2023 African American Heritage Guide

AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE GUIDE

BRING IT TO

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COLLECTING

CULTURE

BLACK ARTISTS AND ARTISANS OFFER INTERPRETIVE STOPS FOR GROUPS

BY KIM JACK-RILEY

Travelers can learn about the rich cultural history of the blues at 100 Men Hall in Bay St. Louis..

THE ARTS PROVIDE A WINDOW INTO THE SOUL OF BLACK AMERICA.

For travelers looking for more meaningful experiences, arts and culture encounters can provide unique insight into the past and present of the Black community.

From Philadelphia to Mississippi, here are some arts and culture institutions that will help bring Black culture to life for your travelers.

YMI CULTURAL CENTER Asheville, North Carolina

Nestled within the southern Appalachian Mountains, the city of Asheville, North Carolina, radiates scenic beauty. The YMI Cultural Center (initially branded the Young Men’s Institute), provides a central hub supporting Black arts and culture busi nesses in the area, generating a ripple effect of growth and support for Black entrepreneurs.

BY EDDIE ROBINSON, COURTESY COASTAL MS

“While most incubator programs assist with business plans and financ ing, our design is deliberate in providing leadership for scaling up small businesses and advising on some of the pitfalls that often lead to premature closures,” said Alexandria Monque Ravenel, the center’s managing director.

The center features retail spaces for small Black-owned businesses. Among participating businesses are the Penny Cup coffeehouse and a boutique and art gallery, Noir Collective AVL.

The gallery features work by local artists of color, some of whom don’t have much following in the community. The center staff matches them with experienced and well-resourced artists of color who act as curators or coaches and consult on executing an exhibition.

The historic building also features displays of artifacts that are rotated out from the organization’s archives. The artifacts range from masks and instruments to advertising posters from events like Goombay (a festival celebrating Black life in Asheville), as well as sculptures, historical maps and original paintings.

Visitors can view the work of the resident artists, meet with staff, enjoy a YMI specialty beverage and pick up souvenirs at the boutique next door. www.ymiculturalcenter.org

HOUSTON MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE Houston

Groups looking for an affordable way to experience Black culture will find it in the Houston Museum of African American Culture. It is the most visited African American cultural asset in Houston, and it attracts visitors with thought-provoking exhibits, films and engaging programs.

“The current economic times do not adversely impact the museum’s commitment to free admission,” said John Guess Jr., the museum’s CEO. “We are supported by the income we receive from our museum store, the Culture Shoppe. When visitors buy from the store, they, in effect, subsidize free admission.”

The Stairwell of Memory is the museum’s permanent exhibition. It provides a clear message to younger generations while also confirming memories for older visitors.

“It is the museum’s way of making sure that everyone feels them selves a part of American issues and hopefully elicits thoughtful possi ble solutions,” Guess said. “Our lobby sets the tone with its portrait of HMAAC founder and former Mayor Lee P. Brown. Immediately one understands that history is an important part of our culture and that we are not simply a visual arts museum but rather a museum dedicated to the broader impact and importance of culture.”

Exhibitions, films and programs tend to be contemporary and thought provoking, dealing with issues of race, gender and ethnicity — reflect ing the culture of its surrounding communities. There is also a strong commitment to community involvement.

“The museum is known as ‘Houston’s Black Film House,’” Guess said, “and our decades-old film series captures a dedicated film audience with films that are both topical and historical.” hmaac.org

COURTESY HOUSTON MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE

COURTESY HOUSTON MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE

COURTESY YMI CULTURAL CENTER

Artwork at the Houston Museum of African American Culture

A Houston Museum of African American Culture gallery

A historic image of the Asheville building that now houses the YMI Cultural Center

The experience is unforgettable . Because the lessons should never be forgotten

Mississippi Civil Rights Museum | Jackson, Mississippi

MISSISSIPPI BLUES TRAIL

Coastal Mississippi

When it comes to African American arts and culture, the Mississippi Blues Trail’s sites run the gamut from city streets to cotton fields, train depots to cemeteries, and clubs to churches. The trail encompasses sites all over the state. Groups will find two noteworthy sites in the towns along the Mississippi Gulf Coast Jazz and blues fans shouldn’t miss the Ground Zero Blues Club. Both the original location in Clarksdale and the newly opened location in Biloxi are co-owned by Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman and feature live performances from local, regional and national musicians almost every night of the week. The clubs are fashioned in the style of a juke joint. The extensive lineup of live music, Southern dining and an afternoon happy hour make this a great stop for groups craving authenticity.

