BUILDING A COMMUNITY WHO BELONGS Ashley conceived her idea on July 1, 2019, one month before her 25th birthday. Then, amid Covid, Ashley launched the first ever global travel app for the Black community, Melanin on the Map. “While I found that Black travelers contribute significantly to the travel industry, we are often being left out of the conversation.” “I’m not Black. Can I be part of the travel tribe of Melanin on the Map?” Ashley explained that she gets this question a lot. The birth of her baby, the travel app, was born to provide inclusion, diversity, and equal opportunity to minority travelers. The initial intention is to start with the Black community and expand to all communities of color. Ashley emphasized to TrooRa, “No one needs to be alone. This community serves as a safe space for Black and Brown travelers to engage, network, and learn travel income-earning tactics in various sectors of the industry.”
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