Visiting all 50 states was about more than checking boxes for Selika Josiah Talbott. For the longtime transportation leader, traveler and AAA Member, a cross-country journey honored her mother’s legacy and love of the United States and affirmed her own appreciation of mobility.
Her accomplishment before her 60th birthday places her among a small number of Black American women known to have visited all 50 states. She estimates that fewer than 0.5% of Black women have done it and fewer than 2% of Americans in general have been to all 50 states, backed up by a recent YouGov poll.
“There is culture across America and experience across America that is so deep and so rich. I am grateful that in my mother's honor, I have had the experience to visit all 50 states and hope that I am an inspiration to others,” Josiah Talbott says.
Born on Long Island as the child of immigrants, she grew up in a household where the idea of America generated pride and purpose.
“I’m the first person on both sides of my family to have been born in the United States. My mother is from the island of Jamaica, and my father is from the country of Kenya.”
Building community was especially important to her mother, Marlene Huie, who came to the United States for college. According to Josiah Talbott, Huie spent 30 years teaching in the same school district, mentored students and served on nonprofit boards. She planned to travel in her retirement, especially to Hawaii.
Her example of service influenced her daughter’s outlook. Josiah Talbott practiced law, ran her own firm, served as chief operating officer of a state agency, helped write the nation’s policy on autonomous vehicles and eventually became president of the Transportation Channel. She also raised a family with her husband, her children, ages 30 and 27, and her “bonus blessings” ages 18 and 21.
“I'm sitting on the shoulders of the work that was done before me, and I was raised by a single mother,” she says. “I didn't have that experience. I had a husband in the home. I can imagine how difficult that was.”
Three weeks after her mother turned 59, she died — never having visited Hawaii. The significance struck Josiah Talbott while planning her own trip to Hawaii for her 40th birthday. She and her best friend took their kids to celebrate and honor Josiah Talbott's mother with the experience.
In her career, she served as the director of field in charge of enforcement for all large trucks and buses in the U.S. and its territories. The frequent work travel at that time brought her mission into sharper focus; every week she noticed she was probably in a different state, but it took on new urgency in 2025.
“I realized at that point that I had been to 44 states. And at the beginning of last summer, it was in earnest that I complete all 50 states.
“I came up with the phrase, ‘FiftyBy60.’”
What had once been a long-term intention became a defined mission after discussing the idea with her husband. Realizing she had only six states left to see, she committed to completing the journey before turning 60 and documenting the experience to inspire others.
Finding Meaning on the Road
Rather than chasing only well-known destinations, Josiah Talbott wanted the full experience — roadside attractions, local recommendations and serendipitous moments alike. She also made a point to mindfully shop and buy locally. “I don’t want to be exploitative of the community that we were in. If we’re going to go, we need to buy a little something to pay our respects.”
Again and again, each American destination exceeded her expectations.
“When I’ve gone to places and I see waterfalls in Idaho that remind me of waterfalls that I saw in Hawaii, I think sometimes we get caught up in stereotypes and perceptions of places that we haven’t traveled to. And when we get there, we realize we’re likely wrong…. If you thought it was going to be good, it’s probably more awesome than you even believed it was. And if you thought it was going to be meh, it’s probably wonderful, and you just don’t realize it because you haven’t been there," she said.
She encourages people to “travel the United States, get in your car and see the country” and try to avoid preconceived notions; some of the places she waited on visiting, her last six, would be places she would now want to “do a commercial for why you should go to those places — the beauty, the history, the culture, the people, the food,” she adds, mentioning her top dining experiences, including traditional Italian fare in Ogden, Utah; a porkchop smothered in amaretto sauce in South Dakota; and Basque food in Boise, Idaho, a city which has the largest Basque community outside Europe.
As the journey unfolded, there were moments that didn't feel like coincidences but more like a validation that she was exactly where she needed to be. At one stop, she found butterfly rings that reminded her of a song her grandmother loved called “Black Butterfly” by Denise Williams. Another time, in South Dakota, a program at Mount Rushmore National Memorial highlighted immigrant stories that reflected her own family’s path — a man from Jamaica working in a high school with kids and mentoring them or a first-generation woman who worked for the federal government.
“What are the chances that those are the two people or the two stories that they chose to highlight?”
Why Mobility Matters
As the trip continued, the people and places along the way added perspective and confidence. “You now, as an American, get to say, I am claiming each and every part. There’s nothing that I’m running away from or escaping.”
Her career in transportation, plus her experience teaching as an adjunct at the University of Southern California, reinforced the connection between mobility and opportunity. She's seen how transportation access can affect education, employment and quality of life.
“One of the things that I've come to realize through my professional capacity and just being a parent and living in the world is that a good education is not enough. If you do not have mobility, you may not even have the opportunity to get that education.”
