In the fall of 2021, Jessica E. Boyd and Steven M. Hughes sold all of their possessions in their hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, to explore the United States in search of the perfect town to plant roots. Their project ended up leading to the creation of a major resource for other black travellers.
As digital nomads, Boyd and Hughes have traveled the country and documented their experiences along the way as Journey Black Home. Their goal was to find and share the most popular, as well as lesser-known, black-owned businesses in every city they visited across the country. They detailed bars, restaurants, shops and more, compiling what has become a go-to resource for finding black-owned businesses.
Throughout their trip, they stayed in Airbnbs. Given Airbnb’s notorious issues with racial bias — hosts canceling black guests, for one — Boyd and Hughes felt more comfortable seeking out black-owned homes. They also wanted to continue supporting black-owned businesses on their travels as they searched for a place to stay. It turned out to be a tedious process trying to find black-owned Airbnbs, so they decided to start compiling a new kind of listing.
Since its inception, the list has grown to over 200 entries and counting. The list is held at www.blackairbnbs.co with monthly updates sent to subscribers via email. User submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. The couple plans to continue to focus on domestic Airbnbs and will eventually expand internationally. Ads can also be found on their Instagram account @blackairbnbs.
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