Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1498279
quiet riot", which in fact led to a boycott that kept Black associations and organiza- tions from visiting and doing business in Miami for almost three years and reportedly cost the city upwards of $50 million in lost convention business and tourism rev- enue. After the dust settled, Miami city officials and the African- American community came to terms implementing major political, social and economic Improvements directly and indi- rectly attributable to the boycott. Among the notable results was the establishment of the first Black-owned, convention-quali- ty hotel in the Miami Beach area — the Royal Palm Crowne Plaza, with majority African American owner, R. Donahue Peebles. The state of South Carolina refused to stop flying the con- tentious Confederate flag from its Capitol. In 1999 the NAACP launched a tourism boycott urging groups not to come to the state until the flag came down, which was in effect for 15 years and creat- ed a possible loss of $2.37 bil- lion in economic impact. Fast forward to 2018 the city of Charleston, S.C. formally denounced and apologized for the city's role in the institution of slavery in the United States. In June 2023 at Charleston's Gadsden's Wharf – one of the nation's most prolific former slave trading ports, the International African American Museum will open its doors to the public. Dr. Tonya Matthews, the museum's president and CEO states "IAAM strives not only to provide a space for all visi- tors to celebrate and connect to this history, to these stories, and to this art, but also to find meaning within their own stories." Whether following the trail of enslaved Black Americans at the Underground Railroad Museum in Cincinnati Ohio, reliving the life of a sports icon who for the latter part of the 20th century was identified as the most recognizable American in the world, at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, KY, honoring the legacy of the famed "Red Tails" World War II black fighter pilots at the Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum in Detroit , Michigan, or learning about the making of a President at the Obama Presidential Center on Chicago's South Side (scheduled to open in 2025), America is invit- ing the world to learn about its 250 year journey. We have often been told that his- tory is a collection of experiences based on "his story (and her story)." The world's cross examination dur- ing America's upcoming Semiquin-centennial will bring many of these frequently under rated stories to light; stories that tell us who we were, help us to realize who we are and perhaps more importantly, that serve to compel us to be who we strive to become. Allow BM&T to share stories highlighting African American EVENTS, EXPERIENCES and/or PERSONALITIES from YOUR destination, venue or organization For this extraordinary merchandising opportunity; Submit no more than 500 words as a WORD doc., with a selection of 3-4 high resolution jpg. Images and your contact info. to: tourisman@aol.com, Att: B/A 250 editor. See www.theblackamerica250.com website According to the Congressional Commission, the commemoration period began in 2020, culminates on July 4, 2026, and officially concludes in 2027 . Laura Mandala R. Donahue Peebles B M & T ••• May/Junel 2023 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 46