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 The Black Cultural  Heritage Tours Collective  is your connection to vetted & certified Black tour operators offering  educational cultural  experiences amplifying and celebrating rich Black history and contemporary Black culture in U.S. and African destinations

Transformative Experiences for Culturally Curious Travelers

If you are seeking local immersive Black cultural tour experiences, and connections to the people and places that have shaped Black culture and heritage from the past to the present, we got you covered!  

The Ultimate Gullah Geechee Experience. Reviews are in!

"I am so glad I got to experience the many wonderful and powerful descendants of the Gullah people, the storytellers, the artists, the amazing chefs... this was an unforgettable travel experience." 

"A truly memorable, moving and immersive experience. Still in a haze as I think back to so many special moments on this trip." 

"This trip was truly special. I am grateful to experience the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor with you all. I will be telling everyone about this experience."

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Our network of independent Black tour operators offer private single and multi-day tours for small and large groups. If you are a group tour operator, travel  advisor, meeting or reunion planner, corporation or others desiring a customized authentic, cultural immersive experience, we got you covered! 

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Our U.S. Black Cultural Heritage Road Trip won a Gold Anthem Award for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Partnership or Collaboration

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Our Black Cultural Heritage Tours were chosen as one of five global travel companies/initiatives that are setting a new standard in responsible tourism

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Simply the best way to experience Paris!

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...and experience the best of black Paris history, culture, and contemporary life.

We look forward to meeting you in the City of Light!

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Les Quatre Parties du Monde Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux

VIRTUAL TRIP TO PARIS

Experience black Paris from the comfort of your home!

ENTREE TO BLACK PARIS

Say Bonjour! to black Paris with Entrée to Black Paris tours.

GOURMET ACTIVITIES

We provide private tours of market streets around the city, private pastry/chocolate walks, and private and group cooking classes.

PRIVATE WALKING TOURS

Enjoy Paris à la carte with one of our private literary or historical tours.

OUR SERVICES

Are you planning your first trip to Paris or a return trip?  Entrée to Black Paris invites you to explore

• Black history in the City of Light (including virtual tours )
• Gourmet walking tours and cooking classes
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Have you ever wondered why Paris is such a fascinating city?

• Read our book Paris Insights - An Anthology
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OUR SELF-GUIDED WALKING TOURS

Do you prefer to explore Paris on your own without the constraints of walking with a group?

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• Paris Walking Tours

Tours of Black Paris – Walking And Bus Tours

With our Walking The Spirit Black Paris & Beyond , you can discover and experience the rich Black heritage in Paris from the passionate people who created the genre,  in 1994.

Today, our signature walking and private bus Tours of Black Paris   continue to educate, engage and delight; our guides welcome you like favorite visiting relatives.

At the foot of Montmartre with Julia guide

WALKING THE SPIRIT TOURS OF BLACK PARIS  at a glance

Walking tours.

• Writers, Artists & Intellectuals in the Latin Quarter  – Stroll through the arts district, open air markets and literary caf é s to discover the haunts and homes of creative genius. Listen to the challenges faced by African-American intellectuals, artists, military and musicians in early 20th century Paris and the stunning outcomes.
• The Entertainers in 1920s Lower Montmartre   – Relive the exciting Roaring 20s in what was the Black Montmartre community of Baker, Bricktop and Bechet.
• Africa In Paris  – Explore the vibrant La Goutte d’Or neighborhood and its everyday activities of open-air markets, cloth shops and dapper clothing shops, hair salons, cultural venues – all while learning its social and political past and present.
• From Harlem-sur-Seine to Africa in Pari s   – Combine the rich jazz history of 1920′s Lower Montmartre with Paris’ diverse face of today in the 18th district.
• Pioneers of the Left Bank  – Soak up the ground-breaking achievements of Diaspora intellectuals around the Sorbonne and the post-WWII jazz greats in neighboring St. Germain-des-Pres
• Black Images in the Louvre – On this private tour, discover how people of color are depicted through centuries of masterpieces and why.
• Colonialism, Slavery & AntiSlavery walk -Behind the walls of famous sites hide the stories of decisive events and people who enabled slavery and disabled colonialism, includes the Alexandre Dumas family of statues.

Want to see it all in half a day ?

PRIVATE BUS TOURS

• Spirit of Black Paris  – Half-Day Bus Tour – On this private 3.5 hour half-day bus tour you journey past well-known sites and lesser-known corners, learning the rich Black history rarely told in guidebooks or traditional tours. Learn of Sally Hemings on the Champs-Elysées, aviator Eugene Bullard at the Arc de Triomphe, WEB Dubois at Opera, 369th Harlem Infantry Regiment in Lower Montmartre, Bricktop and Langston Hughes in the shadow of the Moulin Rouge and many more. End with a half hour walk through the Arts district. Hotel pick up and drop off .
• Spirit of Black Paris 5-hour bus and combo bus/walking tours ( for groups of 6+ and educational institutions only ) – This 5-hr tour combines the Spirit of Black Paris bus tour + Writers, Artists and Intellectuals walking tours.  Begin with a comprehensive Bus Tour, stop for a snack break, and continue your fascinating day immersed in the haunts and stories of Wright, Baldwin, Henry O. Tanner, Miles Davis and more  in the Latin Quarter/St.Germain-des-Pres district.  Hotel pick up . Food costs not included .
• Tour & Lunch – After your inspiring glimpse at Black and contemporary Paris, what’s more relaxing than lunch with your guide. Dine at a restaurant that complements the tour content. ( Your and your Guide’s Lunch at your charge) .

Download: Tour Options & Services (PDF)

CLICK Tour Options and Services 2022 to DOWNLOAD all our pdf tour options & services flyer with full descriptions.

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Helpful Travel Tips

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What People Are Saying:

I have learned so much these two weeks from you and your marvelous network! The enthusiasm and deep knowledge of your impressive team was shared with our travelers making their experience rich and rewarding. Our travelers come to learn and all agreed that this trip was exceptional.

National Museum of African American History and Culture

This tour far exceeded our expectations. As a serious history devotee my appetite for local D.C. black history was more than satisfied in an amazing full-day experience with our guide. One tour highlight was the Frederick Douglass mansion in Anacostia. Our guide, along with being an expert in his field, is a warm, energetic individual who loves his work. This was one of the best tours we have ever taken and is highly recommended.

You’re the best!!! This is to reiterate our grateful thanks to you for such a wonderful trip/vacation in Paris. This was our first time in Paris and it was glorious . All of your well planned activities and meals were beyond our expectations. Plus, this was our first time traveling with members of our group.

I am submitting this on behalf of my client and myself, our experience working with Julia was amazing and very impressive. Her specialty tours are golden for Paris as in the words of my client "who would have thought"? She is very professional and provided a wonderful overview of the tours which actually have me excited and eager to book all clients who travel to Paris. Her services are definitely a great asset to Paris!!

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The Taylor Swift Economy Has Overtaken London. I Went to Its Epicenter.

I’ve never seen anything quite like what the superstar is doing to my city..

Taylor Swift is in London. Even the least culturally clued-in person could not have failed to notice. The city is full of people in “Eras” merch, and social media is awash in concert footage from the tour dates at Wembley Stadium: Travis Kelce donning a top hat and tails to make his own onstage debut, Prince William celebrating his 42 nd birthday by shaking it off in his private box. We’ve got an election going on here at the moment, so candidates are busy doing things in public to appear maximally normal. Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition, posted a photo of himself on what he described as a “Swift campaign pitstop” at the “Eras” tour on Friday. Mayor Sadiq Khan posted a version of London’s underground map with all the stops replaced by Taylor Swift song titles and captioned it “London (Taylor’s Version).” For better or worse, this has indeed felt like her town, for a weekend.

