Sojourn Noir

04/08/2025

04/08/2025

I visited Paris in 2024 for the first time. I took the Josephine Baker tour with Bryan Scott Bagley, from my hometown Baltimore. We traced the steps of Josephine and I paid tribute with my banana dance inspired outfit and belt I made. If ever in Paris, you must take Bryan’s tour. Black Paris is a must is everything!!
See tour link and more information below
https://www.airbnb.com/l/ZhkuUruY

In this special episode, Andscape columnist William C. Rhoden and Brian Scott Bagley – a Baltimore, Maryland, native who founded the Musée Joséphine Baker de Paris – visit the site of Chez Josephine Baker, the first cabaret owned by the legendary American dancer/singer in the 1920s. Bagley div...

02/08/2025

Sojourn Noir focuses on six areas of interest as it relates to African American travel. The selection of these areas was informed by our proprietary research collected from African American travelers combined with historical research of Black leisure travel in the United States since the 17th century.
These areas consist of:
Rest and Relaxation
Outdoor Recreation
Culinary and Cuisine
Retail
Arts and Entertainment
Culture and History

09/05/2025

The lived experience of this travel content blogger althoigh chronicles one experience, happens all too often to Black tourists. I am happy to see travel content creators share travel from the Black perspective including the good, bad and ugly. Data and research proves Black travelers experiences can be quite different and varying gradations from their white travel counterparts. The disparate treatment of Black travelers has been substantially documented. In the United States in a recent Trip Advisor survey 1 in 5 Black travelers reported experiencing discrimination. (Side note: I think this is much higher) In a 2023 survey conducted by MMGY, 46% of Black travel planners said their clients felt unwelcome in any given travel destination. That’s 50 % and 1 out of every two. Sojourn Noir’s mission and core values views the Black travel through a historical lens. Our mission is twofold, while we encourage and amplify the voice of Black travelers, more importantly we look to work with the tourism industry to address the challenges of Black tourists. We understand that travel and leisure was never intended for descendants of the Transatlantic slave trade. No wonder as we traverse the highways and byways of the United States of America we often encounter racism. Sojourn Noir continues to do the research and to report documented research on the disparate treatment of Black travelers. We created 23 hours of solution orientated and practical based learning to help tourism facing business and organization to make their businesses and destination welcomlmg to Black travelers. Stay tuned as we share more about our “Bring Yourself Here” Toirism and Hospitality Learning Series.
Wishing You Welcoming, Belonging, and Respectful Travels

01/03/2025

Sojourn Noir conducted a proprietary survey to find out what motivates Black travel. Culinary experiences were at the top of the list. Culturally and historically the African American relationship with food and dining experiences in this country has been met with great challenges. From food deprivation, lack of access to fresh wholesome food leading to food deserts, to segregation in the food service industry and tableside racism that still exists today. Through the years and the many iterations of food trauma, we have mastered culinarily skills from the least of what we were given and afforded, turning scrapse into delicacies, using our farming, botany, and animal husbandry skills from Africa to opening five star restaurants. At Grace Manor Bed and Breakfast we are happy to continue the tradition of providing great culinary experiences for our guests. Daily we serve a two to three course Southern influenced gourmet breakfast. We look forward to you joining us at the table.
www.gracemanorbandb.com

27/02/2025

Grace Manor Bed and Breakfast is the first Black Woman owned Bed and Breakfast in South Central Pennsylvania, one of less than 10 in Pennsylvania and less than a mere 4 percent in the United States. Black owned Bed and Breakfasts are a natural extension of privately owned homes that historically offered safe havens to weary Black travelers during segregation in this country under the hainess times of Jim Crow. Today, we offer respite and safe sapces that are welcomlmg and offer a sense of belongong to leisure travels across the country. Grace Manor offers five beautifully appointed themed suites that transport guests to Asia, Mexico, France, Switzerland and the African Diaspora. The French suite featured in the video is a 750 square foot suite that’s sleeps four. This is the Solon’, one of four rooms in the suite.
A great place to renew, release, relax, rekindke a flame, turn up for a girlfriend’s getaway. Please visit us soon.
www.gracemanorbandb.com




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24/02/2025

One of the many hats that I love to wear is that of owner-operator of Grace Manor Bed and Breakfast. I developed and birthed this business out of my understanding of the importance of rest and respite and the desire to provide a space where community could step away from the day to day perpetual grind that many of us feel. Grace Manor pays homage to the matriarchs in my family and the countless women in my community that were never afforded the opportunity to rest. Grace Manor’s namesake is after my maternal grandmother and the photo on the logo is my maternal great grandmother, Ethel. These women were never afforded the luxury to rest, but were handed a life sentence of work and toil that was the evolution of their enslaved mothers before them.
Sojourn Noir is a natural expansion of my intention to highlight and promote rest and leisure to my community. We at Sojourn Noir define self care as, “The purposeful and intentional stepping away from systems of oppression whose purpose is to keep one too exhausted, frustrated and distracted to have space to dream imagine and actualize freedom.” At Grace Manor Bed and Breakfast, “We have prepared a place for you.” Over the course of the next few weeks we will introduce you to Grace Manor Bed and Breakfast in the quaint town of York, Pennsylvania. We hope to see you soon.
www.gracemanorbandb.com
www.sojournnoir.com

24/01/2025

🎉🎉 Sojourn Noir was presented with the Tourism Program Grant of the Year Award from York County's official tourism agency and destination marketing organization, Explore York County PA, at the Annual Tourism Industry Event! We're both proud and humbled by this award - proud that we received this recognition from our peers and partners who understand the importance of our mission to inspire and encourage Black leisure travel; and humbled that we get to do this work with the support of you, our community of followers, and our local business partners to ensure York is a welcoming place where you can truly "Bring Yourself Here" and experience all that York has to offer!

Thank you to Explore York County PA for this recognition and for your collaborative spirit and support to Sojourn Noir as a grant partner. The north star compass in this thoughtfully hand-crafted award made by local artist Candi J. Duda Stained Glass and Garden Art is a beautiful reminder to remain focused on our mission and vision.

We also want to extend our gratitude to the York County Community Foundation and Crispus Attucks York whose investment and partnership were integral to our successful launch.

23/01/2025

Join the conversation in a panel discussion and view a pop-up exhibit by local Black women artists at Ophelia's Making Agency, as part of The State of Black Life in York Series, presented by 's Racial Justice Committee.

21/01/2025

If you visit The King Center in Atlanta, GA., you'll see on display Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s travel suitcase. This is the suitcase that he carried on the fateful trip to Memphis, where he stayed at the Lorraine Motel. The plaque below it details the contents:

“To lead the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King traveled thousands of miles and spent many days away from home. As a veteran traveler, he traveled light. This suitcase, which he took to Memphis on his last trip, contains many personal items characteristic of the man. Included are his appointment calendars, notes for speeches, lists of “things to do,” and two of the books he authored which he used as references for speeches. Also included are his personal toiletries, wash and wear shirts, pajamas – the minimum of items this busy man carried with him.”

We remain eternally grateful to Dr. King for traveling often dangerous roads, to face the unknown with great courage and faith, so that we would have the ability to travel more freely in this country, our country.

We remember the man who inspired generations with his vision of equality, justice, and unity. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. challenged us to dream bigger, love deeper, and work together for a better world.
Let's ensure the work continues beyond