Community-Led Effort Discover Black Cville Wins National Award at U.S. Travel Association's Annual Educational Tourism Conference

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau (CACVB) is excited to announce its Discover Black Cville initiative has received a national Destiny Award for its community-building efforts from the U.S. Travel Association’s annual educational tourism conference, ESTO (Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations). The Destiny Awards span a variety of categories and are open to any local destination marketing organization in the country. The Discover Black Cville award represents the only win for a local destination marketing organization within the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The win for Discover Black Cville comes slightly more than a year after its initial debut to the local community in spring 2021 and less than five months since its national launch in March 2022. Born from an idea in 2020, Discover Black Cville began with a series of collaborative listening sessions in the community. The grassroots effort was met with much enthusiasm with dozens of community members taking part in the initial conversations and has since grown into a nationally recognized initiative for its accomplishments.

Discover Black Cville’s mission is to tell modern, historically accurate, and inclusive Black stories from Charlottesville and Albemarle County, with these stories being told by Black people instead of about Black people. These efforts are guided by a steering committee of engaged community members.

“I was asked a year ago where I wanted the CACVB to be ten years after the events of August 2017,” said Courtney Cacatian, Executive Director of the CACVB. “I want this community to be so welcoming to everyone that all our residents are proud to live here and excited to tell the world to come visit. Discover Black Cville is the first step in this process. The collaboration and excitement have been beyond what I could have imagined, and the pride that is felt by those who have participated is evident and inspiring. I’m so proud to have this work honored with a Destiny Award, but I’m prouder still of what we are accomplishing together.”

“Discover Black Cville is an essential voice in causing all visitors to Charlottesville and Albemarle County to fully experience all the area has to offer,” said Dr. Andrea Douglas, Executive Director of the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center and a member of the Discover Black Cville steering committee. “Discover Black Cville’s collaborative approach is what allows it be so fully encompassing and deserving of national recognition.”

Discover Black Cville has led to larger conversations that now include a “Tourism For All” initiative to attain community alignment and a destination-wide inviting experience for all visitors. By centering the focus on being inclusive and welcoming, the CACVB staff have become some of the community experts in this work. These conversations have led to new partnerships and business opportunities, often for people from historically excluded backgrounds.

For more information about Discover Black Cville, visit its official website and follow its official social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram.

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About Discover Black Cville

The mission of Discover Black Cville is to tell modern, historically accurate, and inclusive Black stories in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Stories told by Black people instead of about Black people.

About the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau

The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau (CACVB) welcomes thousands of visitors to the region each year from all over the world who are seeking a variety of unique experiences in history, food, wine, spirits and adventure. The CACVB serves as the global resource for marketing the tourism assets of the City of Charlottesville and County of Albemarle, and assists tour operators, meeting planners, and other groups in planning visits to the destination. The CACVB’s mission is to enhance the economic prosperity of the people of the City and County by promoting, selling and marketing the area as a destination, in pursuit of themeetings and tourism markets.