Boston has a lower African-American population than other major US cities - 25% of residents identified themselves as "Black" in the 2000 US Census, whereas other cities have a much higher number; Atlanta's population is as high as 60%.

I believe Boston has always had a lower number of African-Americans, historically.

Of course, the 1970's busing crisis didn't help matters much.

Now, 30 years later, some local organizations are trying to encourage tourists and visitors to give Boston another try.

Today, Boston is trying to change its image among black Americans. By supporting programs and attractions like the Roxbury trolley tour and a number of other initiatives, the Convention and Visitors Bureau hopes to draw more black travelers to a city that the longtime Boston Celtics basketball star Bill Russell once called “a flea market of racism.”

Boston’s effort to draw black travelers is among the biggest undertaken by any city in the country. The city, where Crispus Attucks died in the Boston Massacre and where Frederick Douglass lectured, already boasts plenty of important black historical sites, including the Museum of Afro-American History, a memorial to a famous black regiment from the Civil War and a meetinghouse where prominent abolitionists plotted strategy.

Most of the efforts are by private organizations; the city, as far as I know, is not reaching out specifically to the African-American community.

I am glad efforts are being made to promote Boston as a destination, both to visit and to live.

The New York Times recently had an article about cities' efforts to encourage young African-American professionals to move to their cities. Boston lost population in this demographic, unfortunately.

One of the people interviewed for the newer Times article says one of the big issues for young African-American visitors (and residents) is that there's nowhere to go, at night, to see your friends, or to make new ones.

This is undoubtedly true. I think the city doesn't have the "network" other cities have, due to our lower numbers.

A couple years ago, I read an interview of a young black man. He had just gone out and bought a fancy new luxury car. He was feeling pretty full of himself. He wanted to show it off ... so he went out to his car and realized .... he had no one to show it to!

Anecdotal, at best, but a good example of what it's like to live in our city.

(*** For a different take on living in our city, here's a NY Times Travel article about what to do if you're visiting Boston - head to the South End.)

More: Once a Hub of Strife, Boston Woos Black Tourists - By Joshua Kurlantzick, The New York Times