In honor of Black History Month, our retail editor Jamie Biesiada shone a spotlight on Henderson Travel Service, the first Black-owned, accredited travel agency in the U.S. And on this episode of the Folo, Henderson Travel Services president Gaynelle Henderson, the daughter of founders Freddye and Jacob Henderson, shares more of the stories and history of the agency, its challenges and successes.

Among the topics: How and why Henderson Travel was founded in Atlanta in the 1950s, convincing Black Americans to travel abroad, its focus on travel in West Africa, and the agency’s work with giants like Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesse Jackson.

This interview was conducted Feb. 20 and has been edited for length and clarity.

Episode sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by Windstar Cruises. https://www.windstarcruises.com.

This episode contains a bonus interview with Janet Bava, chief commercial officer of Windstar, by Mary Pat Sullivan, the executive vice president of marketing and partnerships for Northstar Travel Group, Travel Weekly’s parent company.

Related links:

The first Black travel agency flourished, overcoming immense challenges: https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/The-first-Black-travel-agency-Henderson

Henderson Travel Service: https://hendersontravel.com/