Black Girl Magic Tours was founded by Tarika Sullivan. This Black-owned tour company started as a mural tour company, showing clients the artsy side of the city.
“I loved to travel, and I loved murals and art. So, when I would see these things in different cities I traveled to, I went, ‘Atlanta has all of this,’” she told Essence.
Sullivan explained that the concept of her company started with friends from out of town visiting her.
“They would be like, ‘Tarika, what is there to do in the city outside of partying?’ I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m going to show you these murals, and I’m going to just tell you what they mean to me and how beautiful they are.’ I would do a little research on the artist, and it became a thing for me to show my friends these murals.”
The tour starts after a friendly meet-up of the attendees at a location revealed by email. From there, the ladies get in a sprinter van to go around to the different mural locations. The tour lasts 3 hours.
Sullivan says that the tour also works to reinforce a sense of sisterhood. She revealed that women relate to one another about their experiences as they ride through prominent in Atlanta, bonding as they spend time together.
Many of the reviews that Sullivan gets have nothing to do with the murals. Actually, for those who tour with the company, the feeling of connecting and developing long-lasting friendships is what they really walk away with.
“It’s just a beautiful space to celebrate myself. How many of us have had an opportunity to do that within the last year and a half? Do we talk about what are you balancing right now? What are some of the experiences that you have had? How are you engaging in self-care? Why are you here? Why did you come on this mural tour? When you create a safe space and everyone knows everyone, they start to talk.”
“This is an opportunity for us to reflect and to see how great we are. I wanted to keep things open. It will always be an exploration of Black women and their contributions to the culture and society,” she concluded.