Disney 'The Power of Joy' creator Francesca Murray on storytelling and Afro-Latina identity

LOS ANGELES -- Reading travel magazines in the early 2010s, Francesca Murray, founder of the popular travel blog and digital platform "One Girl One World," was disappointed to see that no one looked like her.

"I started it to be the change I wanted to see in the world," Murray said about her internet beginnings.

With more than 51,000 followers across Instagram and the blog "One Girl One World," she seeks to amplify diverse voices and experiences in travel. As an Afro-Latina with Garifuna roots, Murray is passionate about exploring her heritage, sharing her story with others and empowering young Afro-Latinos to travel.

However, the creator's journey began far before the start of "One Girl One World." According to Murray, her path in storytelling started as soon as she could write. At The Shay Hotel in Culver City, California, Murray opened up to On The Red Carpet Storytellers Spotlight about her journey.

"I started keeping a diary," she said. "Around 8 years old, our family took our first trip to Jamaica. I really fell in love with recalling those memories through the written word, and I think that's kind of where the spark of travel storytelling through writing came."

The journey to self-acceptance wasn't easy for Murray, especially when navigating what it means to be Afro-Latina.

"One of the movies that inspired me the most as a kid was 'Mulan'," she shared. "She had to assimilate, trying to be a warrior, and in my own journey as an Afro-Latina and someone who's still understanding what that means in the way that I present to the world, fitting into Latino spaces, I was always asked to prove it."

Murray told us her heritage was often questioned.

"I would tell people, 'Oh yeah, my grandma is from Honduras [and] my grandfather was Costa Rican,'" she said. "And here came the test: 'Well, do you speak Spanish?'"

In tandem with her cultural exploration, Murray's natural hair journey also unfolded. As she traveled to humid climates, she found it difficult to maintain straightened styles.

"My hair just would not stay straight," Murray joked. "So, I said, 'Okay, this is a new journey.'"

Soon after, Murray began sharing hair tips and tricks across her platforms.

"The questions I started asking myself were, 'Why have I felt like I needed to straighten my hair throughout my life?'" Murray said. "Now, I'm on this journey of learning how to accept my hair for the way that it grows out of my head."

Murray's dedication to storytelling and building a community has opened doors she never thought possible, like collaborating with Disney.

"I never would have thought that, fast forward almost 10 years, that I would have a relationship with Disney and be invited to this summit called 'The Power of Joy' as one of 80 Black content creators," she said.

Murray called the experience one of the highlights of her career. For her, it was a chance to connect with like-minded creators and fans.

"I spend so much time trying to cultivate community online that sometimes it's easy to forget that there are other human beings out there in the real world who aren't afraid to dance and create fun videos and just do things for fun," she said.

For young Latinos navigating their own paths, Murray's advice is clear: "If you identify as Latino, that's enough to me. If you feel it, you don't have to prove anything to anyone."

She emphasized the importance of owning one's story.

"There is power in all our stories and our unique experiences as Latinos," she said. "Remember who you are and really be confident in that and not need external validation."

She went on to say, "Hold on to the fact that you are who you are, and that it's okay and it's beautiful to be who you are."

Watch ABC's On The Red Carpet Storytellers Spotlight interview with Francesca Murray in the video player above.

Nzinga Blake, Luke Richards, Jason Honeycutt and Anastasia Ali contributed to this report.

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