Following the death of George Floyd, and amid the national conversation on racial justice that it fueled, seven Black executives, including OSAE's own Dan Williams, Experience Columbus, from destination marketing organizations across the country have partnered on a video to answer questions about race.
In the video—titled “5 Questions About Race Answered by Black Tourism Professionals”—these executives share their own life experiences and encourage an open dialogue about racism in the tourism industry and beyond.
The video premiered at Destinations International’s 2020 Annual Convention on July 14.
Please select this link to play the video via YouTube.
“As a Black professional who has worked hard to be in a position of leadership in my industry, I have experienced and seen my share of racial inequality,” said Cleo Battle, chief operating officer of Louisville Tourism, in a press release. “The time is now to make changes in our industry for the future, and I proudly join my colleagues in helping to lead the conversation forward.”
“Visit Baltimore wants to do its part in eradicating racism in our city, industry, and America. As Black destination leaders for a majority African American city, we make a special call to our white colleagues to help us confront racism. We can’t do this alone; we’ll only achieve positive, lasting change by working together,” said Al Hutchinson, president and CEO of Visit Baltimore, and Charles H. Jeffers II, chief operating officer of Visit Baltimore, in a joint statement.
Please select this link to read the original article from Associations Now.