Through these combined experiences, she's noticed how access influences opportunities, especially how long commutes or limited infrastructure can shape what is possible. Students she’d taught had told her they had to commute two hours each way to come to class. The freedom to move, something she's actively exercised in her own life, had not been equally available to everyone.
As she moved through the country, those ideas came into focus at places that hold America’s story. “I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams,” she says. “My grandmother did not have an education past grade school. My mom went to college and had a master’s degree. I have a law degree. … I’m sitting on the shoulders of the work that was done before me.”
She had a solid backing as she approached the final states on her list; her husband as well as friends and collaborators joined different legs of the road trip, including Samantha Ortega, a traveler and leading voice in policy and energy, and Lori Dunn, an executive producer, operator and systems builder. Both supported her in the trip, from her dream of making a documentary to getting her out of her comfort zone, whether in driving or climbing rocks for a scenic view.
As a longtime AAA member, too, she appreciated the extra reassurance on the road. “I would absolutely encourage everybody to use AAA as a resource when they’re traveling. It’s also a safety net. You’re on the road. Anything can happen while you’re on the road.”
The consistency helped her to focus less on logistics and more on experiences and forming relationships. “It's no fun alone. It really isn't,” Josiah Talbott says. “You're also learning from them while they're learning from you. And then finally, which ties back to the whole point of ‘FiftyBy60,’ is when all is said and done, what remains is the legacy that we've created.”
Completing 50 States on Juneteenth: More Than a Travel Goal
The final stretch of “FiftyBy60” took place in the Dakotas. They were the states she hadn't prioritized early on but ultimately introduced some of the most meaningful stops on the journey, according to Josiah Talbott, who completed her 50-state goal during America's 250th anniversary, with her final state landing on Juneteenth.
“The ability to get it done, to move, to have freedom on Juneteenth, to check that box in her honor is incredibly symbolic about the importance of freedom of movement.”
Josiah Talbott has even trademarked the phrase, “Transportation is mobility, and mobility is freedom.”
Josiah Talbott defines mobility as the movement of people, goods and information — and reiterates its importance. “If you have...full access to mobility, then sort of the world is your oyster. If I think about AAA and what [is offered] — because you are offering information — that is essentially moving people in goods, right? It is almost the keys to the kingdom.”
The timing connected several threads that had run through the journey from the beginning, including her mother's legacy, her family's immigrant story, her work in transportation and also her belief that movement creates opportunity.
As one of the few Black American women known to have visited all 50 states, Josiah Talbott sees finishing her journey as carrying significance beyond just a milestone achievement. Travelers like Ugandan-American writer and photographer Jessica Nabongo, popularly understood to be the first documented Black woman to visit every country in the world, reminds her of what it means to claim space fully, both globally and across the United States.
The journey also prompted reflection on her part on the broader history of movement in America, including the experiences of Indigenous communities and others whose freedom to move has not always been guaranteed. She looked for guidance, visiting local sites and keeping in mind Indigenous tribes of the states. She saw tribes continuing to reclaim their sites today and honors that: “We see you and we respect you.”
At Mount Rushmore and later at the Crazy Horse Memorial, she noticed how different histories coexist within the same landscape. She pondered the landmark monument of Crazy Horse, featuring an outstretched hand, as if saying “This is mine. This is ours. This is for our people.”
For Josiah Talbott, the journey soon became about legacy and an acknowledgement — what’s carried forth and what’s chosen to complete. It makes her think of making time for what's important, particularly people considering a major trip of their own. She knows how easy it is to wait for the right time, the right schedule or the perfect plan. Recently, she encouraged her oldest son, 30, to take a short trip.
“We are so caught up in the perfect amount of time, in the perfect schedule. And sometimes you just need to go and get a tidbit of something. If you get to go back, fine. If you don’t, you can say, ‘I have a little piece of that.’”
For Josiah Talbott, her 50-state journey unfolded over years, inspired by work, family and a decision to keep going, even when the timing wasn’t perfect. The trip honored promises, embracing the full complexity of the country and discovering that belonging isn’t tied to one place but something you can carry wherever you go.
“My mother's legacy of loving her country, of working hard, of instilling in me a desire to see more and experience more, that legacy remained, and that is what spurred the need to complete what she had started,” she says. “And now in turn, I'm going to create another legacy. Hopefully, what will remain of that is that I have lifted others, that I have supported others, that I have encouraged people to reach high and far, to travel and to have the fullness of freedom to move about this country that we love.”
And as for Selika Josiah Talbott, she's not exactly finished yet with her travels. With the “FiftyBy60” journey complete, she's looking forward to seeing more of Europe and Africa. She's also planning a trip to Japan this fall to celebrate her oldest son's birthday, continuing an appreciation of travel that is both a family aspiration and a personal legacy.