Why More Black Americans Are Choosing To Live Abroad
By LEROY ADAMS
“I am unable to travel in any part of this country without calling forth illustrations of the dark spirit of slavery at every step.”
- Frederick Douglass, 1852
Is racism the only reason black Americans move abroad?
Taking inspiration from Essence magazine, whose 1970 debut issue, Black Man Do You Love Me? addressed the subject of Black men choosing to date or marry outside their race as they ascended the American corporate ladder. This subject (and feature article) captured the hearts and minds of Black women - the magazine's target audience - as they discussed it in their salons, at family gatherings, or over the phone with friends.
Approaching this controversial and often divisive subject was no easy task for the magazine. However, their editorial team understood this was the most concerning issue for Black women at the time, which was the only thing that mattered. The goal was to serve Black women by elevating their voices and experiences no matter how uncomfortable their stories and experiences made others.
Inspired by this reader-focused and value-driven approach to their feature article. Our editorial team conducted months of interviews with current and aspiring Black travelers around the world. As a result of hearing their stories, we decided to address the issue of Black Americans leaving the United States and moving abroad. A subject that is routinely discussed through the Black Twitterverse and prevalent in the hearts and minds of Black Americans today, particularly those who travel or aspire to travel.
The article "Why More Black Americans Are Moving Abroad" does not address a new subject in Black America, but, as you'll learn, is now discussed amongst the masses of Black Americans. Today, more Black Americans have the financial means, connections, and inspiration to travel. Historically, the first two were held by a small group of Black Americans who were either civil rights leaders or celebrities. Throughout this article, we'll take a look at the history of those Black travelers who fought for the right to not only use public transportation but also to acquire an official U.S. passport establishing both their citizenry and freedom to travel internationally. We'll hear from the Black travelers of today on their motivations for moving abroad.
In the end, we'll have answered the question which shaped this article: Are the motivations of Black Americans today for life outside of America similar to those of Black Americans in the 1800s?
#3373
Do you know who the first Black person was to receive an official U.S. passport?
No?
In her book, Colored Travelers: Mobility and the Fight for Citizenship before the Civil War, author, and historian Elizabeth Pryor tells the history of free people of color in the antebellum North who had the financial resources and social networks to be able to travel. When they traveled, says Pryor, they faced mounting white opposition and racism. As a result, these men and women birthed, shaped, and cultivated the equal rights movement in the United States.
One of those travelers, Robert Purvis, a twenty-three-year-old free Philadelphian, became the first African American to receive an official passport.
Robert Purvis applied for an official U.S. passport to travel to England to celebrate West Indian Emancipation.
Before he left for England, he requested the document but the U.S. Secretary of State under President Andrew Jackson’s administration denied his application.
Pryor explains that instead of receiving an official passport, Purvis received “an informal ticket of leave sort of paper.” The document was a “certification of protection” letter requesting that foreign nations give the owner of the document “lawful aid and protection.” The document described Purvis not as a citizen [of the U.S.], but as a “free person of color.”
At the time, the Department of State only granted this certificate of “special passport” to people who were foreigners employed by the U.S. government or to U.S. citizens whom officials perceived as disabled. Additionally, this “special passport” was also reserved only for people of color, specifically those who were in service to white diplomats going abroad.
Travel documents and passport, 1834
Purvis, like many travelers of color, political activists, and abolitionists during that time, would assert his citizenship and right to acquire an official U.S. passport. Pryor tells us that in his argument, Purvis stated that the federal government had issued documents denoting citizenship regardless of the applicant's race. He cited a 1796 edict that allowed American sailors of all colors to receive “certificates of citizenship” to protect them from British impressment.
Purvis knew about this document because his own (white) father was a sailor who received one as a young man.
In his appeal letter to Secretary of State John Mclane, Purvis claimed his birthright, contending he was “a free-born American.” To ensure his letter would be received he sent it with a well-connected white abolitionist, Robert Vaux. Vaux delivered his message but also added his observations.
He noted Purvis’s wealth, education, and "fair" complexion. Vaux told Secretary McLane, “As to his African descent, it is scarcely perceptible in his appearance, his hair is straight & many Southern complexions are as dark, in which not a drop of negro blood imparts the tinge."
Convinced by his light skin complexion, the Department of State determined Purvis was worthy of the document.
On May 19, 1834, Robert Purvis was issued passport #3373.