The 100 Men Hall in Bay St. Louis is another jewel among the out standing sites on the Mississippi Blues Trail. Legendary musicians such as Ray Charles, Etta James, James Brown, BB King, James Booker and more played there.

“The hall tells a more nuanced story than the ones you hear about Mississippi outside of this state,” said Rachel Dangermond, director of the 100 Men Hall. “It tells of Black self-reliance and self-directness. The music that evolved inside this hall is purely Black American music, ranging from blues to bounce.”

Visitors love the 100 Men Hall People Project, a series of 274 portraits of locals who have a history with the hall. Also, there is a giant mural scaling one side of the building that tells a visual story of the hall’s history. msbluestrail.org

THE COLORED GIRLS MUSEUM Philadelphia

In Philadelphia, the Colored Girls Museum, founded in 2015 in a historic Germantown home, is the only museum that shares the stories and perspectives of “ordinary” girls and women of the African diaspora. Each room of this exquisite three-story Victorian home features art and artifacts significant to ordinary Black girls. Each year exhibitions shift to consider another aspect, concern or story impacting the well-being of ordinary girls and women of the African diaspora.

The museum features art and cultural experiences including exhi bitions, performances and other programming.

“We are the first and only institution of our kind distinct for collect ing, exhibiting, honoring and decoding artifacts rooted in the experiences and herstory of Black girlhood,” said associate director Ian Friday. “One of the museum’s great strengths is that while we nurture many Black femme artists and are proud to be part of the ecosystem that helps early and midcareer artists build their careers, our primary goals are not focused on success within the art world. We exist to help communities unlock the latent power that we already possess.”

The museum is a community institution that carries out its mission in a collaborative way.

“We museum differently,” Friday said, “and are open to all who are ready for a conscious revolution. The experience is multi-layered and multi-sensory, so one can expect to explore sights, sounds and smells in what you see and what you imagine.” thecoloredgirlsmuseum.com

MAKING THEIR MARK

Brandy Evans VISIT WICHITA

Brandy Evans joined Visit Wichita in 2021 as the vice president of marketing, oversee ing advertising, public relations and social media. She is also working on projects to amplify diverse voices in the community and ultimately make Wichita feel more inclusive.

The 21-year marketing and tourism veter an graduated from Louisiana State Universi ty in Shreveport with an English degree and landed a job with a local newspaper. A year and a half later, in 2001, she decided to help the travel media craft their stories as a public relations specialist for the Shreveport-Bossi er Convention and Tourist Bureau. Evans was promoted to vice president of communica tions in 2004.

Evans has aided the community by devel oping programs to promote small businesses through her work. In Shreveport-Bossier, she introduced Restaurant Week and later Black Restaurant Week as a board member at the African American Chamber of Commerce. In Wichita, Evans hosts professional devel opment seminars for industry partners to provide them with the skills and strategies to elevate their businesses. Off the clock, Evans is a committed volunteer with organizations like Step Forward Literacy Project, Highland Friendship House Kid’s Club and Junior Achievement Spark Workshop.

Over the years, she has mentored sever al young professionals who enjoy thriving careers as executives in tourism, advertising, marketing and academia.

Wichita, Kansas

Ground Zero Blues Club in Biloxi

NIAGARA FALLS UNDERGROUND RAILROAD HERITAGE CENTER

Niagara Falls, New York

The Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center is an experiential and public art museum that presents the stories of Black freedom seekers and abolitionists at the forefront of Underground Railroad interpretation.

