A life-changing trip to Ghana is what inspired entrepreneur and philanthropist Jay Cameron to make it his life mission to make sure other people could witness Africa’s greatness.
He started Maximum Impact Travel Tours to help Black travelers explore and experience authentic Africa.
Cameron talked more about his first trip in an interview with Travel Noire.
Travel Noire: What inspired you to start this?
Cameron: I took a trip to Ghana in 2018 and when I went, I was surprised, because most of my life, what I heard about Africa was negative. That it was unsafe, war-torn, and that it was a lot of civil unrest. When I got to Ghana, I discovered that wasn’t true.
I went to school and would never and thought about the history that was taking place before the slave trade. It prompted me to start digging deeper. I really immersed myself in pre-slavery African history. It’s really deeper than that because I discovered that all Black folks weren’t just in Africa.
I just started thinking about how many people didn’t know the information. After a trip to the Elmina Castle, I told my guide not only am I coming back, but I’m bringing people with me. That’s when the Black History Before Slavery Campaign begin.
There’s so much powerful and fascinating history that we never hear about during Black History Month. We share the same stories over and over. While I believe those stories are very important, they’re essential and should be talked about all year long. But there are other stories pertaining to the century before, that are equally important and need to be discussed.
Travel Noire: Who are you partnering with when you conduct tours in countries within Africa?
Cameron: Entrepreneurship is something that I’m an advocate for here in the United States so what I’ve done is partnered with local guides By doing that, I’m supporting their economy.
The goal is to support these local businesses. My goal is to create awareness and to make sure that anybody who’s coming on these tours has a well-rounded experience for their leisure, entertainment, and of course, the educational and cultural experiences.
Travel Noire: Where do you see the company in 15 to 20 years from now?
Cameron: As a leader in African Diaspora destination tours. We’re looking to do tours in South America and Colombia and Guyana.