Travel documents and passport, 1834
A Precedent Is Not Set
In 1849, the Department of State openly admitted that color was the most important factor in the decision to issue Robert Purvis an official U.S. passport. In defending this action of the state and attempting to prove that Purvis’s acquisition of a passport did not set a precedent for all colored travelers, standing secretary of state, John Clayton, explained that Purvis was granted the passport, but it was not “as a colored man.”
That same year, secretary Clayton would find himself entangled in a national conversation on Black citizenship, mobility, and international travel regarding the passport requests of William Wells Brown and Henry Hambleton.
Brown, a black abolitionist and delegate to the Peace Congress in Paris, wrote a letter to Secretary of State Clayton requesting an official passport for his upcoming trip to France.
The secretary did not reply to his request, effectively denying his application.
Henry Hambleton, a black Philadelphian, planned to go to England in the summer of 1849. He asked an attorney to write a letter to the secretary of state on his behalf. This was a standard practice. Passport applicants were required to have a lawyer, judge, or politician vouch for their identity and character. The majority of free people of color did not have these professional connections. Hambleton also sent along his birth certificate with his application.
Secretary Clayton rejected his letter. In his response, Clayton said that Hambleton could not get a passport because he was black, claiming that passports were not granted by his Department to persons of color, and never had been.
“Every historic contest over travel and freedom of mobility in public space can trace its roots to white oppression and black resistance in the antebellum North.” - Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor
White fear of Black Mobility
Perhaps no other response to secretary Clayton’s rejection of Hambleton’s request for an official U.S. passport gets to the heart of white fears over black international travelers than a Massachusetts editor whose comments perfectly capture the fear of Black mobility.
“Does Hambleton imagine we will consent to be disgraced in the eyes of all Europe and the greater part of Asia by having him exhibited as an American citizen?”
The disgrace, of course, was the possibility that Hambleton, Brown, Purvis, or any colored traveler, by virtue of their freedom of mobility, would expose America’s common excuses for slavery in the United States.
Enslaved people are incapable of self-determination.
Enslaved people are unintelligent.
Enslaved people are unsophisticated.
Enslaved people carry an unbearable odor.
He also said, “What right has this man Hambleton to be traveling beyond the borders of the only country on the face of the earth where he can enjoy true liberty and equal privileges?
I read this line several times. I could not help but chuckle each time with irritation. Throughout my travels, I have been reminded of how important the idea of American exceptionalism - a place where anyone can make it and achieve the American Dream regardless of race, gender, and class - is to the United States' standing as a global world leader.
Question of how could black people be kept in their place if the place was no longer Charleston or New York but rather London, Paris, or Berlin?
But also, how could America protect its narrative of exceptionalism if free people of color were allowed to travel internationally to give anti-slavery lectures and speeches detailing their experiences? Experiences that run counter to the image America wants to portray globally.
Black Panthers…at the Great Wall?
In 2016, I took a teaching job in Beijing, China. My emotions ran the spectrum of excitement and “What the hell am I doing?”. Fresh off my Peace Corps experience in Ethiopia, where only 7 out of the 70 volunteers were Black, I was nervous that I would be one of the few Black people in Beijing. The lack of community and all it offers - safety, information, and connections - concerned me.
When I arrived, I quickly learned I could not be more wrong.
Many Black expats called China home. Not just Black Americans but Black people from Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, Central, and South America, and Africa. It was like a Diasporic family reunion with every culture and tradition that would define Blackness in every corner of the world.
What amazed me most was not just the students or teachers, but also business owners and entreprenoirs. Yes, Black people in China owned restaurants, barbershops, salons, catering businesses, teaching businesses, event planning companies, media companies, clothing lines, and some were authors or creatives working on their next project.
One of those authors was Aaliyah Bilal, a fiction/ non-fiction writer based in Shanghai. A graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. She was completing her book based on her experiences as an African-American woman living in Asia.
I hosted Aaliyah for a book club discussion I organized. We were studying “An American Dream: The Life of an African American Soldier and POW Who Spent Twelve Years in Communist China.” The book was about Clarence Adams, 1 of 31 American soldiers who refused to return to the United States and face American racism in favor of moving to China after being a POW during the Korean War.
During the discussion, Aaliyah shared with the group that Clarence was not the first Black American soldier or Black American who would choose to live abroad instead of returning home or sought international support for their fight against American racism and economic disadvancement.
