I’ve always wanted to see the city of Nashville, but I never imagined that it would happen in the midst of a nationwide pandemic and protests. When COVID-19 and layoffs put a dent in my summer plans, I settled into the idea that I would likely spend my birthday weekend in a virtual Zoom party like so many others. However, after spending over 2 months of quarantine and social distancing with my family in South Carolina — away from my Harlem community — my boyfriend Jamel and I decided enough was enough. We chose to meet in Nashville, Tennessee and make the best of it, and we were greeted with friendly faces, thrift shops worth visiting, and black owned vegan restaurants that I’m still raving about.

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