THE WHITELAW HOTEL - LUXURY LODGING BUILT BY AND FOR BLACK PATRONS

The world that we live in is unjust – it raises up one and then pulls down another; some people refer to this behavior as human nature, never challenging the status quo unless they are personally impacted. No one is more acquainted with this push and pull dynamic than enslaved Africans and their descendants. Unfavorable history documents that nations were molded like clay and prospered economically because of the free labor of enslaved Africans that were trafficked during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. White supremacist, overwhelmed with feelings of intimidation, frantically conjured up a worldwide smear campaign to discredit the brilliance and expertise of the Africans that they owned, deeming them as three-fifths of a human being. As providence would decree, Mr. John Whitelaw Lewis, the son of enslaved parents, contradicted those false accusations and opened the doors of the Whitelaw Hotel, named after his mother, on November 24, 1919, in Washington, DC!

TRANSITION

Freedom didn’t provide much relief for former slaves post the abolishment of slavery in 1865. Transitioning from enslavement to Jim Crow laws, while still being seen as an inferior class, they were denied access to white-owned commercial establishments such as restaurants, museums, and hotels. Lewis, born in 1867, voyaged to the District of Columbia in 1894 and found work as a brick carrier. After successfully taking over the brickyard and becoming the president of the local laborer’s union, he founded the Industrial Savings Bank in 1913, which he would use as a financial conduit for business development on Black Broadway in Washington, DC. Next, Lewis hired one of the first black registered architects in the United States, Isaiah T. Hatton, to design the nation’s first black owned luxury hotel-apartment to provide upscale lodging accommodations, with a ballroom for notable events catering to black celebrities and dignitaries such as George Washington Carver, Jesse Owens, and Mary Church Terrell. Lewis was quoted as saying, “we must be in a position to take care of the people of our race.”

PROVISION & CRAFTSMANSHIP

Fully financed by a community of black entrepreneurs and investors that each strategically purchased $12 shares of ownership, Lewis subcontracted black craftsmen to expertly pour concrete, lay bricks, install elevators, and plaster walls for a construction cost of $158,000. Upon completion, over 20,000 people came to admire the four-story building curated with an Italian Renaissance Revival Architectural interior style per the directives of Hatton, who also designed the Industrial Savings Bank. The hotel-apartment layout consisted of 22 rooms and 25 apartments with a host of amenities in a luxurious atmosphere with grand stained-glass skylight, filigree, and tile that was normally reserved for establishments that were designated for white patrons. The Whitelaw was highly sought after and gained prestige after being listed in colored postal worker, Victor Hugo Green’s, “The Negro Motorist Green Book,” the bible of black travel during Jim Crow.

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Source: Ghostofdc.org

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Unfortunately, the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, legally desegregating commercial enterprises, caused the Whitelaw to lose business to white-owned hotels. Moreover, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968 ensued riots and the surrounding middle class neighborhood experienced an increase in crime, unemployment, and drugs; In 1971 the Whitelaw was cited for 351 building code violations and officially closed in 1977. In 1991, the Whitelaw Hotel was purchased by Manna, Inc., a non-profit, and refurbished into low to moderate income housing in 1992. The distinguished building that was once a hospitable haven for performers like Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington, now offers five one-bedroom units, 20 two-bedroom units, and ten three-bedroom units. Although the glory years of the Whitelaw Hotel have faded, it remains as a standing testament of the monumental capacity of black human beings to dream and build even after being torn down as a people. Selah

“We must be in a position to take care of the people of our race.”

— John Whitelaw Lewis

SOURCE: EE.LINKEDIN.COM

THE GRAND PALLADIUM LADY HAMILTON RESORT AND SPA - JAMAICAN BLISS

DAWN

My drive on interstate 77-N was smooth sailing because I left home before dawn to drive over an hour to the Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), but while singing along to my classic R & B playlist, I missed my exit and became enmeshed in the Queen City’s rush hour morning traffic. My mood shifted from ease to frustration because my destination offered tranquility and my friend would enjoy it without me, if I missed my flight. So, I got Jesus involved and began to pray with fire while navigating my car to the airport and then, through TSA where I ran into a fellow NC A&T Aggie and marching band member. “You’re not far at all from your gate. You won’t miss your flight, girl,” said Sara. I let out a long sigh of relief and thanked the Lord for sending Sara to reassure and comfort me.  After a two and half hour flight and paying four dollars for a small tin can of chips, I arrived at Sangster International Airport (MBJ) in Montego Bay, Jamaica and I, along with my travel buddy, was whisked away by a cab driver to the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort. 

DOUBLE BEDS, NOT A KING

We pulled up to a secluded resort with an outdoor check-in process and were welcomed with pungent alcoholic beverages in the lobby. We experienced a hiccup because I booked the room on Priceline.com for two double beds, but the hotel provided a king size bed. After resolving the issue, we took a shuttle to a villa with a boutique styled room that opened up to two comfortable double beds, a jacuzzi, and separate seating area! Each bed was dressed with white linens, black and yellow accent pillows, and layered with a black and gray patterned throw blanket. The white jacuzzi tub and sink contrasted against the black marble countertops created a modern, but down to earth mood. We walked barefoot on matted, gray tile flooring that provided a coolness and stability throughout the room that would become an escape from the hot and humid Jamaican climate.  

AMENITIES 

Unlike most American hotels, our Lady Hamilton room was loaded with bottled water, beer, sodas, and island beverages that were restocked daily by very accomodating roomattendants. This inclusive resort offered us free and unlimited poolside alcoholic beverages to sip while we swam and danced to the DJ’s afrobeats and caribbean playlist. The resort also boasts eight onsite restaurants that offer a different global cuisine with Jamaican customer service.  My friend and I agreed that the best food was the rice and peas, Jerk chicken, oxtails, and  plantains, that were cooked on the grill by the beach. We ate it everyday! We also took advantage of wellness activities like Tai Chi, yoga, and weight lifting that were instructed by smooth talking and charismatic, physical trainers! Lastly, we ended our trip with double massages and laying in hammocks inhaling the Caribbean breeze and sunshine. 

Annick Tyler resides in the southern region of the United States.