black history month

Friends Find Ways to Showcase Black History After Pandemic Sidelines Tour

Soul of DFW took people on bus tours highlighting Black culture

NBCUniversal, Inc.

The Soul of DFW experience was a field trip to Black-owned restaurants and significant landmarks.

The bus tour which started in 2018 was an education in culture and a connection to entrepreneurs and their stories of how they made it.

"It turned out to be a beautiful thing, us going to different Black-owned restaurants and historical landmarks in Dallas, showing transplants like myself or people who've lived here forever didn't know a lot of these spots," said co-founder Dalila Thomas Brent.

"In 2020, we were really starting to hit our stride. We were ramping up," said co-founder Deah Berry Mitchell.

Then along came coronavirus.

"Our last physical tour was March 7th of 2020 and a week after everything shut down with COVID," Brent said.

The friends and co-founders put the brakes on their popular bus tours - a tough but necessary decision.

"These are businesses that have become family, so to see what they were going through was a little rough, very rough, actually," Brent said.

The women found new ways to support their community - using their separate talents and platforms.

For Brent, a freelance writer and publicist, it meant keeping her handful of clients in the public eye.

"I'm still writing. There are still stories that need to be told," she said. "Still doing PR and representing these businesses and making sure they get this platform during one of the most struggling times anyone has seen."

Mitchell, a history buff, has used the time to start a new tech company called Nostalgia: Black.

"I'm still passionate about history. I've since founded Nostalgia app. It's going to be the first app ever, I'm really excited about this, owned by all women in this tech group and our soul purpose is to educate the community about Black history," Mitchell said.

The women are taking it day-by-day and waiting for the day when they can load up the bus again to show North Texas something good right here at home.

"We're excited to come back stronger than ever as soon as COVID allows us to and we miss you guys and can't wait to host you again," Mitchell said.

Contact Us