BLACK PARIS TOURS

22/10/2026

The church where Josephine Baker’s funeral was held April 15, 1975. A who’s who group of 800 close friends inside. Thousands of mourners outside….weeping, throwing flowers as her casket was brought inside the church.

Eglise de la Madeleine

Paris 🇫🇷

22/10/2026

A woman claims that France is facing economic problems because it can no longer exploit Africa’s resources after losing influence in West Africa.🇫🇷

She argues that France has benefited from African resources for years and that African countries pushing it out has affected its economy.

She also raises the issue of Burkina Faso and the gold it says France should return.

Countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have reduced their military ties with France as they seek greater independence from their former colonial power.

Burkina Faso has also taken steps to increase local control over its gold industry.

22/10/2026

Born on October 21, 1917, in Cheraw, South Carolina, John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie became one of the most influential figures in modern jazz.

A celebrated trumpeter, composer, and bandleader, Gillespie helped pioneer bebop alongside Charlie Parker, introducing complex rhythms, harmonies, and improvisation that transformed jazz in the 1940s.

He also helped popularize Afro-Cuban jazz, blending Latin rhythms with American jazz traditions. Known for his distinctive bent trumpet and energetic performances, Gillespie left a musical legacy that continues to influence generations of artists.

Explore the life and legacy of Dizzy Gillespie on BlackPast.org: https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/gillespie-dizzy-john-birks-gillespie-1917-1993/

Photo Credit: William P. Gottlieb

22/10/2026

I promised a group of travelers taking our Wednesday tour I would post this video explaining the world’s most significant genetic mysteries! Where did mankind begin?

Discover how all humans on Earth are connected through one incredib...

21/10/2026

21/10/2026

21/10/2026

Dear Black Paris Tours Travelers,

We understand it’s normal to worry about going into uncertain situations….especially when you see television images of violence, fires and carnage In the case of recent student/worker protests in Paris and dozens of cities across France.

Yes, the violence of Saturday, October 17th was real, however we can assure you it’s happening in areas that Black Paris Tours will NOT be taking you into.

For those of you who would like a better understanding of the issues that sparked these protests, we urge you to take time to read our most recent posts on our Black Paris Tours page.

Finally, let me add: I grew up in the mostly Black/Brown working class community of East Palo Alto, CA. That’s when I first discovered that outsiders lied about what happened in my community.
I was 6 when I vowed I would become a broadcast journalist to “tell our side of the story.” I spent 25 years, the first chapter of my work life, in radio and television…anchoring, reporting, my newscasts committed to correcting lies and misinformation.
Black Paris Tours, chapter two of my career, has allowed me to continue providing the proud, accurate truth about our people…”TO TELL OUR SIDE OF THE STORY.”

20/10/2026

🥁 Vibrate to the rhythm of Africa! Juste Une Danse — festival of traditional African dances.
Zaouli Dance from Ivory Coast & Ballet from the Cameroonian Diaspora.
📅 Saturday October 31 · 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. · 📍 Espace Mas, Paris 13th
🎟️ Tickets €35 — reserve your place!

Shop not

19/10/2026

POLYNESIANS AND NATIVE AMERICANS MAY HAVE MET MORE THAN 300 YEARS BEFORE COLUMBUS

Long before Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic in 1492, Polynesian voyagers and Indigenous peoples of the Americas had already made contact across the vast Pacific Ocean. A landmark genetic study published in Nature in 2020 found compelling evidence that the two populations met and intermingled around AD 1200, centuries before sustained European contact with either region.

Researchers analysed genome wide DNA from 807 people across 17 Polynesian island populations and 15 Indigenous American groups living along the Pacific coast. They discovered traces of Native American ancestry in several Polynesian populations, providing evidence that the groups had encountered one another and that descendants of those encounters became part of Polynesian communities.

The genetic signal was most closely related to Indigenous populations from present day Colombia. Researchers estimated that the earliest mixing occurred around AD 1150 to 1200, with ancestry later appearing in other eastern Polynesian islands. Their findings suggest the contact happened before the settlement of Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island.