In 1963, the fears of white people regarding Black international travel were realized when then-Chinese Leader Mao Zedong gave a speech denouncing systemic racism against Black people in the United States. He cast it as a result of imperialism and declared it the duty of all enlightened revolutionaries around the world to fight for the “complete emancipation” of Black people in America.
Seven years later, Huey Newton, the founder of the Black Panther Party and who viewed Mao as a hero, visited China to meet with Chinese leader Zhou Enlai.
This history coupled with my experiences in China of living amongst an eclectic group of people who identified as Black, led me to wonder what other Black international history was out there. Who throughout our history were the Black people that were traveling internationally and, more importantly, why?
BLACK PANTHER PARTY DELEGATION People’s Republic of China 1971
CAO YOUCHENG Cao Youcheng, ‘Firmly Support US Black People’s Just Struggle against Racial Discrimination,’ People’s Fine Art Publishing House, Shanghai, 1963. PC: Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, Harvard University.
A HISTORY OF BLACK AMERICANS WHO HAD TRAVELED OR MOVED ABROAD
As I researched the history of Black Americans who traveled or moved abroad I quickly learned that there was a central theme at play: escaping American racism and/or leaving for better opportunities abroad.
Marpessa Dawn
Born on a farm near Pittsburgh in 1934 to a Black American mother and Filipino father was an actress, singer, and dancer best known for her role in Academy Award-winning film Eurydice. After failing to get any acting roles due to Hollywood’s preference for lighter-skinned women or black women who could pass as white (also known as racial passing) Marpessa decided to leave America hoping to find more acceptance in Europe.
In Paris, she studied acting, singing, and dancing. She would go on to become an international star known for her career-making role in Black Orpheus - a romantic tragedy. She would have an illustrious career in film, television, and theater. Her plays would tour France, Belgium, Switzerland, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.
James Baldwin
In 2021, I visited Switzerland. As I prepared for my trip, I learned that James Baldwin lived in the country for several years while writing his first novel, Go Tell It On The Mountain.
Disillusioned by American prejudice against Black people, as well as wanting to see himself and his writing outside of an African-American context, he left the United States at the age of 24 to settle in Paris.
Funny enough, but not shocking, Paris would prove to be a distraction for James. Invited there by his lover, the Swiss painter Lucien Happersberger, whom he met in Paris and whose family owned a small chalet in Switzerland, James moved to Luerkabad - a village nestled in the mountains - to get away from the distractions of Paris and finish his first novel.
Maya Angelou
She was well-known for her poetry and activism in America but also had an extensive amount of international experience. She lived in Cairo, Egypt, and worked as editor of The Arab Observe. While residing in Ghana, she taught at the University of Ghana’s School of Music and Drama.
She was also an editor for The African Review and wrote for The Ghanaian Times. She was fluent in Spanish, Italian, French, Arabic, and Fanti.
Bessie Coleman
Born in Atlanta, Texas, Bessie wanted to learn how to fly, but no US schools would teach her, so she went to France and got an international pilot's license. She became famous for her air tricks in the U. S, and Europe.
Frederick Douglass
He is talked about during black history month as an activist and author who despite being a former slave, was able to make a name for himself through his literary work. But what most people forget to mention when talking about Frederick Douglass was that he was a traveler.
Douglas released several books during his lifetime, which led to him having a grand touring schedule all over the world. However, his travels were not limited to touring. Douglass would travel through Europe and Africa to gain a better understanding of what it meant to be an African American outside the US. He also lived in Haiti from 1889-1891.
As detailed in the book, Colored Travelers: Mobility and the Fight for Citizenship before the Civil War, Douglas was never one to pass on an opportunity to educate the masses on anti-slavery ideology, effectively utilized the space (close living quarters) and location (on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic), and setting (Black and white travelers within close proximity) to engage those who would listen in discussions on denouncing American racism and promoting abolitionist ideology. In fact, after learning that Douglass was the famed self-liberated slave who had recently published his memoir called Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, the captain of the boat, Cambria, invited him to give an anti-slavery lecture on the quarterdeck on the last night of their voyage to the British Isles.
Global Black Communities
It was clear that our leaders left the U.S. or never returned when they were abroad because of American racism. From Marpessa Dawn to Clarence Adams, Black people, now having access to travel, moved about the world freely and chose the unknown over racial bigotry and discrimination.
A crowd of children following James Baldwin.
Is this also the reason Black American travelers and expats today are leaving America for life in other countries?
