Picture this. Frankie Beverly & Maze’s “Before I Let Go” is blasting from the speakers, the DJ remixes Beyoncé’s version, and the electric slide is in full motion. But you’re not at Granny’s or Big Momma’s house, and your uncle isn’t wearing his signature tube socks and sandals near the grill. Instead, you’re in Canggu, Bali in Indonesia, on a Sunday afternoon. You’re in a restaurant that is full of melanin, and the drinks and food are flowing.
This isn’t a dream, and yes, the electric slide is global. This is the reality curated by Jana Williams, Dharma Martin, and “Prez,” the co-founders of Black in Bali; an agency that focuses on growing the Black community in Bali. That includes offering concierge services, community engagement events like R&B Sundays, pool parties, game nights, Taco Tuesdays, volunteering within the local communities, and health and wellness events.
“The idea came about around 2019 and it just started from house parties,” Williams explains of the Black in Bali’s origins on the Indonesian island province. “I met Dharma and Prez in 2019. I think it was July, and that’s when they started their house parties, and from that, we all met and just continued the tradition.”
Williams visited the “Island of the Gods” that same year during what was just supposed to be a two-month vacation from her full-time, 9-to-5 career within the mortgage industry. Two months multiplied into four months, and the next thing she knew, she brought all of her suitcases for good in January 2020. “I met my partner and business collaborator here and I’ve been here for six years now.”
A brief trip also turned into a relocation for Prez, Williams’s business and romantic partner.
“I moved here in 2018. I was on a three-year contract in the Middle East, and I traveled everywhere during that time. So, I got a chance to see a lot of different countries and a lot of different places,” he says. I never heard of Bali, never heard of Eat, Pray, Love, none of that stuff. I ended up coming to Bali for around 60 days, and that turned into a year, two years.”
For Dharma Martin, he was drawn to the locale because of a family connection. “I was working in retail and wanted to spend more time with my dad, who was living in Bali,” he shares. “I moved here to build that relationship, and it turned into a permanent move.”
He adds, “Bali has taught me to trust myself and move with positive intention. When you do that here, things tend to align.”
Three Black Americans from three unique backgrounds, who found solace, scenery, and a slower pace to escape the capitalistic, stress-induced grip America had on them. Now, they provide that same joy to others visiting the place they now call home. If you and the crew want to turn up during Juneteenth weekend or near the holidays, maybe you’re soul searching on a solo journey or traveling with your family to somewhere new, Black in Bali has you covered.
“We have a concierge team on the ground that will help you. If you want something over the top with helicopters, we could even provide that for you,” Williams says. “We also provide a community here. You can tap into it if you’re looking to relocate here or you’re just looking to vacation.”
Martin, whose social media handle is @thetravelsnob, says, “Many see us as a trusted resource and information hub, which pushes us to stay intentional and responsible with what we share.”
They’ve even helped people make love connections. “We had a couple get married that met in Bali,” Williams shares. “You never know who you can meet when you come here. You might meet a soul mate. You might meet your next business partner. You might meet your new best friends.”
From twerking to taking rice field and waterfall tours to vibing on the beach and volunteering, Black in Bali curates regular travel guides focusing on Bali’s vast regions and nearby islands. They highlight Black-owned establishments, unique restaurants, gyms, yoga studios, and more. “There is a thriving and growing Black community out here, and they have family out here. If they came out here solo, they won’t be by themselves, and even if they want to stay solo, they can still tap into the family and get resources and information,” Prez states.
The agency hosts the annual Black in Bali Takeover, a signature immersive group trip that they say previously welcomed more than 100 guests for a week’s worth of cultural experiences around Juneteenth and offered deep community connection.
“For 2026, we’re having our very first, Black in Bali Soulful Root Health and Wellness Retreat: Freedom Awakened. This is a seven-day retreat that will be held concurrently with our Takeover Retreat, but we’ll be doing things like sound bowl healing, yoga, and we’ll be talking about herbs and making healthy meals. We’ll also be going to the Juneteenth Celebration, and celebrating our freedom, as is the title, Freedom Awakened,” Williams says.
The founders all have big plans for the new year, and high hopes for expansion and growth for the years to come. They’ve amassed a following of more than 51,000 accounts on Instagram alone.
“I envision a multicultural community center with event space, a technology hub, and a cafe representing food from across the diaspora,” Prez says. “I may be a little ambitious, but I see us not necessarily setting ourselves apart from the local community, but assimilating. I see just a huge picture of what Black in Bali can potentially be and our impact here and how we can actually help the locals, while they also help us as well.”
Martin agrees. “I see a fully established ecosystem; events, media, education and community all rooted in connection and cultural preservation.” As for Williams, she adds that she wants what they’ve built to be so impactful and global that “Whenever they say Indonesia, or they say Bali, they think of Black in Bali.”
From the cha-cha slide to water purification ceremonies, nutritious dining, and reconnecting with nature, this entrenched agency has become the heartbeat of Bali’s Black community and inspired people to see the world in a new way.
“People are thriving out this way, and not just in Bali, but everywhere,” says Prez. “Don’t be scared to take that leap of faith and just jump out and experience it.”
You can follow the company on Instagram and email the founders at [email protected].