Student Corner: Tourism in Historical Black Towns: Nicodemus, Kansas, and Eatonville, Florida

<p>Tourism is a big business. It makes up 5% of the world’s GDP and employs 1 out of every 12 people around the world. Within the United States, it employs 1 out of 8 people. It can also be a driver for community revitalization – in particular, cultural heritage tourism shares a lot in common with community development principles like preservation, focusing on assets, and honoring diversity. Cultural heritage tourism is defined by the National Association of State Arts Agencies as “based on the mosaic of places, traditions, art forms, celebrations, and experiences that portray this nation and its people, reflecting the diversity and character of the United States”. Cultural heritage tourists are especially interested in the beliefs and practices, as well as the challenges and successes, that shape the shared identity of a people. African American cultural heritage tourism is growing too – in North Carolina with the establishment of the African American Music Trail in eastern NC (previously covered on the blog here) and elsewhere in the U.S. This blog post will cover two case studies of historical black towns that have bean popular destinations in the last few decades.</p> <p>Nicodemus, Kansas </p> <p>The town of Nicodemus was founded in 1877 by W.R. Hill and six other African-American men who were in search of cheap, unclaimed, federally owned land. Most of the early settlers of Nicodemus were former slaves from Kentucky who had relocated to Kansas. The new town site promoted their town via printed newspapers and speaking tours through black churches in the [...]</p>