But one specific place in London is an interesting Petri dish in which to examine the Taylor Swift effect. Before April of this year, the Black Dog pub, in south London’s Vauxhall neighborhood, was an unremarkable sort of place. I live nearby and had been once or twice before. It’s a local joint that does decent food and serves beer—just a pub, in other words. However, after Swift released The Tortured Poets Department , the establishment found itself catapulted to international recognition. The extended, Anthology edition of the album features a song called “The Black Dog,” in which Swift as narrator describes realizing that a lover—presumably one of the two Londoner boyfriends that most of the album is about—had forgotten to turn off location sharing, and she then works out that he is cheating on her by tracking him to a bar by that name.

I went down this past weekend to see whether there would be any Swifties at the pub before or after their “Eras” experience and, if so, to ask them to explain themselves. As I walked over there, at 3 p.m. on Saturday, I sort of expected to be disappointed. Why would people in London for a weekend, some of them from as far afield as the States, spend any of their precious time at a bog-standard pub in a part of town well off the tourist trail? Surely they had better places to be? This was just a bonus track, after all.

I need not have worried. The Black Dog was swarming with groups of friends with “Eras” tote bags; mums and their tweenage daughters in “Eras” T-shirts; beleaguered boyfriends taking photographs of their girlfriends, all their arms bedecked in lettered bands spelling out their favorite albums and songs and lyrics. On the grass outside the pub, there were even a handful of girls stringing together more of these friendship bracelets. Inside, it was even busier, and anyone hoping for a table without a reservation was kidding themselves.

The pub sells merchandise now: pink Black Dog baseball caps, pint glasses embossed with the establishment’s logo, and, of course, friendship bracelets. Taylor Swift plays over the speakers. According to one staff member wearing a Black Dog friendship bracelet, it has been busy not just all weekend but all month. Swift fans seeing the tour elsewhere on the Continent have been incorporating the concert into a wider holiday, stopping in London on their own European tour. There was a somewhat harassed-looking security guard in an orange cap outside yelling at the Swifties to stay out of the way of cars as they got their pictures taken with a sign with the lyric “And so I watch as you walk into some bar called the Black Dog.” The guard was himself wearing a full sleeve of letter beads that fans had given to him, including one wristlet that read “Go Chiefs,” a phrase that holds no meaning for most Londoners. As I stood there, three South African women in “Eras” merch were debating which of theirs to bestow upon him. “Give him ‘King of My Heart,’ ” one said. “It will match his hat.”

I spoke to Michelle and Tammi, sisters based in Tennessee and Florida, who were there with their daughters. They were in London to see Swift the following night, and would be around till Tuesday. Maya, one of the daughters, said that “The Black Dog” was her favourite song of all, so this was the one thing she wanted to do in the city other than see the concert. They were going to the stadium that night too, to listen from outside.

This kind of tourism feels like a relatively new thing, in Europe anyway. It happened with Beyoncé’s tour as well: droves of concertgoers traveling to European cities they were otherwise not very interested in, such as the people who flew out specifically for the Stockholm show that kicked off the “Renaissance” tour. But this feels like another level in terms of numbers. This summer, 700,000 are expected to attend the “Eras” tour over the eight dates it will be in London, this month and again in August. A huge portion of that audience will be coming from abroad. Tickets to the European leg of the “Eras” tour are significantly cheaper than they are in the U.S., to the extent that many did the maths and worked out that it would be a better value to get “Eras” tickets in Europe and fly over for the concert. The Greater London Authority estimates that the tour will generate 300 million pounds for the economy, and last week the European Central Bank’s chief economist was heard musing about the megastar’s potential effect on inflation. Swift-themed functions this past weekend included a Taylor Swift drag brunch; a Taylor Swift mini-golf and cocktail event; a Taylor Swift traveling bar bus tour of London; and an adult ball pit experience with Taylor Swift music playing, as well as both warmup parties and after-parties for each concert. I cannot recall another occasion when one person’s presence in a city has kicked off such an enormous response of ancillary events and cash-in attempts. It is no exaggeration when everyone from CNBC to the New York Times writes about her as not just a pop star but an entire economy.

Three women from Ottawa told me that they had thought about coming to the Black Dog during their weekend in London but had bumped it up the agenda to that day because Swift had sung “The Black Dog” the previous night, as one of the two surprise songs she performs at each tour date. I sat down on a bench outside the pub with a group of fans, some from the U.S. and some from London, who had met one another there that day. They had all seen the show the night before. “ Tortured Poets is my favorite album,” a woman in her early 20s named Lily told me, “and we were like, ‘We have to visit the Black Dog.’ Just seeing that this is where she wrote about—it’s crazy. I almost imagine, like, this is the vibe of Tortured Poets , you know what I mean? It’s like the album in real life.”

Two other Swifties, Rachel and Ashley, found out they had gotten off the waitlist for London tickets on Thursday at 11 a.m. in New York. “We bought the tickets and flew here that night. We were in the airport by 4,” Rachel said. They got married last month. “Now we’re like, I don’t know—we thought we had the best night of our life? And then last night happened.” They wanted to come and see the Black Dog because they found the song relatable. “She was stalking her boyfriend, and, like, that’s the most human thing. I’m always looking at my Find My Friends like, Where’s everybody at, what are they doing? ”

Another group, friends from London, sat on the lawn with their pints. “I suggested the Black Dog to these two,” said Zoe, pointing to the other women with her, “and they were like, ‘We don’t know what you’re talking about.’ I was like, ‘It’s where Taylor got cheated on. It’s very important to us!’ ” She wasn’t at all surprised it was busy. “I thought it would be busier, to be honest.”

I guess for all these fans, coming to the Black Dog is a way to (let’s be real) get some Instagram pictures—but also to feel just a tiny bit closer to Swift. And her stardom is so astronomical that such feelings can be elicited just by a beer drunk from a plastic cup on some grass outside an unremarkable boozer.

When the “Eras” tour comes to a city, it creates this strange sense of us—the regular locals—and them, the world’s Swifties. As I stood outside the Black Dog, a group walked past.

“It’s crazy that there are so many people, and they’ve got so many bags,” one of the girls said to the others. One of her friends replied: “Imagine being the owner of this pub. They probably hate it.”

They don’t, apparently. Back when the song was released and the pub first started getting Swiftie visitors, the pub’s events manager, Lily Bottomley, told the BBC that the attention had been “pretty overwhelming” but that the bar “ can’t be happier ,” by which she presumably at least in part meant: “We are making a lot of money.”

People eating on the terrace outside an adjacent café were craning their necks to see what the fuss was about. One customer got up and walked over to an American woman wearing friendship bracelets.

“What’s all this?” the customer said in a south London accent.

“Oh, it’s because of the Taylor Swift song,” the American woman replied.

“All right,” the Londoner said before returning to the café, looking over her shoulder periodically with a bemused expression on her face.

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African American & Black Heritage NYC Tours

Inside Out Tours is an award-winning, certified minority and women owned business that is dedicated to presenting the histories of people of color in an engaging, sensitive and in-depth manner. Our African American Heritage tours are carefully researched to highlight the hidden history and contributions of black people in New York City.

African American Heritage Tour of New York City

Discover the African American Heritage of Lower Manhattan and Harlem in this comprehensive tour from the establishment of New York to present.

African American Heritage Tour of Brooklyn

Brooklyn has long been one of the great centers of African-American culture in the United States, boasting the largest black population in New York City. Explore the legacy of iconic figures like Spike Lee, Jay Z, Shirley Chisholm, David Ruggles and Frederick Douglass.

NYC Slavery and Underground Railroad Tour

Learn the exciting history of the enslaved people who built the foundations of New York City and the brave band of freedom fighters who formed the networks that became the Underground Railroad. This tour is featured in the New York Times!

Harlem Renaissance Bus Tour

Learn about the Harlem Renaissance including its musical, artistic and literary achievements while exploring Harlem on this bus-guided experience.

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Discover the iconic literary, political and artistic heroes that made Harlem the capital of Black America.

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Black History Tours

Black history tours is a national multicultural student tour operation and destination management company that is dedicated to educating america’s youth about african-american history., the inspiration for the start of black history tours is derived from a strong conviction and realization that empowerment, pride and awareness can make even the most challenging of obstacles, surmountable ones., dedicated to teaching african american history through travel and cultural exposure.