“The Heritage Center’s approach to Underground Railroad inter pretation is not to ask how communities of African descent survived,” said interim director Ally Spongr, “but rather to demonstrate how these communities thrived.”

Visitors leave with an expanded understanding of the value of Niagara Falls and their own role in a movement for social justice that continues today. Traditional history lessons about the Underground Railroad focus on white abolitionists and Harriet Tubman, but the museum seeks to highlight the contributions of others.

“The reality is that the Underground Railroad existed because count less ordinary Black individuals took extraordinary risks to advance the freedom of themselves and others,” Spongr said. “The stories of resistance and resilience that occurred in Niagara Falls before the Civil War are as inspiring as they are astonishing.”

niagarafallsundergroundrailroad.org

COURTESY NIAGARA FALLS USA

BY ZAMANI FEELINGS, COURTESY THE COLORED GIRLS MUSEUM

The Colored Girls Museum

Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center

CONTENT

Little Rock made important strides for civil rights

BY VICKIE MITCHELL

In early September 1957, every student at Little Rock Central High School was white. Today, a majority of its students are minority, and most are Black. They owe their presence there to the nine brave Black students who desegregated the school 65 years ago.

Central High’s significance in the bat tle for civil rights makes it a logical start to civil rights tours in the Arkansas capital. The school is a top 10 site on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail.

Central High School is a National Historic Site

As students study inside the yellow brick walls of Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, visitors pour into the visitors center to learn about the events of September 1957. They are reminded that the situation was so volatile that President Eisenhower called in the military to protect the Little Rock Nine as they faced verbal, psychological and physical assaults.

Although the school interior is not open to tours, groups can visit the visitors cen ter and its bookstore, walk the grounds and if they have reservations, take the

once-daily outdoor tour guided by the National Park Service. There are also selfguided walking tours.

Locals fight for civil rights

From there, tours can drive by, or with planning, tour the home of Daisy Bates. She was president of the Arkansas chapter of the NAACP in 1957 and served as liai son for the Little Rock Nine. The students and their families gathered at her house during the three weeks that desegregation efforts were thwarted. Her role put Bates in danger, as her home was firebombed and crosses were burned on its lawn.

Bates is one of many Little Rock residents who championed civil rights. The Ar kansas Civil Rights Heritage Trail is helping tell their story. It is a series of bronze plaques that detail contributions residents have made to ensure equal rights. Plaques are added each year. The trail will eventually reach the William J. Clinton Library and Museum, also a U.S. Civil Rights trail site.

The Civil Rights Heritage trail begins at the Little Rock Nine memorial at the Arkansas Capitol. The bronze sculptures capture the looks of worried determination as the students prepared to integrate the school.

Mosaic Templars preserves African American culture

Like the heritage trail, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center is an Arkansas Civil Rights Trail site that keeps expanding the stories it tells. Starting soon, the center will begin a $2.5 million project to upgrade exhibits and make them more interactive and vibrant. Built on the site of the Mosaic Templars of America, a Black frater nal organization in the early to mid-1900s, the center preserves the history of Little Rock’s Black community. It is situated on a prominent corner in the West Ninth Street district, Little Rock’s once-thriving Black business district. During Jim Crow, when Blacks weren’t allowed in many white-owned businesses, the district provided services they needed — from barbershops and hotels to restaurants and pharmacies — and built community among Blacks as they were treated unfairly elsewhere.

BUILDERS

BLACK ENTREPRENEURS CAPITALIZE ON TOURISM

BY BRIONA LAMBACK

AFRICAN AMERICANS HAVE LONG BEEN A PART OF THE TRAVEL AND TOURISM INDUSTRY.

Since the days of the Negro Motorist Green Book, Black entrepreneurs have been helping guide, host and educate one another and travelers in the most innovative ways.

The following six Black entrepreneurs are continuing that legacy, building and operating businesses in the tourism industry.

TIA CLARK

CASUAL CRABBING WITH TIA Charleston, South Carolina

The name Casual Crabbing with Tia began as a joke. Tia Clark, the company’s owner, didn’t come up with the business name — a friend did. But Clark’s entrepreneurial journey has been no laughing matter.

