Pinterest has embarked on a journey to amplify Black travel and creator content through a new campaign, “Find Your Routes,” to celebrate Black History Month USA this February.
Find Your Routes is a Black travel hub formed by leading creators and publishers to inspire safe travel, help people find places to connect and shine a spotlight on travel brands and Black-owned businesses.
For generations, travel has been a powerful way to connect to one’s history and diaspora, especially for the Black community. Travelling as a Black person has not always felt safe or welcoming in many places, but there are still pockets of seemingly undiscovered Black culture worldwide.
“Find Your Routes” is inspired by The Negro Motorist Green Book, aka “The Green Book”. The Green Book was a guidebook for Black travellers during the Jim Crow era that provided a list of accessible hotels, boarding houses, taverns, restaurants, service stations and other establishments throughout the country that served Black Americans.
“In Pinterest’s Black travel hub, every Save, Board and Pin leads to global connection on our platform and in the real world,” says Malik Ducard, Chief Content Officer at Pinterest.
“From seeing the first ever Black dude ranch in Bell Mountain, California, to watching a Black dance troupe in Madrid, our phenomenal creators and publisher partners have curated a colourful range of meaningful Black travel experiences throughout history.”
The Green Book Renaissance on Pinterest
People on Pinterest are dreaming about their next trip, not posting about what they already did. Searches for “Black couple travel aesthetic” and “Black girl travel aesthetic” are up 130% and 82% year over year, respectively.
Pinterest’s curated Black travel hub aims to help travellers discover, plan and experience new destinations. For Black History Month USA, Pinterest hopes to inspire travellers’ futures early in the planning journey while paying homage to their past.
Partners participating in Pinterest’s travel hub include:
- Smithsonian Curator, photographer, and author of The Overground Railroad, Candacy Taylor, to curate Pinterest boards to visualise the history of Black travel in the USA.
- Publisher Travel Noire, a digital media company that publishes inspired content for Black travel, will feature hot travel spots, vacation outfits and couples’ vacation aesthetic for the year ahead.
- A host of creators sharing travel inspiration, including things to do solo in Cartagena, Colombia, the ultimate 5-day itinerary for Montego Bay, Jamaica, and restaurants to try in Brazil.
“Pinterest has the power to utilise my research and photographs to open minds and reframe our understanding of America,” said Candacy Taylor.
“It’s an ideal place to showcase this visual history because it’s an unexpected yet powerful platform to share this forgotten history with people who may not have read “Overground Railroad” or seen the exhibition I curated for the Smithsonian. I think this is an innovative and exciting opportunity to create something that will reach an even broader audience.”
Shopping Black travel on Pinterest TV
Pinterest is elevating Black merchant African skincare brand 54 Thrones with a 60-minute Pinterest TV shopping event in February. Founder Christina Tegbe will showcase the brand’s products and celebrate the rich history of the brand.
Bringing mindful travel practices to Pinterest employees
Throughout Black History Month USA, Pinterest is also offering a company-wide event to help employees gain knowledge about the history, present, and future of Black travel through the lens of Black Pinployees. The company will come together to celebrate the richness and diversity of Black culture—from activism to how to be a more mindful traveller and beyond. They will also have opportunities to donate to non-profits that support, uplift, educate and empower the Black community.