COLLEGE AND HBCU TOURS

BHT can offer you and your college bound high school students a tremendous opportunity to discover and experience the college selection process.

BLACK COLLEGE TOURS

Schools, churches, birthplaces, museums, and national historic sites honoring African Americans, their struggle for equal rights, and their profound contributions.

GAME & HOMECOMING EVENTS

HBCU Classic Football Games have become so popular that every undergraduate dreams of witnessing them. They have become an integral part of the fall athletic environment at HBCU.

HBCU STEM COLLEGE TOURS

October STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) tours provides student with the opportunity to participate in hands-on workshops that go beyond the theory.

MARCHING BAND TOURS

We arrange travel, transportation, and accommodations to the premier marching band parade performance events throughout the United States.

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Performing arts tours provide performance opportunities for instrumental, vocal, dance and theatre students in middle school, high school and community groups.

Want more information? Our professionals are waiting to assist you.

Our objective, to empower the black community, enriching them with information to develop self-knowledge and identity through tourism, • promote student group tours, educational programs, learning activities, events and exhibitions for institutions and corporate organizations, • encourage talented young african-americans who have the zeal to explore history through participation in organized tours, • organize personalized tours for individuals and corporate organizations interested in sensitizing people about black history.

Increase the interest of the young black community in identifying their rich cultural heritage by organizing mega group tours cutting across the entire nation.

• develop our current tourism products and services by enlarging our horizon nationwide, • exploring further opportunities in the learning and tourism to maximize the number of minority student participants, • collaborate with numerous black heritage organizations, • work with institutions to make our international tours affordable.

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THE HBCU CIVIL RIGHTS EXPERIENCE 

7 DAY - COLLEGE  TOURS

Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee

Morehouse, Clark Atlanta, Tuskegee, Alabama State, Miles, Oakwood,

Alabama A&M, Fisk, Tennesse State, Meharry Medical School

At A Glance: Travel to the American South to visit some of the top HBCU- Historically Black College Universities in America

Immerse yourself in the history, music, art, food, and stories of each of these specially selected southern universities, while meeting students, civil rights activists exploring the campus, and hearing moving first-hand stories from the Civil Rights Movement.

While visiting these Black Institutions of higher learning, devour delicious southern cuisine and pay your respects to the ordinary children students, and women who changed the world through their activism and commitment to social justice, and education.

Groups that book 10 or more at one time get a 10 % discount on the total group booking.

Contact us for more details.

7 DAY STUDENT TOURS

Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana

 Tuskegee, Alabama State, Jackson State, Grambling

Southern, Xavier, Dillard

At A Glance: The Black Excellence College Tour will visit America’s top Historically Black Colleges and Universities to display the best of what makes these institutions distinct, dedicated to ensuring that students who attend the best HBCUs will return the favor by making a difference in their respective communities at large.

The Black Excellence College Tour is committed to providing college students with the tools and strategies needed for optimal academic performance. This tour will provide a solid understanding of the history, culture, and Traditions that have shaped the schools’ collective legacy and a framework for comparison that will help students choose the right HBCU.

Contact  us for more details

MANY RIVERS TO CROSS

THE JOURNEY TO EQUALITY

7 DAY CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY TOUR

Atlanta, Tuskegee, Montgomery, Selma, Birmingham, Memphis

At A Glance :

In this gripping journey of a lifetime, you will be transported through time and space to the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. You will journey south into the very heart of the civil rights movement and gain a deeper understanding of the historic and continued struggle for racial equality in the United States.

Take an emotional journey on the Civil Rights Trail, visit the sacred grounds of The Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, tour the moving Legacy Museum, and march alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

This Pilgrimage will pay homage to the four young girls killed in the bombing at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, and ride with the Freedom Riders on their fearless mission to end segregation.

Our expert guides will shed light on these historical moments while encouraging meaningful conversations with locals and fellow guests. Engage with your fellow pilgrims as they engage with the truth while learning how to carry the torch of civil rights into the future. 

WOMEN OF STRENGTH

7 DAY CIVIL RIGHTS TOUR  

BACKBONE OF THE MOVEMENT

Nashville, Memphis, Jackson, Montgomery,  Selma, Birmingham

At A Glance:

Experience the resiliency and determination of the brave women who worked tirelessly throughout the Civil Rights Movement to gain racial justice and equality in America. This journey takes you to six cities, where you'll see significant sites where key parts of this historic movement unfolded both in cities, schools, and houses of worship.

This Homage will include in-depth discussions of black women leaders and activities such as Rosa Parks, Ida B Wells, Ella Baker, Daisy Bates, Fannie Lou Hammer, and many others.

By "walking in the footsteps" of these remarkable women, you'll discover how the achievement of our most basic civil rights—including voting rights, equal educational opportunities, and desegregation—was accomplished in large part due to these indefatigable and courageous women. 

Private Groups that book 15 or more at one time get a 10 % discount on the total group booking.

GULLAH GEECHIE

HERITAGE PILGRIMAGE

8 DAY CULTURAL IMMERSION TOUR

Charleston, Georgetown, Sea Islands, Hilton Head,

Savannah, Jacksonville

THE LOWCOUNTRY

7 DAY CULTURAL

LOWCOUNTRY FOOD TOUR

Savannah, Hilton Head, Charleston, Myrtle Beach

At A Glance:  

The Lowcountry is where mighty rivers fall into the sea to make their last dive.

Nowhere in America did the cooking of master and slave combine so gracefully as it did in the Lowcountry kitchen.

From Shrimp N Grits, Crab Cakes, Stone Grown Grits, Carolina Gold Rice, Whole Pork BBQ, Fried Fish, Collard Greens, BBQ Oysters, Boiled Peanuts, Pimento Cheese and Sweet Tea, The Low Country is where you can get it all.

On these authentic African-inspired food experiences, we will travel from Charleston to Savannah tasting and eating food grown and caught in the coastal regions and waters of South Carolina and Georgia—, LowCountry cooking is a hodgepodge of international influences: African, French, English, and Caribbean alike.

Our Lowcountry Food Tour will begin in the South Carolinian portion of the Lowcountry—Charleston—which is indisputably the capital of the Lowcountry (thanks to its 500,000 acres of wetlands, salt marshes, swamps, creeks, lakes, ponds, and former rice fields). 

Come with us and on this slow Lowcountry Food Crawl from Charleston, Hilton Head, and Savannah, and let's taste it all!...and I mean All OF IT!

A t A Glance :

Experience the culture of the Gullah Geechee—the original inhabitants of the SeaIslands off the Southeast coast of the United States. Native Africans were brought to America as slaves, who merged with and created a new culture that is unlike any other. Gullah Geechee people are known for preserving more of their African linguistic and cultural heritage than any other African-American community in the United States.

The Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor is a 400-mile stretch along the southeastern coast from Savannah, Georgia to Jacksonville, Florida. Explore a variety of gorgeous sites in the Gullah Geechee Corridor our expert tour guides will reveal several unique and beautiful places that help preserve an incredible culture. This is an experience you don't want to miss!

WHY THEY SING THE BLUES

The Mississippi Blues Trail

12 DAY MUSIC HISTORY TOUR

Nashville, Muscle Shoals, Memphis, Clarksdale, Cleveland,   Indianola, Jackson , New Orleans

Why They Sing the Blues is an unforgettable journey into the land that spawned the single most important root source of modern American popular music- The Delta Blues.

This 12-day journey tells the untold stories of Southern bluesmen and women and how the places where they lived and the times in which they existed–and continue to exist–influenced their music. The tour will take you to Nashville, Memphis, Clarksville, and all through the Mississippi Delta down to Jackson and New Orleans where you will Hear Live music, walk the city streets, visit the radio stations, see the cotton fields, visit Blues museums to learn why musicians such as Robert Johnson Howlin Wolf, Muddy, Waters, BB King, and countless others sang the blues way down in the Mississippi Delta.