In the Geechee culture of South Carolina, where Clark grew up, seafood was a big part of the local diet. Crabbing was always happening in Charleston, but Clark didn’t take the trip that would make her an entrepreneur until six years ago.

COURTESY C CHICAGO TOURS

Clarence Goodman showcases the rich Black history of the Windy City with his company C Chicago Tours.

As a decades-long food-and-beverage veteran, Clark always had an entrepreneurial spirit and even had plans to open a cocktail bar before finding crabbing.

“This was never a thing in my head,” she said. “It took me doing this, physically being in it, living it, taking a chance and quitting my other job to really even start to feel like it was real.”

From behind the bar, she learned about Airbnb Experiences, the platform where she hosts “Let’s Go Crabbing.” Now she spends six days a week on the city’s docks hosting groups of 12 on shared experiences, as well as private experiences for groups of up to 50. Travelers learn the art of throwing a cast net, how to properly clean crabs and other methods used in crabbing.

For Clark, it’s important to use her growing business to connect more people, especially children and women, to the water. After being selected as one of 50 women from the fishing industry to attend a cli mate change conference in Seattle, she realized the role inaccessibility plays in our environment.

“I would like to create the space for women and kids, specifically, to go to and feel comfortable and build their bond with the water in any way they can,” Clark said.

casualcrabbingwithtia.com

MONIQUE GREENWOOD AKWAABA INNS Brooklyn, New York

Monique Greenwood always knew she’d be an entrepreneur. Her grandfather started one of Washington D.C.’s oldest Black-owned businesses, a moving and storage company, in the 1970s, and now she is continuing her family’s entrepreneurial heirloom and the African American legacy of operating bed and breakfasts.

Akwaaba Inns began down the street from Greenwood’s home in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, which she has called home for decades, when in 1995, she purchased a rundown 1860s mansion. She fixed it up and opened its doors to travelers in hopes of showing the world a different side of the community she loves.

“Owning the B&Bs was a way to marry my life plan with a business plan,” Greenwood said. “I aspire to have a home I love in a city that I love for each season of the year.”

Operating B&Bs is not easy work. Nearly 30 years ago, when Greenwood began, her loved ones joked about how surprised they were she was an innkeeper. Greenwood couldn’t cook or clean when she started but had a knack for interior design and loved the idea of creating community and experiences for travelers in her favorite cities. Her love of people and understanding of real estate investment motivated her.

With locations in Philadelphia, Brooklyn and the Pennsylvania Poconos, Akwaaba, the Ghanaian word for welcome, creates an inti mate experience that large hotel brands can’t duplicate. The Mansion on Noble Lane in the Poconos is a great option that can accommodate 34 people in14 guestrooms.

In Philadelphia, swanky suites named after Philly-bred music leg ends like Patti LaBelle and Teddy Pendergrass can sleep 20 people. Akwaaba Brooklyn, the smallest property, has just four guest rooms

COURTESY BLACK LIBERATION WALKING TOURS

COURTESY AKWAABA INNS BY BRANDON BURNS, COURTESY HOTEL DRYCE

COURTESY CASUAL CRABBING WITH TIA

Casual Crabbing with Tia

A guestroom at Akwaaba Philadelphia

Hotel Dryce in Fort Worth

David Peters leading a Black Liberation Walking Tours group

that sleep eight guests. There are also two glamping tents and an event space for intimate gatherings.

Greenwood incorporates Black culture into every location.

“We know that so many people of color aren’t treated like the kings and queens they are,” Greenwood said. “So when they come into our space, it’s a safe space.” akwaaba.com

JONATHAN MORRIS HOTEL DRYCE

Fort Worth, Texas

Jonathan Morris, co-owner of Hotel Dryce, Fort Worth’s newest boutique hotel, was meant to be an entrepreneur. In grade school, he ran a business making homemade bookmarks, and in high school, rhinestone bandannas. As an adult, Morris spent years working in digital marketing before it was time to scratch his entrepreneurial itch again. It came to fruition in the form of the Fort Worth Barber Shop in 2014 — a staple in Funkytown’s community.