I wanted to know if we all felt the same. And if not, what were our motivations?
I created The Buddy Pass podcast to find out. With my podcast, I would travel the world and interview Black travelers and expats to tell their stories and get their answers to the question: Why did you leave America? I interviewed travelers from Switzerland, China, South Korea, Ireland, England, Indonesia, Mexico, and many other countries.
Last year, during my trip to Mexico City, I interviewed former Houston native and teacher Adalia Aborisade, also known as Picky Girl Travels The World. I wanted to know what life was like for a Black expat in Mexico and why she - a former teacher from Houston - decided to uproot her life in America and move abroad.
Her answer shocked me and would ultimately be why I chose this subject as the feature article of our premier issue.
Our conversation went like this:
Adalia: My life here, there’s less stress. There’s just less stress. Before, you talked about Black Americans leaving the U.S. because of racism. For me, that was a fringe benefit. Not necessarily the reason I left. The reason I left was American individualism.
Me: You’re the first person to give me that answer. Tell me more.
Adalia: The culture and the values in the U.S. do not sit well with me and they’re not values that I share. This culture of “me first” and if I have to step on other people to get what I want, then I’m going to do that. I’m not about that life, so it was more of me wanting to go to a place where there was less of that. Now being away from the overt type of racism that could end my life has been…it’s been nice.
In my interviews with Black travelers and expats, from Mexico to Switzerland to South Korea to Ghana, when discussing the reasons for their departure from the United States, racism has been positioned as a fringe benefit. One of those “Yea, duh, racism but also…”
Francia, an Afro-Venezuelan musician, currently lives in South Africa. In the U.S., he was a corporate lawyer and mentee of Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor. During his interview, shared that the toxic experiences of being a dark-skinned queer Black man in corporate America and the suppression of his creativity and artistry was his motivation for moving to South Africa, where he would eventually launch his debut album.
Renee Simone, a model and entertainer from New York currently lives in Seoul, South Korea. During her interview on The Buddy Pass podcast, she reflected on her curiosity and the promise of opportunity that led her to take her young modeling and entertainment career to South Korea, instead of battling it out in a saturated New York market.
Deji Jegede, who lives in Spain with his wife and newborn, was one of my favorite interviews. He shared with us that he turned down a $70,000 salary increase because it would have required him to move back to the United States. He’s originally from Philadelphia.
When we asked him to elaborate, the conversation went like this:
Me: Clearly, you love Spain. Do you plan on moving back to the U.S.?
Deji: Nah. You couldn’t pay me to move back to the U.S. right now. I got a job offer of a $70,000 raise and it was enough money where I could fly back to Spain frequently and I was like “I'm good” What good is that money if I’m in some fearful situation or get pulled over and die? For $70K? I’m good. That’s how I look at it now. I had a taste of a different setup [in Spain]. I love the U.S. I still visit, but my ideal situation is one or two months in the U.S. and that’s it.
Me: You mentioned the quality of life in Spain was different. Could you tell us more about this?
Deji: The emphasis here is very different than in America. In America, you live to work. Here (in Spain) you work because you have to, but the emphasis is on quality of life. Obviously, there are workaholics, but they are very different from the average Spaniard and European. When it comes to non-work activities and quality of life, everyone is very strict about that.
I have good friends who I stayed with, met their families, traveled with them and their families, and I had no idea what they did for work. I can tell you things about them like their favorite food, where they like to vacation, their favorite drink, stories about their grandparent's childhood, and things about them that are not related to their work.
Dozens of interviews later, I could write a novel on the motivations of Black people who are leaving the U.S. Still, I wanted to hear more voices. Not just those who currently travel or live abroad, but those who aspire to as well. What would be their reasons?
To find out, I asked our online communities. Their responses are found throughout this article.
BLACK IN…
The mobility and relocation of people like Deji, Renee, and Adalia to countries outside of the U.S. have also meant the birth of global Black communities like Black in China, Black in Bali, Black in Portugal, or Black in Korea.
Arriving in Beijing to find that Black people not only lived there but were creating communities that mirrored spaces in our neighborhoods back home that provided cultural familiarity, lifestyle resources, and safety by way of community.
Black in China was an online community founded on the popular Chinese social app, WeChat. We also intentionally created spaces for in-person events and gatherings. From Limes - Caribbean cookouts (also known as BBQs or cookouts in Black American culture)- to speed dating, spoken word, and the film premiere for Black Panther. We had everything we needed in this community to help create a great Chinese experience with a little bit of home to keep us connected and supported.