Whether you're a die-hard blues fan or a casual traveler in search of an interesting trip, you'll find facts you didn't know, places you've never seen, and you'll gain a new appreciation for the area that gave birth to the blues .

Detroit, Clevland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Nashville, Memphis

Get Down With The Funk!

A t A Glance  

Experience the Land of Funk on our Black Music History Tour — one of the most exciting and authentic multi-day tours in all of North America. Our expert guides will take you on a musical journey through the heart of America, following in the footsteps of black music pioneers to explore how their influence is present throughout all aspects of American culture.

You’ll get an insider’s look into the musical heritage and highlights of Black Music, visiting legendary music studios, iconic venues and even hearing from some music legends themselves! Travel with us to legendary sites across 8 cities including Detroit, Cleveland, Dayton Cinninatti Nashville, and Memphis, to learn stories through music. From Motown to The Rock roll Hall of Fame to Dayton and Cincinnati, The Funk Capitol, and on to  Nashville and  Soulsville in Memphis TN.

We invite you on a breathtaking journey through the heart of American music, exploring the true Rythem of America, American Soul and Funk Music 

FANTASTIC VOYAGE

To The Land of Funk

10 DAY MUSIC HISTORY TOUR

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The 17 United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs) are a call to action for governments, businesses, and society to address today’s most pressing sustainable development issues. While recognizing the interconnectedness and importance of achieving all the Global Goals, The Media Arts Institute of Alabama and Civil Rights Trail Tours identified 6 Global Goals where we can have the most impact through our tours and projects.

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TravelAwaits

Our mission is to serve the 50+ traveler who's ready to cross a few items off their bucket list.

11 Inspiring African American History Tours In The U.S.

• Activities and Interests
• Black History
• Destinations
• Guided Tours
• History and Culture
• Sightseeing
• United States

History tells the story of the past, provides context to the present, and potentially a glimpse into the future. As is often the case, history repeats itself.

There’s no better way to learn about a place than by looking back. History tours can be priceless. After a year when race dominated the national conversation in a way not seen since the 1960s, there’s soul searching and a quest for knowledge and understanding. Start that journey with a guided tour that teaches and entertains.

While self-guided tours allow you to go at your own pace, I’m all for guided tours. You can’t beat having a passionate tour guide who knows the history backward and forward like they lived it. That insight is priceless and heightens the experience twofold.

Here are a few African American history tours to put on your must-go list.

1. Memphis Caravan Tour, Memphis, Tennessee 

A Tour of Possibilities offers this guided 2.5-hour tour of African American history that you enjoy from the comfort of your own car. You hear the guide’s commentary through your car speakers by accessing the link provided upon arrival. The exploration includes sites like the Slave Haven, where you descend the stairs into the dark, damp cellar and peer through the trapdoors and hidden passages where the fugitives were harbored, giving you a glimpse of those turbulent times. It also includes the National Civil Rights Museum/Lorraine Motel (where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated), Beale Street (nicknamed the Home of the Blues), and neighborhoods like Soulsville, South Memphis, Uptown, as well as the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the I AM A MAN Plaza, and plenty more. Admission is $66.

For more things to do in Memphis, Tennessee , check out these 16 Fantastic Day Trips From Memphis . 

2. Charleston’s African American History And Heritage, Charleston, South Carolina 

West Africa’s contribution to the heritage and history of the Lowcountry is indisputable. Bulldog Tours explores the influence and experience of African Americans in Charleston from slavery and Jim Crow, to the Civil Rights struggle. Highlights of the 2-hour walking tour include significant sites like the Aiken Rhett House, Mother Emanuel AME Church, and the Philip Simmons Prayer Garden. Simmons was one of the most celebrated 20th century ironworkers in Charleston. He made more than 500 decorative pieces of ornamental wrought iron gates, fences, balconies, and window grills that dot the Charleston landscape. Adults are $37, children 4–12, $27, with children 3 and under free.

3. Black History River Cruise, San Antonio, Texas 

Twice a month — on the second Sunday and fourth Saturday — The San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum and GO Rio River Cruises offer a 90-minute African American history tour . You’ll discover how the once richest Black man south of the Mason Dixon line got his start in San Antonio , see the location of the first “free” school for African Americans in San Antonio, learn about the African American 14-year-old male student who helped change San Antonio history, and more. Admission is $25.

4. The Black Journey: African American History Walking Tour, Philadelphia, PA 

This 90-minute tour starts off in front of the Independence Visitor Center and continues across the city at some of the nation’s most important and historical sites such as The President’s House, Congress Hall, Old City Hall, First U.S. Supreme Court Building, American Philosophical Society Museum, Independence Square, Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier, and Bicentennial Moon Tree — the former location of the Philadelphia Prison Site and the oldest continuous piece of land owned by people of African descent. You’ll go to Congo Square, visit the unmarked graves of free and enslaved victims of the yellow fever epidemic, and see where the Fugitive Slave Act was passed in 1793. Walk in the footsteps of enslaved people, abolitionists, slaveholders, and founding fathers. Tickets are $20–$35.

5. The James Brown Family Historical Tour, Augusta, Georgia

Get on the good foot. The Godfather of Soul has a special place in Black history. Nobody sang and danced quite like him. Cherish the memories with a private guided tour of his favorite haunts on a nearly 2-hour tour led by his daughter Deanna Brown-Thomas. You’ll visit his childhood home, spots where he hung out, restaurants, his elementary school, and more. Tours are $15 per person and can be set via the James Brown Family Foundation . 

6. Birding The Harriet Tubman Byway, Bucktown, Maryland 

Start your 4-hour adventure at the Brodess Farm Site in Bucktown. The guided drive and hike are for bird lovers. Harriet Tubman Tours and Delmarva Birding Weekends sponsor this adventure that goes along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad in Dorchester County, Maryland . You’ll learn about Tubman as you make your way through the farms, Chesapeake Bay marshes, and Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, encountering some of the best birding and bald eagle watching. Cost is $65 per person.

If you want to learn more about the Underground Railroad, head north On The Way To Freedom . 

7. The Real Black Wall Street Tour, Tulsa, Oklahoma 

Despite the gravity of the Tulsa Race Massacre, until the 100th anniversary of the massacre this year, little was known about it. This tour will give you an education that might be painful but insightful. The tour takes place through the historic Tulsa district of Greenwood. You’ll hear the details about the people and buildings that were affected by the massacre, and the places that were bombed, including churches and schools. Warning, you might need a hanky. You’ll go through some of the neighborhoods that were leveled. Admission is $15.

8. Black History Tour, Washington, DC 

Washingtonian Christopher W. vows to show you what was left out of textbooks when it comes to the contributions of African Americans with his Tours By Locals . While you’ll get the expected — like the Lincoln Memorial and the spot where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I Have A Dream” speech — you’ll also venture to the Frederick Douglass House, Lincoln Park, Howard University, Howard Theater, Ben’s Chili Bowl Mural, African American Civil War Memorial, and the African American History and Culture Museum during the 6-hour tour. Admission is $500 for up to four people.

9. Gullah Tour, Sandy Island, South Carolina 

Just south of Murrells Inlet is Sandy Island, where many of the 120 residents are Gullah Geechee descendants, the culture that originated from West African slaves who worked on the rice plantations in the 1700s. Start the 2-hour tour at the Sandy Island Boat Ramp and take a brief boat ride to Pyatt’s General Store with its African heritage gifts, Gullah Sweetgrass baskets, and more. Then you’ll board a passenger van and make your way around the island to the Sandy Island firehouse, old gravesites, church, community center, library, and more. Admission is $35.

