Who We Are
Sojourn Noir amplifies the voices of Black leisure travelers to encourage local businesses and attractions to create an atmosphere where Black travelers can fully enjoy York, PA feeling respected, welcome, and experiencing a sense of belonging.
“In addition to the comfort [at Grace Manor Bed & Breakfast], the Black literature and media were the proverbial ‘icing on the cake.’ We smiled each time we looked upon the likeness of Josephine Baker. We learned from reading James McClure’s Almost Forgotten, A Glimpse of Black History in York County, PA....
Wonderful time!”
Grace Manor Bed & Breakfast
Our Mission
We inspire Black people to engage in the inalienable right to leisure travel.
Our Vision
Millions of Black leisure travelers feeling welcome, respected and experiencing a sense of belonging.
What We Believe
1. Black people deserve respectful, welcoming spaces that inspire a sense of belonging in order to rest, seek adventure, discover historical truths, be immersed in the richness of arts and culture and enjoy unencumbered retail experiences–to which they have been historically and purposely denied access.
2. For businesses to create respectful, welcoming spaces that inspire a sense of belonging for Black consumers, they must a) explore how years of systemic biases in the travel, leisure, and service industries can show up in their workspaces, b) understand the ways those biases impact Black consumers, and c) learn to excavate those biases from their workplace.
Core Values
-
Honesty
We develop truthful content that highlights unique travel adventures and businesses that are respectful, welcoming and inspire a sense of belonging for Black travelers.
-
Respect
Historically the pursuit of leisure has been denied to African Americans. At Sojourn Noir, we believe that in order to eradicate the vestiges of past efforts to thwart the rights of African Americans to pursue leisure, we must intentionally and consistently make efforts to build spaces that are respectful, welcoming and inspire a sense of belonging.
-
Sense of Belonging
We amplify your voice. Sojourn Noir partners with local industries to help create spaces and experiences where Black/African American travelers feel respected, welcome, and experience a sense of belonging.
Joanne Wilmore
Founder, Sojourn Noir
Joanne is the owner of Grace Manor Bed & Breakfast and vision caster for Sojourn Noir. In addition to a career spanning nearly three decades as a Fund Development Executive with diverse marketing experience, she brings 10 years of experience in hospitality and hotel management, and cultural inclusion and diversity. Grace Manor Bed & Breakfast was the first Black-owned, licensed bed and breakfast in south central PA and one of less than 3% in the US.
Grace Manor Bed & Breakfast was named in honor of Joanne’s grandmother, and the photo on the welcome sign features Joanne's great grandmother Ethel. These matriarchs spent their lives working for others with little to no intentionally built space for their own rest, refuge and enjoyment.
With that spirit in mind and since its inception, Joanne aims to provide the optimal respite that is respectful, welcoming and inspires a sense of belonging to each and every traveler, and especially those who come from a history of being denied rest and leisure. This is the driving force and motivation behind Sojourn Noir – to create the Grace Manor experience throughout York City, PA.
Meet the Team
-
Ashley Hill - Consultant, Diversity & Cultural Intelligence
Ashley Hill is a human development professional with national and international experience building social and emotional competencies in adults, youth, and organizational processes. Ashley coaches, trains and supports businesses and organizations with a desire to increase their cultural literacy. Ashley helps people-facing entities understand the pervasive nature of white supremist ideology, recognize the impact the ideology has had on their value formation and belief systems, and learn new ways of being that are anti racist and pro justice and equity.
-
Carolyn Butera - Consultant, Program Management
For more than four decades, Carolyn has worked simultaneously in the fields of education, art and business. Gifted with the ability to bring synergy to long term vision, short term goals, written plans, and the execution of tasks, her expertise to bring clarity and build effective teams is highly valued. Carolyn is a leader with diverse work experiences, including VP & Human Resources, Director for a regional financial corporation, Admissions Director for an urban classical school, CEO and Marketing Director for a small business.
-
Elaine Bonneau - Consultant, Marketing & Communications
Elaine is an accomplished marketing and communications professional with 25 years experience building and implementing comprehensive communication strategies. Elaine served as the Director of Downtown Inc, an affiliate of the York County Economic Alliance, driving investment in downtown York, PA. Category experience includes tourism, hotels, restaurants, casinos - national and international travel/hospitality brands; financial, healthcare, public health and information, cultural arts/theater, and fashion.
