During the last week of October ’09, I had a truly magical experience. You may know me as Sista Sense or even Mahogany Momma, but you can now officially me a Disney Diva … thank you very much! I had the pleasure of attending the 2nd Walt Disney World African American Mom Blogger Mixer and there were so many wonderful women of color in the mix! Lead by Laura Spencer, Disney Social Media Manager, we had the pleasure of touring several Walt Disney Resorts and being among the first to welcome the newest member of the Disney Royal Family, Princess Tiana.
The Newest “Magical Mocha Moms”
From Top Left to Right:
Tara Jefferson, theyoungmommylife.com
Angela Cooper, hangingwithmrsacooper.blogspot.com
Deveter Brown, BlackPlanet.com
Onica Cupido, BlasianBabyNotes.blogspot.com
Lorraine Robertson, AskWifey.com
Lashanda Henry, blackparenting.blogspot.com
Lucinda Anderson Hughes, FrugalSocialite.com
Sherrelle Kirkland Andrews, Funkidivagirl.com
Right now just about everything on my body hurts, I think even my hair hurts (lol) … but in a good way. We saw and DID so much at Disney, it was absolutely amazing. Back when I was a kid, we did a few trips to the Magic Kingdom, but honey this takes the cake! I had no idea there was so much to see, do, eat, touch, feel, enjoy, and experience in not just an entertaining, but afro-positive, diverse, pro-black, make you feel good about who you are way! Quiet as it’s kept; Disney is doing a great job of integrating the Black Experience.
Just as they say, Disney is truly magical! As someone who writes so much about pro-black media and the value of creating positive self esteem within black communities, I honestly did NOT know how much Disney has done and continues to do within the black community at large. I had to write a completely different post just to really dive deep into the creation of Princess Tiana, the first Disney African American Princess black girls have been waiting for. And of course, Disney’s newest addition to their ‘Hall of Presidents’ attraction is a life-like robotic figure of President Barack Obama that makes you feel like you are actually in his presence, listening to him speak. Disney has also teamed up with Steve Harvey to create the Disney Dreamers Academy for Urban Youth. Not to mention the fact that I stayed in the Animal Kingdom Resort with a savanna of giraffes and other wildlife right outside my window!
We often say every black person needs to take a trip to Africa. After this weekend, I whole-heartedly feel like every black person needs to be a part of the Disney Experience because there is more for us there than I ever imagined. PLUS you can do Disney on a budget, as I learned from Heather and Darcy, two Magical Moms on the Disney Mom Panel. I’m a lady who loves a good budget, so I definitely have some great tips to share on how you can afford to create an amazing Disney trip for your family even on a small budget.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LaShanda Henry is a full time work at home mom who enjoys teaching other women entrepreneurs how to work the web! She is the creator of Sistasense.com and WorkandWebWomen.com online resource guides for beginner entrepreneurs. She also created the BlackMomsClub.com a Social Network for Black Mothers and Parents for Black Children.
Great post and sounds like an absolutely wonderful experience. I am so extremely jealous of everyone who has had this experience. I’ve never been and would love to take my children one day.