With the emergence of the Black travel movement and Black Americans choosing to live abroad, more of these global communities are being created in countries around the world. Unlike our ancestors, who often traveled abroad solo with no support from their government or a community to look forward to, Black travelers today have the support of Black expats who have created supportive communities to serve them in their transitions abroad.
Let’s meet two of these groups:
Black in Portugal, Inc.
Created by Heather Proctor and Kamra Clemons, Black in Portugal, Inc. (BIP) is a community group based in Lisbon that focuses on helping Black expats relocate and transition to Portugal. They don’t stop there.
What I love most about this group is their emphasis on connecting the Black and local Portuguese while supporting local Black-owned businesses. The group has hosted 15+ community events with thousands of attendees who represent 20+ countries.
Black in Portugal is a great example of Black expats coming together to provide community, experiences, and support to Black travelers. They’re doing this while also helping these expats to build relationships and connections with the local community. I love this because it creates the opportunity to learn about a new country, the people and culture in a safe and supportive environment.
If you’re traveling to Portugal or would like to learn more about the Black in Portugal group, check out their page at @black.in.portugal.
Black in Panama
Founded by entreprenoir Charlotte Van Horn, Black Expats in Panama® (BEIP) carries the triple threat of being a community group, a cultural/relocation tour provider, and a radio station.
BEIP helps Black expats in Panama connect, and find Afro-Caribbean cultural events, hair care, and other information. BEIP is a solid community-based group/service, but we are also a business. Over the years, Charlotte and her team have done a remarkable job building business relationships in Panama City. This has allowed them to expand the services and support they can offer to Black expats. The group is now able to offer Cultural/Relocation Tours; Relocation Consulting/Coaching; and has established relationships with vetted partners who offer Tours/Excursions, Transportation, Legal, Real Estate services, and more.
In 2021, Charlotte and her husband, Alfredo, partnered with Destination Management Company, ITA Global, to develop the now-famous "Black Expats in Panama Cultural Relocation Tour." The Tour was designed according to her vision to showcase living options in and around Panama City, but also share the rich culture of Afro-Panamanians.
Every Sunday at 2:00 pm (Costa Rica Time) you can find Charlotte and the BEIP team on their radio show “Black Expats in Panama.” The show features interviews with Black expats from Panama and other international spaces.
Much like Black In Portugal, local Panamanians are welcome to attend and participate in BEIP events and social gatherings. Helping Black expats to connect with the local community is as important as helping these expats find their community after they arrive.
If you’re traveling to Panama or would like to check out the Black Expats in Panama radio show and learn more about this group, check them out at @blackexpatsinpanama_tm or www.blackexpatspanama.com.
What Does This Means For You
What does this mean for you, the current or aspiring traveler or ex-pat?
As a Black traveler, the emergence of groups like Black In Portugal means you have a community available if you decide to travel or live in Portugal. All over the world, from Bali to Mexico City to Beijing to London to Accra, you will likely have a community - big or small - of Black American expats who are ready to help you adjust to a new country and culture, connect to essential resources [because who’s retwisting my locs], and provide entertainment and experiences for you to enjoy.
The travelers and expats who make up these groups have all decided to relocate abroad for many different reasons - racism, lack of affordable healthcare, hustle culture, individualism, or a desire to explore the world and different cultures. Black folk are not unlike other people in the sense that we want to live peacefully and have the opportunity to provide a healthy and joyous life for our families and loved ones.
The Black American today refuses to accept that these things can only be attained in America and at the price of facing racism and discrimination. As always, Black folk today and those of yesterday, are calling on America to live up to its promise of a fair, equal, and opportunistic society.
And if she won’t deliver on that promise, well, I hear Bali is wonderful all year round.
What To Do Next
Get a passport (if you don’t have one already)
Plan your next vacation. I’m sure you deserve one.
Consider connecting to some of the travel groups mentioned here for more information on living abroad.
Follow The Buddy Pass magazine on IG. We share travel tips, interviews with travel experts, and special magazine content.
Check out our website, www.thebuddypass.co.
SHARE YOUR TRAVEL STORY
Have a travel story you’d like to share?
We’d love to hear it! Reach out to us by visiting our website, www.thebuddypass.co, or The Buddy Pass magazine on IG. We’d love to feature your story in the magazine or on our monthly podcast.