10. Freedom Seekers Heritage Tour, Niagara County, New York 

The Niagara River and Gorge was an important crossing point into Canada for those using the Underground Railroad. For the freedom seekers who passed through the Niagara Frontier, the physical act of crossing the Niagara River represented the final act of courage and determination at the end of a long journey. Motherland Connextions’ tour takes you to key towns and sites. For over 3 hours you’ll visit the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center with its exhibits, scenic built environment, nearby murals of Harriet Tubman and freedom seekers, and more. In Lewiston, there’s the Freedom Crossing Monument on the bank of the Niagara River. The statue honors the courage of freedom seekers who sought a new life in Canada, and those who helped them on their journey across Niagara. Murphy Orchards in Burt is a farm that secretly housed enslaved people on the run in a barn. Another place of refuge is the many canals. You’ll see the Erie Canal in Lockport. The tour is $94 for adults and $67 for children.

11. Duke Street Black History Walking Tour, Alexandria, Virginia 

The 90-minute Manumission guided walking tour along the Duke Street corridor in Old Town Alexandria includes sites connected to the early Alexandria slave trade, such as the former site of Franklin & Armfield and the former Bruin Slave Jail that held the Edmonson sisters. The tour also includes sites that connect to early African Americans’ spirituality like the Shiloh Baptist Church and the Alexandria National Cemetery. You might want to check their other tours too. Freedom’s Fight in Alexandria Walking Tour highlights pre-Civil War history and the stories of runaway slaves, early abolitionists, and more. The Still’s Underground Railroad Walking Tour takes you along the downtown King Street corridor to hear about the Underground Railroad in Alexandria. The Black History in Alexandria bus tour is a 2-hour guided tour that will take you to the Freedom House Museum, Alfred Street Baptist Church, the site of the 1939 Library Sit-In, Contraband & Freedman Cemetery, and more. All Manumission Tours are $15 for adults and $12 for those 12 and under.

Sheryl Nance-Nash is a freelance writer specializing in travel. Her work has appeared on CNTraveler.com, TheDailyBeast, Fodors, Afar, Global Traveler Magazine, ShermansTravel, and Newsweek.com among others.

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​ Black Paris Tours now operate YEAR ROUND Monday-Saturday except during the winter months when we offer tours on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays!

French Holidays France ranks number four among countries with the most holidays, with a total of 36 holidays, including 25 statutory holidays and 11 public holidays. A French holiday will include parades and festivities or a city that looks like a ghost town with most Paris residents out of town. Restaurants, major attractions and museums may be open on major holidays (check online), but you can count on stores and shops being closed (as most are on Sundays) and the Paris transportation system running on a slower holiday schedule.

French Holidays The French people celebrate several holidays during the year. ​Legal holidays celebrated are:

New Year's Day-January 1st

Easter Sunday and Easter Monday

Labor Day-May 1st

Liberation Day-May 8th (Marks the end of WWI)

Ascension Thursday-celebrated 40 days after Easter (the ascension of Christ into Heaven)

Pentecost Sunday & Pentecost Monday-observed the 7th Sunday & following Monday after Easter

Bastille Day-July 14th (commemorates the storming of Bastille)

Assumption Day-August 15 (elevation of Virgin Mary)

All Saints Day-November 1st (commemorating the saints)

Armistice Day-November 11th (signing of the armistice at the end of WWII)

Christmas-December 25th

Boxing Day-December 26th

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Taylor Swift Performs ‘The Black Dog’ for the First Time at London Eras Tour Concert

The emotional ballad appears on her double album, "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology."

By Mitchell Peters

Mitchell Peters

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Taylor Swift delivered the live debut of “The Black Dog” on night one of her Eras Tour in London.

Taylor Swift Shares Backstage Selfies With Prince William & Kids at Eras Tour Show in London: See…

The 34-year-old pop superstar’s first-time performance of the emotional ballad arrived during the surprise songs portion of her concert at London’s Wembley Stadium on Friday (June 21).

“I’ve never played this one live before,” Swift told the crowd, as seen in a fan-captured clip on X (formerly Twitter).

Wearing a long orange dress and seated at a piano, the singer beautifully performed “The Black Dog,” which appears on her double album, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology . The song reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May.

Trending on Billboard

Some have speculated that “The Black Dog” is about the 1975 frontman Matty Healy, who Swift was rumored to have briefly dated in 2023. The song name-checks pop-punk band The Starting Line, which Healy’s group has covered live in recent years.

“I just don’t understand/ How you don’t miss me in The Black Dog/ When someone plays The Starting Line/ And you jump up, but she’s too young/ To know this song that was intertwined/ In the magic fabric of our dreaming,” Swift sings on the chorus of “The Black Dog.” “Old habits die screaming.”

The songstress’ hurt turns to anger as her words shift to, “And I hope it’s shitty in The Black Dog/ When someone plays The Starting Line/ And you jump up, but she’s too young/ To know this song that was intertwined/ In the tragic fabric of our dreaming/ ‘Cause tail between your legs, you’re leavin’.”

During the opening night of her London stint, Swift also took some backstage selfies with Prince William, who was celebrating his 42nd birthday. “Happy Bday M8! London shows are off to a splendid start,” she wrote on Instagram alongside the photo, which included the prince’s kids and her boyfriend Travis Kelce.

Swift’s Eras Tour is set for three shows at Wembley Stadium from June 21-23. Paramore is the special guest for all three shows, with METTE opening the kickoff concert, Griff the second show and Benson Boone the third.

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Election Updates: Biden looks to reassure donors and supporters at events this weekend.

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Jazmine Ulloa

President Biden and his allies continued to cast Biden as someone who has been knocked down before only to get back up. “We can waste time comparing ‘debate nights,’” said Lizanne Rosenstein, one of the hosts of the fund-raiser, but “it’s more meaningful to compare presidencies.”

As President Biden’s motorcade rolled through Manhattan yesterday, I spotted a woman outside a restaurant waving a white placard that said, “Thank you for your service.” Today’s signs along the route seem to be far more direct. A group of people near the Rosenstein fund-raiser held ones that read, “Please drop out for U.S.,” “Thank you next,” “Step down for democracy” and “We love you but it’s time,” according to a White House pool report.

President Biden’s first campaign stop in East Hampton today was at a home that, according to public records, is owned by Avram and Jill Glazer, whose family holds a majority ownership stake in the English Premier League club Manchester United. It was a closed press event, but outside our photographer captured people gathered outside with signs asking Biden to drop out.

Mayor Eric Adams of New York, a Democrat who has at times criticized President Biden over immigration policy, declined to say that the president should remain in the race, saying, “I think the party is going to determine that.” Adams, leaving an event in Brooklyn on Saturday, said, “When you look at what the president has done for the country, I’m a supporter — and let the party determine what is the next step forward.”

Theodore Schleifer

I asked Barry Rosenstein, the host of the Biden fund-raiser, about the effect of the debate on his event. “We are currently over 200 people tomorrow and have exceeded all of the campaign’s fund-raising goals at every donor level,” he said late last night. “In addition, we woke up this morning to see that more donations had come in overnight and our attendance numbers increased today.”

Rocky Jones, the Atlanta business owner whose barbershop hosted a round-table discussion for the Trump campaign last week said he felt “betrayed” by the Republicans who organized it. He told an Atlanta news outlet on Friday that he did not know it was a campaign event. He also said he has faced considerable backlash and lost business since hosting it.

President Biden has two fund-raising events today, according to copies of invitations I’ve seen. First, he’s got an event hosted by the billionaire Barry Rosenstein, who tells me that he’s expecting over 200 people to attend his reception, where tickets go from a sold-out $3,300 level to $250,000. Then, he’s off to New Jersey for an event put on Gov. Phil Murphy.

President Biden is making his way to East Hampton today for a couple of campaign receptions. Spotted boarding his plane, by the pool reporter trailing him today, were Mike Donilon, his longtime trusted adviser who helped his prep for the debate, and Jeffrey Katzenberg, a Hollywood heavyweight and one of the most prolific cash generators for Democratic presidents.

President Biden, speaking at an L.G.B.T.Q. gala Friday night, harkened back to some of his lowest days in the 2020 presidential campaign, just before he finished fifth in the New Hampshire Democratic primary. He told reporters then not to count him out because he had been down before. On Friday, he seemed to echo the message: “I know what millions of Americans know, when you get down, you get back up.”