Now he’s curating the same beloved experience at Hotel Dryce. As a traveler, Morris enjoys staying at boutique hotels and is always searching for experiences like the one he’s building: authentic, locally inspired and with a sense of place. He said he felt there wasn’t yet an independent hotel space in Fort Worth that met the criteria, so he created one.

“If I can connect people who are coming through the city with people who are in and of the city and live and breathe the city, that to me is where there’s some magic that can happen,” Morris said.

Hotel Dryce is a 21-room hotel with a cozy lobby bar and an out door courtyard. For Morris, it’s essential to create a place locals and travelers want to be. He’s intentional about taking things beyond what typical hotels can offer by fostering a space that also serves as a community hub.

As an entrepreneur new to the tourism industry, Morris’ most significant challenge has been learning the ins and outs of the hotel business, mainly because it’s a 24/7 operation, something he wasn’t accustomed to with the barbershop. It’s a different sort of rhythm. hoteldryce.com

DAVID PETERS

BLACK LIBERATION WALKING TOURS Oakland, California

A born hustler and a third-generation native of Oakland, California, David Peters has long been an entrepreneur. But the work he feels most called to do is preserving the history of West Oakland’s Hoover-Foster neighborhood, where he grew up. It’s a legendary neighborhood known for its role in the Black Liberation movement, where the Black Panther Party launched its free breakfast program.

After 20 years away, Peters moved back next door to the home he was born in, but he wasn’t about to let this history slip away as gentrification moved in. The community he grew up in was a warm place where folks looked out for each other and cared about their neighbors’ well-being. Today, he says, the neighborhood doesn’t feel quite the same, but he’s made it his business to wave down neighbors passing through to revive that true sense of community.

“It became something not that I was doing but something inside of me that had to come out some kind of way,” Peters said.

Black Liberation Walking Tours started as a self-guided tour using an app and audio collected from elders and historians in the community. After witnessing people around the neighborhood doing the tour online, he decided to upgrade his offering. Now, it’s also a walking tour with essential stops at places including St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, where Earl Neil was the spiritual advisor of the Black Panther Party, and the California hotel, one of the region’s first to allow Black people stay. blwt.org

COLLIN DEVON WILLIAMS

COLLIN DEVON EVENTS

New York City and Antigua

Collin Devon Events (CDE) began as a graduation trip for Collin Williams in 2015. He created a thoroughly planned itinerary and took his loved ones to his family’s home country, Antigua. The eight-person trip went off without a hitch, and soon thereafter, Williams organized an inaugural group trip to the island with 30 travelers, mostly Black millennial professionals in the 25–35 age range.

Although Williams didn’t always have entrepreneurial dreams, he’s always been willing to strategize to meet the needs of those in his community. In college, he was an on-campus barber and the social chair of a student-run organization where he used the funds to throw events.

Williams had no intentions of continuing the tours, but following an article feature in TIME magazine, travelers began reaching out and asking him about the next group trip. On the second visit in 2016, CDE doubled its group size. The company continues to grow yearly, with the largest group tour experience hosting 500 people — the largest in the history of Antigua.

Since then, Williams has led numerous group tours to the country and was named a goodwill ambassador by the Antiguan government. He has also added destinations like Grenada and Ghana to CDE’s tour line-up. instagram.com/collindevonevents

CLARENCE GOODMAN C CHICAGO TOURS

Chicago

A South Side Chicago native, Clarence Goodman knows the Windy City deeply. He owns C Chicago Tours, an organization that began accidentally while Goodman worked for a large, now-defunct Chicago tour company. C Chicago offers 30 different private tours in the city, including the popular Chicago’s Black History Tour.

Goodman didn’t always have entrepreneurial dreams, though. He was born just after the Chicago Renaissance period, and a lot of Black history was happening around him while he was growing up. This upbringing and a love for history keep Goodman on his tourism entrepreneurship journey.

Goodman’s greatest pride and joy is when people say they wish he’d been their history teacher or didn’t realize how important Chicago was to the history of the world, the U.S. and Black history.

