In recent years, the focus on the Black travel market has increased exponentially. While some may consider this to be a new market segment, Black travelers have been in the travel industry for years, however their legitimacy as a viable market segment has been questionable. This dissertation uses a three article approach to further the scholarship on Black travelers. The first paper uses a qualitative approach to explore the evolution of the Black travel market as represented in Black print media from 1920-2020. It further uncovers the tensions that exist between the socio-cultural and political norms of the times. The second article develops a valid and reliable measure of legitimacy using cognitive, pragmatic, and relational dimensions. The third article uses an experiment to investigate Black travelers' perceptions of racial justice advocacy statements made by destination marketing organizations (DMOs). Results from this dissertation indicate the longstanding engagement in the travel industry primarily through entrepreneurial endeavors. It also showcases Black travelers' ability to disrupt institutions and systems due to their willingness to share personal accounts of discrimination and through activism travel. As it relates to the evaluations of the tourism industry, Black travelers like to be recognized and represented in tourism-related products and services. Thus, their evaluations of DMOs' response to racial justice warranted a more detailed approach than what was often displayed. / Doctor of Philosophy / This dissertation explores the past, present, and future of the Black travel movement and the ways in which the tourism industry can develop more inclusive products and services. Three papers make up this dissertation. The first uses three forms of Black print media to understand how Black travel was represented between 1920-2020. The second develops a measurement scale to explore the dimensions that make up legitimacy from the perspective of Black travelers. The final article uses elements of that scale to measure the Black travelers' perceptions of racial justice advocacy statements.

<p dir="ltr">Human Rights Advocacy is a critical component of promoting and protecting human rights around the world. Effective communication strategies are important for sustaining advocacy goals and the creative use of social media has become relevant to the discussion of human rights activities particularly issues of LGBTQ+. This paper aims to present a research study that investigates the <b>social media’s utilization by human rights activists</b>, in this context, <b>LGBTQ+ activists</b> use social media for LGBTQ+ rights advocacy in Ghana. Using a <b>thematic analysi</b>s grounded in a co-cultural communication theory, the study investigates how human rights activists utilize social media platforms like <b>WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter</b> (now X) for advocacy, community building, and countering discrimination and misinformation. However, activists face problems such as online harassment, doxing, and cyberbullying. The study broadens the applicability of <b>Co-Cultural Communication Theory</b> (CCT) by establishing its relevance in digital settings, where underrepresented groups negotiate identity while simultaneously proactively managing risks and communication in a hostile environment.</p>