Corey Johnson, the former speaker of the New York City Council, left President Biden’s fund-raiser early on Friday. He said the state of the presidential race had left him with real fear: “I think he’s a great man who’s had a great career, who has been a great president, who defeated Donald Trump,” he said of Biden. “But I am so scared. We cannot have a second Trump presidency. And so I don’t know what the answer is.”

Simon Levien

At a Biden Victory Fund event in Park City, Utah, on Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris addressed a crowd of donors with a tinge of anxiety in the room. She said that Biden had a “slow start” but a “strong finish.” She added that she thought Biden was a “profound thinker” and that the list of the administration’s accomplishments resembled a CVS receipt: “It just goes on and on.”

Liam Stack and Olivia Bensimon

Biden’s debate cleanup tour starts at an L.G.B.T.Q. fund-raiser in Manhattan.

Hundreds of L.G.B.T.Q. donors and activists gathered in Midtown Manhattan for a fund-raiser supporting President Biden on Friday, but the president’s debate performance cast an anxious shadow over what normally would have been an energizing political event.

As they mingled in a lavender-lit event space at the Manhattan Center, many donors huddled in small groups and fretted over what they had all witnessed on television the night before. The debate was “definitely the main topic of conversation,” said one attendee, who declined to be named because he works in Democratic politics.

Jeffrey Omura, 39, an actor and former City Council candidate, said that he was “alarmed” by Mr. Biden’s debate performance, and that he thought many other people at the fund-raiser shared his worries.

“Everybody’s on the same page,” he said. “Everybody feels the same way: that it is up to the people who are close around him, his friends and his closest confidants, to nudge him out of this race.”

But, Mr. Omura added, “the L.G.B.T. community will still be there for him if he decides to stay in the race. The Democratic Party will still be there for him. We’ll do whatever it takes.”

Despite the unease of many people in the crowd, Mr. Biden was greeted with cheers when he took the stage shortly after 9 p.m.

“Folks, the stakes couldn’t be higher,” he told the attendees, as the lights onstage behind him cast rainbow colors on the wall. “I will protect democracy. Donald Trump will not. That is especially the case when it comes to the L.G.B.T.Q. community.”

One attendee, Alex Comiskey, 35, said the event had calmed his nerves. He thought Mr. Biden’s speech on Friday was noticeably more energetic than his debate performance.

“It felt really good,” he said. “It felt reassuring.”

Another attendee, Jonathan Rakiec, 47, said that the people he spoke to at the event “were very nervous.” But he and his friends reassured themselves that “the best minds in the country” must be working “on solving what happened yesterday.”

“Whether it’s Biden doing a prime time special alone or a new candidate, all options are on the table,” Mr. Rakiec said.

But outside the fund-raiser, tensions quickly boiled over. Soon after the event began, at least a hundred pro-Palestine demonstrators arrived at the Manhattan Center, which lies a stone’s throw from Pennsylvania Station in one of the city’s most chaotic corners.

They chanted and set off colorful plumes of smoke and soon began to scuffle with the police, who made at least a dozen arrests. Nearby, Billy Porter, one of the night’s featured performers, had a brief shouting match with a protester wearing a T-shirt that said, “Palestine is a queer issue.”

Inside, donors who paid $250 each waited on the balcony for the event to begin, drinking $17 cocktails out of plastic cups and snacking on bags of Doritos that were on sale for $3.

More high-paying donors sat on the floor below them and enjoyed cheese plates. In the background, classic Pride Month songs by performers including Madonna and Kim Petras played. Queer celebrities, including the actors Wilson Cruz and Harvey Guillén, hobnobbed.

But for many, concerns remained. After the event, one attendee, the former City Council speaker Corey Johnson, 42, said the state of the race had left him in a state of fear.

“I think he’s a great man who’s had a great career, who has been a great president who defeated Donald Trump,” Mr. Johnson said of Mr. Biden. “But I am so scared. We cannot have a second Trump presidency. And so I don’t know what the answer is.”

Shawn McCreesh

Reporting from Chesapeake, Va.

Campaign Notebook

Too much winning? Even Trump’s fans are uneasy after Biden’s weak debate.

The day after President Biden melted down in Thursday’s prime-time debate, Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia stood beside former President Donald J. Trump on a farm in Chesapeake, gushing.

“This is the best Trump rally ever!”

In the past, when it suited him, Mr. Youngkin kept his distance from Mr. Trump and his unpredictable behavior .

Not now. Not with all this winning afoot.

“Hello, Virginia,” Mr. Trump cooed as he took the stage before thousands of his supporters in what Republicans increasingly see as a winnable state. “Did anybody watch a thing called the debate?” He roared: “That was a big one.”

On the surface, the rally in Chesapeake was a quick-turn victory lap after the debate and before the 2024 race hits a higher gear.

“Democrats are in a lot of trouble, so I feel pretty good today,” said Jason Alter, 35, a dentist from Miami.

But beneath the jubilation, there was a low-grade panic stirring. It was the kind of panic that one sometimes feels when everything in life seems to be going … a little too well.

Throughout Mr. Trump’s comeback campaign, his supporters have told anyone who would listen that Mr. Biden was nothing more than the tool of a shadowy establishment that would, at the right moment, pull him to insert a more formidable candidate. Now, as they see it, this exact plot is playing out before the eyes of the nation.

“We all suspected it," said Phil Capron, 40, a Virginia Beach resident and real estate investor. “And now that’s the official narrative that every major outlet is running with.”

The suspicion flowed Friday. “They did this to get him out,” said Tara Silvasy, 55, a contractor for FEMA.

But who is the ‘they’? “The party,” she said, simply.

Never one to miss out on a spidery conspiracy theory, Mr. Trump seemed as freaked out as any of his supporters about what is now possibly, perhaps, underway.

“Many people are saying that after last night’s performance, Joe Biden is leaving the race,” he said from the stage, followed by scattered, seemingly confused applause. “The fact is, I don’t really believe that,” he continued, “because he does better in the polls than any of the Democrats they’re talking about. You’ve seen that, Glenn?”

Mr. Trump spent the next few minutes explaining to his followers why the alternatives to Mr. Biden are actually weaker. He said that Gov. Gavin Newsom “can’t run California,” and the crowd booed. He mentioned Vice President Kamala Harris and the crowd booed louder. “It might’ve been Joe Biden’s single best decision, putting her vice president, because nobody wants that. I’d be very happy with that.”

Then he said, “Have they polled Michelle Obama? She polls very badly. She polls terribly.” The crowd went oddly still. Nobody seemed to be buying that one — least of all Mr. Trump, even as the words were coming out of his own mouth. “It’s hard to believe,” he said, pausing. “But crooked Joe Biden polls better than those people.”

This was all somewhat undercut by the fact that, during a different part of his same speech, Mr. Trump had told them that pollsters were never to be trusted.

“Michelle Obama would be an interesting choice,” mused Mr. Capron, wearing an “Alex Jones was right” T-shirt. “I actually think she would garner a lot of support. A lot of people really liked the Obama years.”

Ms. Silvasy said, “Unfortunately, I think it’s going to be Gavin Newsom.”

Mr. Alter, the Miami dentist, feared the same. “Yes, that would make me very nervous. I hope Joe is too stubborn and he just stays on the ticket and he thinks he can win.”

What got Mr. Trump the loudest applause Friday had nothing to do with the debate or Mr. Biden’s slippage; it was his mention of that day’s Supreme Court decision, which ruled that prosecutors had overstepped in how they charged some members of the pro-Trump mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. “Those people have been treated so badly,” Mr. Trump said. “They should be released immediately, the J6 hostages.”

The next morning, Mr. Trump tried doing a little damage control — for his opponent. He posted on Truth Social on Saturday about Mr. Biden, saying “his speech on Friday was better, and he seems to be coming out of his trance.”

But in Chesapeake, he ultimately leveled with his loyalists about the coming battle ahead. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he finally acknowledged. “I have absolutely no idea.”

