Breaking Barriers on the Ocean, Maya Roads, Ethical Fashion

Today we’ll embark on an around the world race with skipper Donald Lawson, we’ll journey among the people of the rainforest with Maya Roads author Mary Jo McConahay and we’ll explore what it means to be an ethical designer in the fashion house of Aidah Fontenot. Skipper Donald Lawson is making history on the water. He is one of just a few African-American professional sailors who holds the titles skipper and captain and is working towards breaking barriers in the sport of sailing. Donald Lawson anticipates becoming the first African American sailor to race around the world solo but his first stop will be on World Footprints. before he embarks we’re going to try to convince him that he must take this adventure radio crew with. As a young woman studying Spanish in Mexico in the 1970s, Mary Jo McConahay fell in love with the haunting beauty and mystery of the rainforest. Determined to experience the jungle firsthand, Mary Jo traveled solo through the beautiful wild region that spans southern Mexico and northern Guatemala. That first trip was the beginning of her life’s work and adventures in Central America. Mary Jo’s newest book, Maya Roads: One Woman’s Journey Among the People of the Rainforest, draws upon three decades in Central America’s remote and dangerous landscapes where she traveled, lived, and worked as a war correspondent. Aidah Fontenot wears many artistic hats. With over 16 years of experience and training, she continues to raise the bar in the artistic genres of fine art, photography, graphic and fashion design. Aidah is most recognized as an ethical fashion designer. Her Aidah Collection supports a “green mission” to empower women and protect the environment. The collection is handmade locally with natural and recycled materials and many designs have been spotted on the red carpet.