind blowing. We have been told
stories, and read about and visited a beach owned by a black man named William
Ward Pinkett, Sr. Not only did he own a beach but acres of land and was very
wealthy. This was way back in the early 1900’s. We
have learned about James Fields, who escaped slavery and went on to become an
attorney and later built the first hospital in Newport News Virginia for black
people.
The
easiest things to adjust to was living in the middle of the woods. Lots of
people, (especially from the city like myself) think it may be creepy, but
really, you get used to it. We also adjusted to being the only black families
in the parks. Everywhere we go, we look for families that look like us, but
they are nowhere to be found!
One of the
hardest things to adjust to when you’re living on the road is missing your
connections at home. You can’t just call your friends and get together for
brunch, you know how girls like to get together and talk! So, in a way, you
lose your network on the road.
Since we
are traveling and not in one place all the time, we don’t establish long
connections and friendships. But the ones I make I do cherish. Living
in an RV, always in close proximity, can be very challenging. Growing up as an
only child, I always had lots of “me” time! Not so, in the RV life. It seems we
are always on top of each other. Let’s put it this way, the children spend lots
of time outdoors! In addition to living in the RV full time, I
road-school, so we are always together all the time, everyday. But, eventually,
you adjust and keep it moving.
When times
really get rough and we need a break, we check into a hotel. The criteria, it
must have an indoor pool and continental breakfast!
I don’t
know if we have a social life. I’ll say this. When we’re not out making
discoveries, we live in the library. It’s close, free, has internet access, and
tons of books, it has become our social hang out. They know us at the library!
They keep us informed of all the programs in the county. We love the library!
Since we
live in state parks, we are always making fires, hiking, swimming, tubing,
biking, and kayaking. We are very close to nature. When I get to a state, I
always look up homeschool co-ops. I was very successful here in Georgia and
found a great co-op, called Heritage Homeschoolers. We have had playdates, pot
luck and other field trips that mean a lot to the children’s growth,
development, and fun. Not to mention mine!
When you live in a state park
in an RV, the price per night can vary. If you need the full hook of water and
electricity it can run anywhere from thirty to forty-five dollars per night. If
you want to rough it with just electric and no water, it can be around fifteen
dollars per night.
On the days, we stay in
hotels, we spend anywhere from ninety to one hundred twenty dollars, plus taxes
per night. Money well spent to spread out a bit! Of
course, we have the basic grocery stores in the area. I think we spend on
average around four hundred dollars per month. I have yet to find a local
farmers market to support or get fresh food from.
Go ahead, move, travel, you
have nothing to lose and ALL to gain! Make a plan and make it happen! It’s been
one of the best decisions we made. There’s so much to learn and grow from. It’s
an education, that can’t take place in a classroom. Instead of reading about
mountains, butterflies, plant life, animals, and other cultures, go there, see,
touch and experience them for yourself. That’s a real education!
Traveling has opened so many
doors and we have met so many fabulous people I would have never met, tucked
away in my home in Virginia.
Living on the road has taught
me to be free and almost fearless. It has taught me that you must choose the
way you live your life or life will make the choice for you. I have also
learned that security does not have to cost your freedom. Living on the road,
has taught me to value life experiences over things. When you live in an RV,
you learn that less really is best.
My children would most likely
say anything that involves seeing and touching animals would be their favorite
memory. Days at the beach with new friends, swimming, cooking out and then
settling in for a movie outside.
Yes, one of the things I love
doing, is blogging and sharing our family adventures to encourage others to
live the travel life and sharing all the black historic sites and people we
learn about! Our website is:
This is our
family mission statement:
Live simply
with gratitude
I so want this for my family! We have 5 kids, but they are very young. Lots of planning to do.
ReplyDeleteHi Ana! Sorry for the late response, I did not see this comment. Planning is the first part of accomplishing anything.. My children are 8 and 9 yrs old. Reach out to me if you have any questions.
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