Black travel is big business, contributing more than $48 billion annually to the national economy, according to a 2011 study by Mandala Research. A significant part of that is heritage tourism, which the National Trust for Historic Preservation defines as “traveling to experience the places, artifacts, and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present.” “Authentically” is where most of these sites probably fall short for black tourists.
To be sure, the history grappled with by all these new and updated museums and historical sites can be complicated and painful—not necessarily what you’d consider tourist-friendly content. But for black tourists and visitors, these places are valuable not only because they’re honest but also because they open up space for us to just be. No extra legwork, no correcting the historical record, no deciding whether to visit a museum based on how much we can tolerate being lied to on that particular day of our trip. As I look toward planning my next trip, it’s heartening to know that I can choose from more than a few places where honesty has found a foothold and visitors like me are no longer tasked with sifting out historical truths from expedient fictions.
How a Wave of Honest History Museums Is Changing Black Tourism
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