Paris Has Another Story to Tell

A Roots & Renaissance™ Journey Through Black History, Culture & Timeless Elegance

There is the Paris we all know.

The Eiffel Tower sparkling against the night sky. Café tables spilling onto sidewalks. Champagne, croissants, couture, museums and leisurely walks along the Seine.

But there is another Paris.

A Paris shaped by artists, writers, musicians, soldiers, intellectuals and dreamers of African descent who crossed the Atlantic and found something in the City of Light that was often denied to them at home: room to breathe, create, question and simply be.

This is the Paris we explore through Roots & Renaissance™.

Beyond the Postcard

For generations, Paris has held a special place in Black history. Following World War I, African American soldiers returned home with stories of a France where their experiences had been markedly different from the segregation they knew in America. During the decades that followed, Black musicians, performers, writers and artists increasingly found their way to Paris.

The city became an important chapter in the stories of figures such as Josephine Baker, James Baldwin, Richard Wright and Langston Hughes.

Their Paris was not merely a vacation destination. It was a place of reinvention.

Josephine Baker arrived in Paris in the 1920s and became one of Europe's most celebrated entertainers. She would later become a member of the French Resistance and a civil-rights activist.

Decades later, James Baldwin arrived in Paris as a young writer searching for the distance and freedom, he needed to understand both America and himself. His years abroad would profoundly influence his work and perspective.

And they were far from alone.

Black writers gathered in cafés. Jazz musicians filled Parisian clubs. Artists exchanged ideas. Intellectuals debated politics, race, identity and freedom. The same streets millions of visitors walk today hold pieces of those stories.

The Rhythm of Black Paris

To experience Black Paris is to look beyond the monuments and discover the people who helped shape the city's cultural landscape. Imagine wandering through Montmartre, once alive with artists, entertainers and jazz clubs. Or exploring neighborhoods where African and Caribbean communities have added new flavors, languages, music and traditions to contemporary Paris. Spend an afternoon tracing the lives of Black American expatriates, then settle into a beautiful café and watch Paris unfold around you.

This is heritage travel without sacrificing pleasure. Because understanding history doesn't mean every moment of a journey must feel heavy.

There should also be Champagne.

There should be beautiful dinners.

There should be art, laughter, shopping, music and mornings when absolutely nothing is scheduled except enjoying Paris.

Josephine Baker: From St. Louis to the Panthéon

Few stories embody the connection between Black culture and France as powerfully as Josephine Baker's. Born in St. Louis, Baker found extraordinary success after moving to France. But her legacy extends well beyond the stage. During World War II, she assisted the French Resistance, using her celebrity and international travel to support intelligence efforts. She later became an outspoken advocate for racial equality.

In 2021, France honored Baker with induction into the Panthéon, making her the first Black woman to receive one of the country's highest honors. For travelers familiar only with the entertainer in the famous banana skirt, discovering the full scope of Josephine Baker's life can completely change the way they see Paris. That is exactly what heritage travel should do. It should make you curious enough to look again.

Paris Through a Different Lens

A Roots & Renaissance™ journey isn't about checking attractions off a list. Of course, there is still room for the Paris you've dreamed about—the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Seine, beautiful architecture, fabulous cuisine and perhaps a little shopping.

But we add another layer.

We ask:

Who else was here?

Whose stories aren't always included on the traditional city tour?

How did people of African descent influence the art, literature, music and culture we associate with this destination today?

Those questions transform sightseeing into something much richer.

Suddenly Paris isn't simply beautiful.

It's personal.

Where Heritage Meets Luxury

Roots & Renaissance™ was created around a simple idea: meaningful travel and beautiful travel do not have to exist separately. You can spend the morning uncovering Black history and the afternoon enjoying afternoon tea at an elegant Parisian hotel.

You can follow the footsteps of James Baldwin before sitting down for an unforgettable French dinner. You can explore African influence in Paris and still leave time for perfume, fashion, art and Champagne. You don't have to choose between cultural depth and indulgence.

You can have both.

The Renaissance Continues

Perhaps the most fascinating thing about Black Paris is that its story isn't finished.

Paris remains home to vibrant communities with roots throughout Africa and the Caribbean. Contemporary chefs, designers, musicians, artists and entrepreneurs continue adding new chapters to the city's cultural identity.

That makes Paris more than a destination where we study the past. It is a place where we can witness the continuing African Diaspora story unfolding in real time. And perhaps that is what makes the city such a natural fit for Roots & Renaissance™.

We travel to understand where we've been.

We travel to celebrate what our communities have created.

And we travel because there is something powerful about standing in a place you've seen a hundred times in photographs and realizing:

There was another story here all along.

Roots & Renaissance™

Luxury Heritage Journeys Through the African Diaspora

Paris is only one chapter.

Through Roots & Renaissance™, we'll continue exploring destinations across Europe, Africa and beyond discovering the history, creativity, resilience and cultural influence of the African Diaspora while experiencing each destination with the beauty, comfort and intention it deserves.

Because sometimes the most unforgettable journey isn't simply about discovering a new place.

It's about discovering yourself within its story.