Black Travel
Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.
— Maya Angelou
This collection of Black Travel stories brings to life the full narrative of Black history and heritage through the lens of travel. Here, we share the journeys, perspectives, and voices of Black travelers who explore the world with curiosity and resilience. Each story captures the unique challenges and joys Black travelers experience, from discovering places of cultural significance to navigating complex racial dynamics across different borders.
Through these narratives, readers will see Black history illuminated as travelers connect with diasporic communities, visit historic sites, and uncover stories often overlooked in traditional travel narratives. World Footprints is proud to amplify these voices, offering insights and inspiration that reflect the richness of the Black traveler’s journey. This category stands as a testament to the power of travel to bring understanding, pride, and a deeper appreciation of Black history across the globe.
Black History Month has been celebrated annually since the year 1926. First termed “Negro History Week,” Black History Month is honored each February.
As a Southern-born white woman, incorporating Black history sites into my travel plans never crossed my mind… until I married a Black man.
Our Creole cultural exploration takes us just outside New Orleans to the Old Mississippi River Road where we'll share the story of a Creole family and a plantation named Laura--voted "Best history tour in the USA" by Lonely Planet Travel and a top travel attraction in Louisiana.
Most recently, I traveled to Ghana over the holidays with friends and family. I tried many foods like fufu, bofrot, and my personal favorite, Jollof! I sat in the notorious Accra traffic for too many hours to count, and I spent Christmas on the beach. But the most important thing I did was visit two slave castles: Cape Coast and Elmina.
Plus-size travelers face challenges that aren't generally considered—lack of appropriate accommodations, one-sized fits all robes that don’t fit larger bodies, zipline cables that may not support extra weight and other concerns.
In this episode of the World Footprint podcast, we have the privilege of interviewing Keith Stokes, advisor to the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society. Keith walks with us through the colonial African burying ground of God's Little Acre in Newport, Rhode Island and he shares many of the unrepresented stories that are etched in the grave markers.
World Footprints will uncover the stories behind the story of the Green Book and we’ll explore Rochester, New York’s rich African-American heritage. In an era of segregation, the Green Book directed African-American travelers to safe havens as they traveled through inhospitable and outright dangerous places. Indeed, being a Black family in the time of segregation having to travel by car across America through Sundown Towns and knowing that there was no one to protect you is a frightening and daunting proposition. We’ll explore the legacy of the Green Book with author Candacy Taylor in her new book “Overground Railroad”. Rochester, New York has had a significant role in the development of America. Famed corporations such as Kodak and Xerox made Rochester the city of millionaires. But the city’s African American history—from the life and times of Frederick Douglass to the Summer of '64 have defined Rochester as much as the [...]
On September 23, 1957, Ernest Green and eight other African American high school students, known as the ‘Little Rock Nine’, integrated the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. This event was the first experiment in school integration came three years after the U.S, Supreme Court’s Brown vs. Board of Education landmark ruling that segregation of public schools is unconstitutional.
Many of the places where significant African American history occurred have been neglected and have gone unrecognized for the important role they hold in the fabric of American society.
JEconomy Hall is an important institution in New Orleans that speaks about hidden history of free black brotherhood. If author Fatima Shaik’s father had not rescued the records and books from early Economy Hall meetings that lay in a dumpster, we may not have known of the hidden history of free Black people in New Orleans.
In honor of our Veterans we are pleased to share a conversation with Dr. Betty Moseley Brown, one of the first women of color to join the U.S. Marine Corps in the 1970s.
Traveling is a fun and exciting experience. However, it can also be stressful and uncomfortable; especially for Black travelers because concerns over safety and racism have are considerations in the travel planning process.