Chris Cameron

Biden heads to New York and New Jersey, hoping to reassure supporters after a dismal debate performance.

President Biden will embark on a series of campaign events today, including two receptions in East Hampton, N.Y., and a fund-raiser in Red Bank, N.J., hosted by Gov. Phil Murphy, as he works to stamp out a crisis of confidence in his re-election campaign.

Lawmakers, party officials and activists have begun to actively consider replacing Mr. Biden at the top of the ticket after a dismal performance in his debate against former President Donald J. Trump on Thursday. The president and his allies are in turn working feverishly to reassure donors and supporters.

Surrogates for President Biden, including Vice President Kamala Harris , sought to limit the damage from the president’s bad performance, arguing in essence that one bad debate night should not define the president. A senior Biden campaign official insisted that there were “no conversations” among Mr. Biden’s campaign advisers about replacing him as the nominee.

The president made a more forceful appearance on the campaign trail on Friday, holding a campaign rally in Raleigh, N.C., where he declared to cheering supporters: “When you get knocked down, you get back up.”

But Mr. Biden’s performance at campaign events this weekend, however strong, is likely to be thin consolation compared with the 51.3 million Americans (a number that does not include those who followed along on digital sites and on social media) who saw the president falter in his much-awaited prime-time confrontation with Mr. Trump. The former president held a rally on Friday in Chesapeake, Va., gleefully declaring a “big victory” in the debate while adding that he expected Mr. Biden to stay in the race.

“He does better in polls than any of the Democrats they’re talking about,” Mr. Trump said.

Replacing Mr. Biden is a risky proposition and most likely would require him to step aside willingly. Still, some Democrats have begun to mull a roster of alternatives , including Ms. Harris and a crop of Democratic governors who have served as surrogates for the Biden campaign. Most of the highest-profile names on that list, though, are untested in a presidential race.

More than one Biden supporter cited their own disastrous debate performances as a way to assuage concerns about Mr. Biden. Former President Barack Obama , who was widely criticized for a tepid debate performance against Mitt Romney in 2012 (a month before winning re-election), wrote on social media: “Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know.”

And Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, was recovering from a stroke in 2022 when he had his own halting debate performance . He told The New York Times that “people lost their mind after my debate,” but that he “just got back on the saddle and just kept out there.”

Michael Gold

A gleeful Trump, fresh from Thursday’s debate, rallies in Virginia.

The day after a presidential debate in which his opponent’s stumbles took the focus, former President Donald J. Trump returned to the campaign trail on Friday afternoon, clearly gleeful as he strode onstage in front of thousands of people in a field in Virginia and gloated about his performance.

Fresh off a debate in which his attacks, falsehoods and exaggerations largely went unchecked in the face of a halting performance by President Biden, Mr. Trump used the rally to bolster now familiar arguments that Mr. Biden was not fit to remain in office.

“The question every voter should be asking themselves today is not whether Joe Biden can survive a 90-minute debate performance,” Mr. Trump said, “but whether America can survive four more years of crooked Joe Biden in the White House.”

Seizing on reports that Democrats panicking about the debate were eager to push Mr. Biden off the ticket, Mr. Trump opined that Democrats had no better candidates than his opponent, with whom he has been engaged in yearslong hostility and whom he confidently says he will defeat despite his loss to him in 2020.

And Mr. Trump seemed equally buoyed by the Supreme Court’s decision on Friday that federal prosecutors misused an obstruction law to prosecute some of his supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a bid to overturn Mr. Biden’s victory and keep Mr. Trump in the White House.

To Mr. Trump, the court’s decision — facilitated in part, he pointed out, by the justices he appointed — lent credence to his frequent insistence that his supporters who marched on the Capitol, some of them turning to violence, were engaging in a political protest and were now being wrongfully prosecuted solely because they backed him over Mr. Biden.

Mr. Trump told the crowd before him, which gathered in the summer heat in Chesapeake, Va., that the court had decided that Mr. Biden’s “department of injustice has wrongfully prosecuted hundreds of Americans for peacefully protesting on Jan. 6.”

The comment elicited one of the crowd’s most energized cheers during Mr. Trump’s 90-minute speech. Then, in unison, his supporters began to chant, “U.S.A.”

Mr. Trump had spent less time talking about his views on Jan. 6 in recent weeks, particularly as he made campaign stops in cities like Philadelphia and Detroit, where he has been courting Black voters. In the wake of the debate, he made another pitch to expand his coalition, saying, “whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, young or old, Black, brown or white, we welcome you to our movement.”

Mr. Trump, who has a history of making racist statements, continued his efforts to win over Black and Hispanic voters by asserting, without providing evidence, that the surge of migrants coming across the border illegally were taking “Black jobs.” And as he tries to win union workers in key battleground states, Mr. Trump seemed to openly court the president of the Teamsters union, Sean O’Brien, whom Mr. Trump invited to speak at the Republican National Convention next month.

“I don’t want to throw around names,” Mr. Trump said after mentioning Mr. O’Brien, “but he’s a good man.”

But with the debate behind him, Mr. Trump revived forceful language that he had dialed back only slightly in recent weeks, including his false claims of widespread election fraud in 2020 and his depiction of Mr. Biden as mentally unfit to run the country.

Mr. Trump was sharply critical of Mr. Biden’s leadership, knocking his debate performance repeatedly and using it as evidence that four more years of a Biden administration would steer the country in the wrong direction. And as he stood in Virginia, which has not voted for a Republican president since 2004 but which Mr. Trump hopes to flip, he argued that Mr. Biden’s poor performance in the debate was grounds to oust Democrats from power across the ballot.

“We don’t just need to fire Biden,” Mr. Trump said, as Virginia’s Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, looked on. “As you saw yesterday, the whole Democratic Party needs to get voted out of office.”

Mr. Trump argued that he would be “very happy” if Vice President Kamala Harris somehow became the nominee because he polled better against her. And he joked, insultingly, that Mr. Biden was wise to pick her because nobody wanted Ms. Harris to be president, an attack that his campaign made in an advertisement it aired during the debate.

At times, Mr. Trump — who during the debate agreed to accept the results of the 2024 election only if he found them to be fair — seemed to act as if the presidential race were wrapped up. He repeatedly referred to a “transition period,” a seeming reference to the period after the election but that he extended to include the months leading up to the election.

“We have a five-month transition period, and I want our enemies to know, don’t play around with us.”

Yet Mr. Trump once again repeated his contention that America was more threatened by “the enemy from within” — a reference to his political opponents — than from foreign powers like China, Russia and North Korea, which he said were “not really enemies if you have a smart president.”

Mr. Trump repeated some of the false claims he made during Thursday’s debate, again accusing Democrats of supporting abortions up until “after a baby is born.” No state has passed laws that would allow that, and Mr. Biden did not endorse it during the debate.

And he again argued that Mr. Biden had allowed a surge of migrants across the U.S. border with Mexico, which in turn had caused a surge of violent crime. Available statistics show that violent crime has declined, and there is no evidence of a spike in crime caused by migrants.

Mr. Trump’s supporters lined up for hours in the heat to hear him speak. At least three people needed medical attention as they waited for the former president to arrive.

Still, the mood seemed jubilant. Ahead of Mr. Trump’s arrival, several speakers — largely a parade of Republicans who at various points occupied the governor’s mansion in Virginia — asked the crowd whom they thought won the debate.

Unsurprisingly, each time the resounding answer was “Trump.”

Katie Rogers

Katie Rogers covers the Biden administration and the Biden family and reported from Washington. She is the author of a book on first ladies.

Jill Biden could make or break Biden’s campaign. She says she’s all in.

President Biden knew immediately after stepping off the stage in Atlanta on Thursday night that the debate had gone wrong. In those first stricken moments after a raspy, rambling and at times incoherent performance, he turned to his wife, Jill Biden.

