By Megan Sayles, AFRO Enterprise Author, msayles@afro.com
Martinique Lewis likes to say she was born with the journey gene. Since she was just a little woman, the 36-year-old cherished visiting new locations, and her mother and father poured into that keenness.
At 9, her father received a job with United Airways, allowing the household to fly without cost.
“Even when he was working, my mother packed up me and my sister, and we have been out. Journey uncovered me to so many issues as a result of the world turned my classroom,” mentioned Lewis. “My complete life I’ve at all times cherished to journey.”
Though she pursued vogue and design in school, the California native couldn’t kick her journey bug. Throughout a weekend journey to Paris, she found Black Voyageurs, a reserving platform for Afro-descendants. It was throughout this journey that she determined she needed to dedicate her profession to the Black journey motion.
“The Paris that I noticed then was completely different from the one I had visited as a toddler. It wasn’t the Paris I realized about within the historical past books. There was no Museum of Fashionable Artwork. There was no Eiffel Tower,” mentioned Lewis. “There was soul meals, little Africa excursions and the oldest Black-owned bookstore in Europe. I believed if I didn’t find out about this – and I contemplate myself a hyper traveler – then different Black vacationers don’t know both.”
In 2017, Lewis started working as a range and inclusion journey advisor, serving to manufacturers construct strong relationships with African-American vacationers and vacationer locations. A pair years later, she launched “ABC Journey Inexperienced E book,” a information for vacationers to search out Black historical past experiences and companies all around the world.
Now, she’s turned the e book right into a cellular app of the identical identify.
Lewis was impressed to create the merchandise after changing into fascinated by the story of Victor Inexperienced, a New York postal employee who developed “The Negro Motorist Inexperienced E book” in 1936.
“For us to not know who Victor and Alma D. Inexperienced are─regardless that we all know Martin Luther King and Malcolm X─is a travesty as a result of they actually saved our grandparents secure again within the day,” mentioned Lewis. “I needed to create a brand new model of the Inexperienced E book, however now it’s on six out of seven continents as an alternative of simply being inside 50 states.”
The ABC Journey Inexperienced E book app allows customers to not solely discover Black companies and experiences throughout the globe, it additionally permits them to kind group chats with different vacationers, browse occasion calendars, go away evaluations and construct journey itineraries.
Customers are additionally capable of suggest companies to be added to the app, which at present boasts over 20,000 Black-owned companies worldwide.
“I would like the ABC Journey Inexperienced E book app to grow to be second nature to individuals, similar to how they use Yelp and Fb. I might love for individuals to depart numerous evaluations, and I would like individuals to additionally use it domestically,” mentioned Lewis. “You don’t solely have to make use of it if you end up touring. You should utilize it at house too.”
In keeping with Stephanie Jones, founder and CEO of the Cultural Heritage Financial Alliance, the worldwide journey and tourism trade has been remiss in making certain small Black companies’ inclusion and visibility. She thinks Lewis’ app is crucial for Black companies to broaden their attain and drive vacationer foot site visitors.
“The ABC Journey Inexperienced E book gives publicity without charge to small Black companies, growing their visibility to be discovered by all vacationers who subscribe to it,” mentioned Jones. “There are Black companies positioned in each nook of the world needing to interact with extra vacationers to assist them grow to be sustainable, scalable and worthwhile.”
In June, Jones mentioned she traveled to Norway on a cruise. Throughout a port cease in Honningsvag, her daughter, Daphne Clark, went to Google to seek for Black companies within the space.
They shortly positioned a bakery known as Honni Bakes three minutes from the cruise ship, and after getting acquainted with the proprietor, the pair submitted the enterprise to Lewis’ app.
“We deliberately walked over and met the proprietor Abdullah, a Kenyan who moved to Norway seven years in the past for love. Not solely did we spend cash with him, we messaged others in our group to patronize the enterprise whereas in port,” mentioned Jones.
She mentioned the proprietor was excited to satisfy them and grateful for his or her patronage.
“We instantly took a photograph and added the enterprise onto the ABC Journey Inexperienced E book app and wrote a evaluation in order that different Black vacationers venturing to Norway find out about it,” added Jones. “Martinique created an progressive know-how that’s not solely a beneficial useful resource for Black companies and Black vacationers, however the international journey group at giant.”
Megan Sayles is a Report for America Corps member.
