Two years after its provocative and acclaimed pan-Africa tourism campaign “Go Back To Africa,” travel brand Black & Abroad has launched a powerful, data-driven domestic travel platform: “The Black Elevation Map”. The platform takes cultural data, including Black population data, historical markers, Black-owned businesses and social media activity, and visualizes it as points of interest on a dynamic, searchable elevation map of the United States. The greater the density of data, the higher the elevation.
“From redlining to modern urban planning, you don’t have to look far to see ways in which maps have been used to marginalize, divide and oppress communities around the world,” said Eric Martin, chief creative officer and co-founder, Black & Abroad. “We wanted to help Black travelers see the country in a way that prioritizes and celebrates the contributions of folks who look like us–and facilitates travel choices that deepen engagement within our community. Repurposing a traditional elevation map is a way for us to weave joy and uplift into the story, the experience, and our interpretation of the data.”
In addition to thousands of places of interest, the Black Elevation Map includes 12 curated city guides and 10 national guides, that include Black-owned wineries (“Melanin Vines”), notable start-up companies (“Black Silicon Valley”) and restaurants that fueled civil rights (“Civil Bites”).
The project is the second major collaboration between Black & Abroad and the team at creative-data advertising agency Performance Art. In 2019, that team launched “Go Back To Africa”, which led to a measurable shift in sentiment and usage of the racial slur, and won nearly every major global advertising award, including the Grand Prix in Creative Data at Cannes, the D&AD Black Pencil, and the Global Grand Effie in Positive Change.
“We’re inspired by the relentless positivity at the heart of the Black & Abroad brand, and wanted to once again explore what happens when you push a bold, brand idea into a sophisticated technology ecosystem,” said Ian Mackenzie, chief creative officer, Performance Art. “We know the data we’re visualizing represents just a fraction of actual Black cultural contribution. We see this as part of an ongoing conversation, and a conceptual counterpoint to a long history of maps created with harmful and unacknowledged biases.”
The Black Elevation Map is launching with this 60-second film called “A Hymn Away From Home”, directed by Kelly Fyffe-Marshall (whose “Black Bodies” was an official selection of TIFF 2020) and produced by the Black-owned production company Alfredo Films. The film combines aspirational footage of more than 30 business owners from across America with iconic images of mountains, and original poetry commissioned and performed by Washington D.C.-based poet Jasmine Mans (“Black Girl, Call Home”).
