New Virtual Tour App Launched by Viral Historian to Help Preserve Black History
CHARLOTTE, N.C., February 14, 2023. Kimberly Renee, widely known as an unapologetic storyteller and award-winning changemaker linked to uncovering buried history and amplifying the work of the African diaspora, creates a permanent collection of virtual and in-person self-guided tours, "Black in Time Tours."
Black in Time Tours, launched February 2023, is an immersive multimedia work built with dynamic storytelling using high-quality voiceover, video, sound effects, music, and (soon) augmented reality. Its mission is to serve as a free-to-access exhibition that will transport audiences into the Black past, giving them a taste of the sights and sounds that once were and preserving the historical Black experience.
“We’re in a time where Black stories are under attack,” Kimberly says. “And the organizations we trust to steward our historical legacies seem to care more about appearing favorable to local government than telling the truth.”
This Black History Month, anyone with an internet-abled device can access the app’s first tour, which features stories from the banking capital of the South, Charlotte, North Carolina.
The tour begins with the exploration of Charlotte’s founding years, then expands to highlight significant historical events and notable contributors to Black history who once called home. The tour’s second half explores the Charlotte neighborhood formerly called Brooklyn. Once the largest predominately Black neighborhood in North Carolina, Brooklyn was home to more than 200 Black-owned businesses and 1000 homes. The community was razed in the 1950 and 60s as a part of Urban Renewal, leaving Black families destitute and eradicating generational wealth in its wake.
About Kimberly Renee
Named 2022's Woman of the Year by USA Today, Kimberly Renee is a sought-after speaker, powerful storyteller and commentator, and internationally-awarded social activist. She’s known for her advocacy work, uncovering hidden truths in history, and creating programs to improve the lives of those in historically marginalized communities. In 2020, she founded the internationally award-winning plant-based national hunger relief effort Food Love by Might Be Vegan to serve those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic, giving particular attention to needs within BIPOC communities and people under medical care. Black in Time Tours is a brand under parent company Might Be Vegan, LLC, which is dedicated to amplifying the stories of those within marginalized communities.
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