“It’s very important to me as a Black man, an American, as a citizen of the world, for people to understand the place of Black history in the world,” Goodman said.

clarencegoodman.wixsite.com

MAKING THEIR MARK

Deaundra Rolle THE EDISON IN DISNEY SPRINGS

Deaundra Rolle — affectionately known as Chef Dee — has been masterfully fusing Ca ribbean flavor with American fare as the ex ecutive chef at The Edison in Disney Springs. Rolle puts her spin on seafood by using cit rus, fresh herbs, seasonings and hot peppers, a nod to her upbringing in the Bahamas.

Rolle first developed her appreciation for the culinary arts in her native Caribbean coun try. She was an avid fan of the Food Network, keeping her television fixed on the channel. But it was her grandmother who would provide her earliest lessons. The family matriarch would send Rolle off to pick peas to prepare soup. She would also help her grandmother turn benne seeds (sesame seeds) into the popular Bahami an street dessert benne cakes.

Rolle decided to pursue her passion by attending Keiser University in Melbourne, Australia, and attaining a bachelor’s degree in restaurant and food service management from the University of Central Florida. While in college, she gained experience at hotels and joined the Disney College Program. After graduation, Rolle continued to work across the Walt Disney World properties at All-Star Resorts, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Disney Springs before her role at The Edison.

Generally, women are underrepresented in the food industry’s corporate pipeline, par ticularly Black and Latina women. Rolle said she experienced challenges in her trajectory but is proud to be an example to other Black women and aspiring chefs in her community.

Orlando

A Collin Devon Events beach trip

JOIN THE CROWD

HERE ARE SIX GREAT BLACK EVENTS TO ATTEND

BY ALYSE TATUM

The Afro Utah Festival celebrated its second installment in 2022.

COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE BLACK EXPERIENCE IN AMERICA. Dating as far back as Juneteenth (or Jubilee Day) in 1866, when former slaves joined to celebrate the first anniversary of the two-year-late emancipation of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, Black people have been coming together to celebrate their culture, their communities and their freedom.

Here are some Black cultural festivals that promise distinctive experiences for group travelers.

SOMETHING IN THE WATER Washington, D.C.

Created by Renaissance man and music mogul Pharrell Williams, Something in the Water showcases Black music, culture and art while highlighting diversity, community and empowerment for the youth and small businesses. With artist alumni such as Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Snoop Dogg, T.I. and more, the festival celebrates West Coast, East Coast and Southern rap. The Pop-Up Church

COURTESY AFRO UTAH FESTIVAL

Service has also included notable gospel artists like Kirk Franklin, Rev. John P. Kee and Mary Mary.

Upon its inception in 2019, Something in the Water was held in Virginia Beach, Virginia, to spotlight the area and the talent within it. Williams, being from Virginia, wanted to present his roots and peers to the world. Though the festival was not held in 2020, Williams kept its mission alive by campaigning for Juneteenth to become a paid holiday in Virginia. After succeeding in those efforts, he moved his sights to the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. Eventually, on June 17, 2021, Juneteenth became a federal holiday. somethinginthewater.com

AFROPUNK

Brooklyn, New York

Like most in-person events, Afropunk took a hiatus in 2020 and 2021, then made its highly anticipated return September 10-11. Afropunk is a music, film, fashion and art festival that started in Brooklyn in 2005 and is now an international touring festival. It’s also regarded as one of the top festivals for fashion, style and self-expression.

The concept of the festival came from a documentary called “Afro-Punk,” which showcased Black people living the punk lifestyle. Originally, the Afropunk festival catered more to that crowd, with alternative punk music and entertainment. As the festival expanded, so did its music genres.

