We were lucky to catch up with Josette Green recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Josette, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Racial equity is deep in my heart and drives everything I do. Every person deserves respect and dignity.

Half of my beloved family is brown and I witness their life experiences which are concerning and different than mine as a white person. This inequity has to change. I live in a historically Black neighborhood and I see my neighbors fears and lack of trust towards white people. White people have hurt my neighbors for centuries so of course there is distrust. My neighbors deserve a life that includes care, compassion, equity encased in respect from all. I am motivated to do all I can to increase racial equity for St. Pete. Perhaps my work in this small corner of our country will not only uplift St. Pete but for my family elsewhere too.

I believe telling the history of our Black residents is where compassion and understanding begins. I saw this first hand as a docent at a local museum on local civil rights. Knowing this history typically motivates one to take action and support racial equity.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Have you ever felt there was something you had to do or it was going to explode out? I’d been studying the local St. Petersburg Black history for many years when a local museum put a call out for docents for an upcoming civil rights exhibit. I signed up and as a docent, saw first hand the dramatic impact of sharing this sobering history. The exhibit closed because of COVID but the fire was now lit within and I had to keep going. It took time to figure out what that looked like and a year later I had the answer.

St. Petersburg Black History Tours was formed in 2021. It initially included an immersive bike tour (Black History Bike Tour) that went to the areas of town where the Black community were first allowed to live. Participants then bike through history to understand why our city is how it is today. It also includes a talk by someone with lived experience, Mr. Brayboy “Mr. B.”. He’s a highlight. A year ago a walking tour, Hidden, Historic Campbell Park, was added of the first “Negro park” in St. Petersburg which also happens to be a park in the neighborhood where I live. Both tours are meticulously researched and even those that grew up in St. Pete are astounded by how much they learn. Participants from both tours leave with action items of how they can make a difference on racial equity.

The cost is a donation for the bike tour and a flat fee for walking tour however if one is not able to contribute, the costs are waived. I care more that people learn this impactful history and go out in the community taking action for racial equity.

By the way, this is passion work for me as a volunteer accompanied on the bike tour with a team of very dedicated volunteers. We have now completed over 70 tours with 1,300+ people. We plan to continue on until racial equity is achieved in St. Petersburg. It is not a business or non profit.

The season for the tours is fall and spring with spring especially busy because of Black History Month in February. We take summers off. For more information and to register, go to blackhistorybiketour.com.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

My heart.

There were some in the Black community wondering ‘what is this white lady doing with our history..’ As people came to know me the most common feedback I received is “I can see where your heart is.” They came to quickly learn that I am doing this purely because of my passion for racial equity. It is also evident the depth of knowledge I possess after almost 20 years of research and study. I spend countless hours on conducting these tours for no other reason than I believe it makes a difference. My research still continues on.

For those that came on the tours, they could see I knew the history and designed the tour for maximum impact. The tours are very meaty and people come back over and over to fully grasp all of the knowledge. People also appreciate the power of standing on the land where the history began.

There are different strokes for different folks. Some want to learn Black history from a person of that culture. Others don’t care the color of the historian or are more open to a white historian. I provide another option in the community. What matters is that people are educated on the local Black history.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

The bike tour includes not just a tour but is followed by an hour talk with Mr. Brayboy as he shares his lived experience growing up in St. Petersburg. I thought it was vital for the tour that the participants hear from someone Black. I also wanted the tour to benefit a Black owned business.

The first tour was created during Covid when people were jumping on bikes and found some freedom away from the worry of catching this sickness. I gathered up some friends and neighbors for a practice run. I found a particular Black owned restaurant with an outdoor eating area that would be a great ending place. I biked over to that business one day with the specific goal to meet the owner and ask if he would be willing to greet our bikers and tell a little about himself as we ate.

Mr. B. took this task very seriously and not only greeted our group but spent quite a lot of time talking about his own experience growing up in St. Pete. They loved it. He loved it. A partnership was born. Or as Mr. B. likes to say, “I agreed to partner as I wanted to know what this white woman was saying.” He too marvels at my depth of knowledge. It has helped him to know a deeper. local history as he approaches various business ventures.

I had no idea the level of interest or acceptance this tour would create. Almost immediately upon announcing the start of the Black History Bike Tour, I was approached by print media and TV stations. Several articles were written and I appeared on various TV shows. Reservations flooded in and all tours filled in a week. I added more tours and they filled. Every step of the way Mr. B was with me and he never waivered at the growing number of tours that requested his participation. His loyalty and participation have been rewarded by the connections from tour participants that have supported his entrepreneurial projects. And oh yes, his participation keeps me humble as he’s really the highlight of the entire tour experience. Over and over participants tell me how they loved that hour with Mr. B.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.blackhistorybiketour.com
• Instagram: blackhistorybiketour
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spbhb
• Linkedin: none
• Twitter: none
• Youtube: None
• Yelp: None
• Soundcloud: None
• Other: email: [email protected]

Image Credits

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