Watch Out for the Elephants!

By: C. Angela Todd & C. Ann Todd

You can achieve anything you want to - just Watch Out for the Elephants!

The year was 1945, and the lives of black Americans showed little sign of improvement. We were still relegated to third-class status-forced to sit at the back of the bus, to drink from separate water fountains, to take only those menial jobs the white population considered beneath them.

In sharp contrast, that same year, our father became only the 11th black man permitted to join the United States Foreign Service. His first posting was Cairo, Egypt, where he was sent as a Civilian Security Guard. For the next 35 years, our family traveled the world, moving from country to country and culture to culture, where-perhaps surprisingly-we lived very ordinary lives in very extraordinary settings.

We have always considered our unusual upbringing a distinct privilege, and feel that this privileged background entails the responsibility to pass along important life lessons to others, such as:

If our parents could do it as black Americans living abroad in 1945, you can achieve anything you want to in the 21st century and beyond! There is a big, beautiful world out there beyond your own personal boundaries, and we want to share some of the world’s wonderful people and cultures with you through our stories and pictures. As you travel though your life, always remember to Watch Out for the Elephants!–regardless of what shape or form they might take!

It is our dream that this book will open the hearts and minds of young people to the endless possibilities and wonders of diverse cultures and ways of life.

It is our hope that these stories will highlight the strength of the human spirit that is possible despite sometimes overbearing obstacles, such as the prejudices that our parents faced.

It is our conviction that the world of opportunities is open to everyone. Remember: If you can dream it, you can achieve it!