Today, Afropunk is bigger than ever, with top-tier musical performances from almost every genre. This year’s performers included The Roots, Isaiah Rashad and Earl Sweatshirt. Other attractions on the festival grounds were a marketplace with local vendors, a food garden called Bites n Beats and interactive activations by sponsoring brands. afropunk.com

ARIZONA BLACK RODEO  Scottsdale, Arizona

The Arizona Black Rodeo, run by the Arizona Black Rodeo Association, is one of the biggest Black events in the state and is nick named “the hottest show on dirt”. It features national African American rodeo competitors and was formed to share the history and heritage of Black people in the Old West, as well as their impact on Western culture. Part of its mission is also to teach sportsmanship, equestrian skills and agriculture to the community, particularly to young people.

There is a lot of cultural interest in Black rodeo today, but this isn’t a fad. Black people have been involved in rodeos since rodeos existed. But they were not always allowed to be in the forefront, which is part of the reason Black rodeos were created.

Celebrating its 11th year in 2022, the Arizona Black Rodeo still holds true to its core values: youth, community, agriculture, education, health and entertainment. To help educate even more people, the Arizona Black Rodeo Association formed Black Rodeo USA, an organization that tours the United States azblackrodeo.wixsite.com

MAKING THEIR MARK

Keyra Lynn Johnson DELTA AIR LINES

In 2021, Delta Airlines elevated Keyra Lynn Johnson to vice president and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. She spearheads a comprehensive DEI strategy and implements programs impacting Delta employees, customers and the wider com munity.

Johnson graduated from Georgia State University with a degree in speech commu nication before becoming a part of the Delta family more than 25 years ago. Her first role was on the front line as an associate customer service agent before moving into communi cations-oriented positions. She steadily rose to senior leadership on the airline’s corpo rate, internal and employee communications teams. In 2016, she became the managing director and eventually chief diversity and inclusion officer.

Johnson heads the Delta Care and Schol arship Funds, the airline’s nonprofit dedicated to providing scholarships to employees and their families for educational advancement and assisting those experiencing unexpect ed hardship. She also serves on the board for Southern Crescent Sexual Assault and Child Advocacy Center. A strong connection to faith and family underscores her leadership and passion for community outreach.

Atlanta

The main stage at Something in the Water

COURTESY SOMETHING IN THE WATER

BY LEBO LUKEWARM,

COURTESY AFROPUNK

BY NAS HOLSTON, COURTESY AFROPUNK

An Afropunk performer

Celebrating Black creativity at Afropunk

BLACK ARTS FESTIVAL Kalamazoo, Michigan

In 1985, Kalamazoo’s Recreation Leisure and Cultural Affairs depart ment helped plan and fund a downtown festival to promote Black arts and culture. Because of those efforts, the inaugural Black Arts Festival was held in August 1986 and was a great success. To keep attendees’ interest until the next year, some of the original organizers, Gail Sydnor, Lois Jackson and James C. Palmier, decided to create a committee to promote Black art year round. So, the Black Arts and Cultural Committee (now the Black Arts and Culture Center) was formed.

The committee continued to grow, eventually exceeding its original purpose. By 1990, the committee had its own building and was launching and supporting art exhibits, plays, dances, movies, events, and various classes and became the Black Arts and Cultural Center of Kalamazoo. In 2001, the center moved to a new building.

The 2022 edition was the 36th anniversary of the festival, during which local and international artists media showcase their work each year. There are even technology events now. And the event stays focused on its original mission: to “develop human potential, self esteem and creativity among Blacks of all ages in the Kalamazoo Community, advance the awareness of Black artistic ability and to preserve Black cultural heritage.”

Special musical guests perform each year, with 2022’s headliners being R&B solo artists Sammie and Tweet. This festival is free during the day and has an entry fee in the evening to control capacity. blackartskalamazoo.org

Round up your group for some rip-roarin’ excitement from the likes of Cheyenne Frontier Days and Hell on Wheels in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The world’s largest outdoor rodeo and Western Celebration and the chuck wagon dinner and rodeo series are complemented by the thriving Wild West lifestyle found in our sophisticated city.

Wyoming starts here. Live the Legend in Cheyenne.