Whatever was going to happen next in Mr. Biden’s last presidential race, after perhaps the worst moment of his long political life, was always going to come down to her. His wife of 47 years had entered his life all those decades ago, reluctant to get into politics but fully embracing his dreams and his belief that he would one day reach the White House.

Now, her 81-year-old husband looked at her after a disastrous 90 minutes onstage.

The first lady’s message to him was clear: They’d been counted out before, she was all in, and he — they — would stay in the race. Her thinking, according to people close to her, was that it was a bad night. And bad nights end.

“To say they’ve been in foxholes together doesn’t even begin to explain their bond,” said Elizabeth Alexander, the first lady’s communications director, who has been with Mr. Biden since his Senate days.

So Dr. Biden spent the 24 hours after the debate putting her decades as a political spouse to the test, projecting confidence and normalcy while effusively praising her husband. But, like the president, she is an intuitive political messenger who can sense the mood of a crowd. She knows that along with the cheering supporters, there are legions of people suddenly accusing her of forcing an old man to put one weary foot in front of the other.

If Mr. Biden were to seriously consider departing the race, allowing a younger candidate to replace him, the first lady would be the most important figure — other than the president himself — in reaching that decision.

“Jill is the final and most important voice. She knows him and loves him with a passion. She also knows everything about him. Most big decisions are made with Valerie and Jill in the end,” said John Morgan, one of Mr. Biden’s top donors, referring to the president’s younger sister, who has run nearly all of his political campaigns.

Indeed, as major Democratic Party donors connected Friday, by text, by phone or in person, one of the most immediate questions they asked one another was whether any of them knew how to get a meeting or a conversation with the first lady.

After nearly a half-century in politics, the Bidens view themselves as long-game people. And right now, neither wants the story of the president’s long political career — one defined by tragedy, resilience and unceasing ambition — to end on a stage in Atlanta, across the podium from former President Donald J. Trump, a man they both revile.

“He wants to win and she wants that for him, and for the country,” Ms. Alexander said. “She’s his biggest supporter and champion, because she believes in him, and she fears for the future of our country if it goes the other way.”

In front of supporters on Friday, the first lady embraced the talking points espoused by Democratic Party leaders, including the vice president, Kamala Harris , that Mr. Biden’s bad performance did not erase years of successful legislating.

“As Joe said earlier today, he’s not a young man,” Dr. Biden told a group of donors assembled in Manhattan on Friday afternoon, her third stop since leaving Atlanta. “After last night’s debate, he said: ‘You know, Jill, I don’t know what happened. I didn’t feel that great.’ I said, ‘Look, Joe, we are not going to let 90 minutes define the four years that you’ve been president.’”

Dr. Biden understood that the debate night had amounted to a serious misstep. The president had needed to walk into the debate hall and address concerns about his age. Instead, he walked onstage after six days of preparations and mock debates at Camp David and had little other than a raspy voice to show for it. (The White House said he had a cold.)

She listened as Mr. Trump mocked him. “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence,” Mr. Trump said when Mr. Biden blundered an answer on immigration. “I don’t think he knows what he said either.”

She listened as the former president attacked Hunter Biden, Mr. Biden’s son whom she had raised since childhood and had stood by during a recent trial on gun charges, sitting front row in the courtroom as the worst moments of his addiction were recounted for the world to see.

And she watched as her husband looked wide-eyed and slack-jawed as Mr. Trump went on, angrily absorbing what was happening but largely unable to hit back.

Afterward, Dr. Biden held hands with the president, who walked gingerly down the stairs. The moment quickly went viral. At a campaign-organized watch party the Bidens visited shortly after the debate, she praised her husband for his performance. But critics elsewhere saw her giving him a virtual pat on the head for simply making it through the debate.

“You answered every question, you knew all the facts,” she said. “And what did Trump do?”

“Lie!” the crowd shouted.

Suddenly, a first lady who had skirted major controversies over the past three and a half years found herself in the cross hairs of people who believe she has been trying to hide his diminished faculties.

“What Jill Biden and the Biden campaign did to Joe Biden tonight — rolling him out on stage to engage in a battle of wits while unarmed — is elder abuse, plain and simple,” Representative Harriet M. Hageman, Republican of Wyoming, wrote in a social media post.

The Drudge Report , a prominent conservative-leaning website whose author, Matt Drudge, has soured on Mr. Trump, ran an unflattering photo of the Bidens on Friday with the headline “CRUEL JILL CLINGS TO POWER.”

The first lady and her advisers have long noticed similar claims on conservative websites, and are aware that they are leaking into the mainstream. Ms. Alexander said Dr. Biden views her “amorphous” role as “an act of service, rather than some mythical power grab invented by the dark corners of the internet.”

She added that the first lady sometimes felt hamstrung by the demands of the role , one rife with expectations and hidden trip wires.

“You have to be supportive, but not so supportive that your motives are questioned,” Ms. Alexander said, placing much of the blame on the internet, bots and a right-wing machine that fuels “every conspiracy.”

Advisers to the president and first lady downplay the idea that she has the ability to unilaterally pull the plug on the president’s re-election campaign and clear the way for another candidate four months before a presidential election. They acknowledge her unique influence and power in his life, but they say Mr. Biden is in control of his own campaign.

“There’s too much putting this on Jill,” said one of Mr. Biden’s top advisers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a family dynamic. But as long as Mr. Biden wants to run, advisers say, she will support him.

“When Joe gets knocked down, Joe gets back up,” she told the donors in New York. “And that’s what we’re doing today.”

What’s a ‘Black job’? Trump’s anti-immigration remarks draw pushback and derision.

Former President Donald J. Trump claimed during the presidential debate on Thursday that immigrants entering the United States illegally were taking “Black jobs” and “Hispanic jobs,” a claim with little basis that Democrats immediately seized on as evidence that Mr. Trump and Republicans were not serious about cultivating support from voters of color.

It also touched off a host of internet jokes and memes over what, exactly, a “Black job” is.

“They’re taking Black jobs and they’re taking Hispanic jobs and you haven’t seen it yet but you’re going to see something that’s going to be the worst in our history,” Mr. Trump said on Thursday, speaking of migrants crossing the southern U.S. border. He then repeated the reference during a campaign rally in Virginia on Friday, adding that Black Americans who have had jobs “for a long time” are losing employment to immigrants.

Black political strategists, elected officials and heads of organizations quickly joined hundreds of social media users to post photos of themselves at their workplaces and to crack jokes about the reductive and racist nature of the former president’s comments.

Among them was, Stacey Plaskett, the Democratic House delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands, who posted a photo on X alongside two women in her congressional office on Friday that was captioned, “Another day in Congress doing our ‘Black jobs.’”

Malcolm Kenyatta, a Black Pennsylvania Democrat and surrogate for Mr. Biden’s campaign, quipped : “Did we ever figure out what a ‘Black job’ is? Asking for me.”

And Derrick Johnson, the president of the N.A.A.C.P., also criticized Mr. Trump’s remarks, writing on X that Black Americans “are not confined to any one #BlackJob.”

Republicans, who have sought to take advantage of President Biden’s softening support among Black voters, have made the issue of immigration a cornerstone of their appeals to the bloc, whose turnout in November could decide the election. Mr. Trump has said migrants are “poisoning the blood” of the country, and has repeatedly claimed that the migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border are escapees from prisons and mental institutions, something the evidence does not support.

Immigrants have made up an increasingly large portion of the American labor force in recent years, but economic experts say their presence has been healthy for the nation’s economy . And while Mr. Trump claims that migrant workers are taking jobs from American citizens, the population of foreign-born workers in the country is not large enough to offset the job creation of the last three years .

Democrats have increasingly gone on the offensive. In a statement, Mr. Biden’s communications director Michael Tyler pointed to the online fray of responses to Mr. Trump’s comments, saying Black voters “dragged Trump throughout the night for his racist rant.”

“They know Trump has done nothing for Black communities, so he tries to pit communities of color against one another as a distraction,” he said. “We aren’t distracted. We see Trump’s racism clearly, and it’s why Black voters will reject him this November.”

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