COURTESY BLACK ARTS FESTIVAL

COURTESY ARIZONA

BLACK RODEO

Arizona Black Rodeo

Kalamazoo’s Black Arts Festival

Discover Black History

BLACK CULTURAL FESTIVAL Eugene, Oregon

Eugene’s Black Cultural Festival was created by event producer Talicia Brown-Crowell for people of African descent in Oregon and surrounding areas to be able to celebrate and embrace their Black cul ture and heritage.

While attending other long-established festivals and events in Oregon, Talicia noticed her culture and people weren’t being adequately repre sented. Then in 2019 at Beloved Festival, she stumbled upon a Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) sanctuary for people of color to come rest. She found herself visiting the sanctuary multiple times, finding refuge and solidarity. After this experience, she realized how much the lack of BIPOC-centered events was taking a toll on her.

So, Brown-Crowell formed a planning and production team, and in August 2021, the inaugural Black Cultural Festival was held at Alton Baker Park in Eugene, Oregon. The second annual festival took place this August. The growing festival has been funded and sponsored by mostly Black-owned businesses, with its first year’s attendee demographic being 85% people of color. While there was an entry fee, they informed hopeful festivalgoers that no one of African descent would be turned away, even without the means to pay.

At the Black Cultural Festival, visitors can expect artists, vendors, food, entertainment, local Black-owned businesses and much more. blackculturalfestival.com

AFRO UTAH FESTIVAL Salt Lake City

The Afro Utah Festival took place for the second time this year. It was created to celebrate African American culture and heritage with food, dance, art and community. This festival is organized by the GK Folks Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Salt Lake City that focuses on education, empowerment, entrepreneurship and mental health resources for African descendants.

Debuting in August 2021, the Afro Utah Festival sought to bring together African Americans, Black immigrants and those of African descent to spotlight their art, culture and food, as well as to promote equity, inclusion and diversity. The festival’s organizers sought to cre ate an accurate and inspirational understanding of Black people and their contribution to the Utah community. The 2022 festival was held September 24 and had a sizable turnout, showing a great want for something like this in the city.

Due to the increase in the Black population in Utah, Afro Utah organizers felt it was important to educate the com munity about Black culture while also giving the new Black community a safe space to cel ebrate and embrace their own culture as well.

afroutah.org

BY CHOSIN OLOFI, COURTESY BLACK CULTURAL FESTIVAL

Black Cultural Festival

Forks of the road

proud to take a stand monument rhythm night club memorial museum

The dr. john bowman banks museum

museum of african

history & culture

in Southwest Mississippi Where the African American Story Comes to Life!

victory for

movement in

-- Lance Hill, author “The Deacons of Defense” (2004)

THE WAY

TO MEET

EXPLORE PENSACOLA’S RICH AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY.

Pensacola is a city with an old soul and a vibrant modern vibe. Our stunning beaches beckon visitors with the promise of sunshine, saltwater and relaxation on white sandy shores. But the beaches are just the beginning.

Pensacola boasts more than 460 years of history with heavy African American influences from its very beginning in 1559. As your group explores Pensacola, they’ll find traces of this rich history at every turn.

Belmont DeVilliers, the bustling commercial and cultural hub of Pensacola’s black community during segregation, and the Chappie James Museum and Flight Academy, established at the childhood home of our nation’s first African-American four-star general of the U.S. Air Force, are just two of many sites not to pass up.

The highlighted experiences below are a great place to start planning your group’s itinerary.

MUSEUMS & HISTORIC SITES

Belmont Devilliers Neighborhood Chappie James Museum Fort Pickens

Historic Pensacola Village Mississippi Blues Trail Marker Rosamond Johnson Beach

Voices of Pensacola Multicultural Center

EVENTS Back on the Blocks Festival Crawfish Festival Foo Foo Festival

Gulf Coast Summerfest Pensacola JazzFest Pensacola Stompfest

PLAN YOUR TRIP @THEWAYTOMEET.COM

BLACK HERITAGE

Groups will take a step back in time when discovering Louisville’s Black heritage with the Unfiltered Truth Collection. These immersive experiences feature perspectives and stories that you may have never heard before at some of the city’s most unique and iconic attractions. Learn more at UnfilteredTruthCollection.com

Historic Locust Grove