Sewing: Black Americans, fed up with racism, move abroad as ‘Blaxit’ trends

The last time Tony Jones was stopped by police marked the last time he wanted to live in the United States. In September, Jones, 50, and his wife, Ayo, 44, with their young boys, Luke, 11, and Leo, 5, packed up and left their Cypress home for Ghana. They sold their house, purged many of their material possessions and retired Jones’ construction company in northwest Houston. “It’s the first time in my life I don’t feel Black,” Jones said on a video call, along with his wife, from Ghana. “Everywhere I go people say, ‘Welcome home, my American brother.’” Jones was driving his company truck at the time of the police stop in 2016. He said he wasn’t speeding; his registration and license were current. Jones simply asked the officer why he was being stopped, he said. “I knew it could have ended up two ways: I could have stood up for my rights and ended up dead, or have my rights infringed upon and sucked it up. At that moment, I didn’t want to suck it up,” he said. The officer put Jones in handcuffs and into the back of the police car. After 20 minutes, Jones was released with a warning. The next day the couple went to the police station demanding answers. They were told Jones was pulled over because one of his small license-plate light bulbs was out. The couple is among a growing number of Black Americans — young singles, families and retirees — who are fed up with racism and have relocated or are planning their move to a foreign country. Facebook groups such as Blaxit Tribe and Black Global offer first-hand resources for people wanting to expatriate. The Joneses have a popular YouTube channel, Expat Life in Ghana, offering tips on everything from how to buy a car to how they strategically planned to relocate there. But it’s not just Black Americans who want the expat life. A 2019 Gallup poll revealed that a record number of Americans, regardless of race, want to leave the United States. The study reports that the 16 percent of Americans who said in 2017 and again in 2018 that they would like to permanently move to another country is higher than during either the administrations of George W. Bush (11 percent) or Barack Obama (10 percent). Gallup’s World Poll did not ask people about their political leanings, but it did reveal that 30 percent of Americans who would like to leave the country are younger than 30 — and of that number, the majority are women. Years ago, I realized my own dream of living in another country. I was awarded a three-month fellowship through the National Press Foundation to study Spanish in Mexico. I took a leave of absence from my job — and my goal was not to return. I ended up staying nearly six months. I traveled throughout the country, maneuvering on buses solo and wandering through mountain towns. I climbed pyramids, learned to eat cactus and even worked in a small factory that made jeans to immerse myself in the culture and learn the language. With another Black female journalist, I visited an area of Black Mexicans called La Costa Chica, where I watched young Black Mexican children sing “We Shall Overcome” in Spanish. That’s when I learned about the African Diaspora throughout Latin America. But in this country that I found fascinating for its architecture, including the home of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, and its indigenous roots, race was ever present. There were Black figurines in stores with monkeylike features, and the Mexican soap operas often depicted Black people as bumbling characters. When my brother came to visit, we discovered that in Mexico it was just as hard for a Black man to get a cab as it was in New York. The most painful affront, though, was being called the ‘N’ word after leaving a Sam’s Club in Cuernavaca. I still would like to know what it’s like to live in a country where being Black is about being human, not being Black. Almost every election season, there are people who are ready to throw up their hands and leave America. But few actually do it. Audrey Edwards, author of “American Runaway: Black and Free in Paris in the Trump Years,” did. Edwards, a journalist and a former editor at Essence, Black Enterprise and Family Circle magazines, ditched her life in New York for Paris shortly after the 2016 election. She felt a shift in the country’s attitude about racism. Also, at 73, Edwards didn’t want to have to fight for civil rights again. “I’m too old to fight new fights over old battles,” she said. “It was about my spiritual and mental health.” Paris has long been a refuge for Black Americans, especially artists such as James Baldwin and Josephine Baker, seeking freedom from American racism. Baldwin felt Paris embraced him as a Black gay man. Edwards’ book is more a love letter to Paris than a political statement about life aboard. “I can go into a French store, and I won’t be followed around,” she said. “The French don’t shrink in fear when they see Black people walking toward or walking behind them. I’m in decent health, and I don’t want to get sick from the stress of racism.” Edwards returned to the States for the holidays in December and ended up stranded when the pandemic hit. Likewise, Ricki Stevenson, a former TV reporter and Oakland, Calif., native who has lived in Paris since 1997, found herself stuck in Oakland after visiting for the holidays. Stevenson had moved to Paris with her then-11-year-old daughter Dedie Stevenson-Bailey and founded Black Paris Tours, a travel company that takes tourists to places made famous by African-American musicians, soldiers, writers, artists, historians, celebrities and political exiles from the 1800s through the 1970s. More than 60,000 people have taken her tours. Stevenson-Bailey is now vice president of the company. Both Edwards and Stevenson find themselves back in the United States at a precarious time, with the violent deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of the police. Both women are eager to leave. “I hate the racism here,” Stevenson said. “You have ignorance and racism there, but you don’t have the vehement level like it is in the United States.” But there are things they miss, such as American comfort. “That first winter in Paris with only a space heater was something else,” Edwards said. “I missed watching ‘Power’ and ‘Empire.’ I miss my friends, but I was never homesick.” Though France and African countries have long been destinations for Black Americans looking to emigrate, the options today include countries — such as New Zealand, Portugal, Panama, Thailand and Indonesia — that weren’t part of the conversation before. Not everyone finds paradise abroad. Some are dismayed by the lack of American amenities, like food offerings and spacious living accomodations. Others are frustrated by how much it can cost living abroad. Many Black expats recommend visiting the country a few times before moving there, doing research, planning ahead and purging since Americans tend to have an abundance of clothes and other belongings. The Jones family moved to Ghana without knowing anyone except Ayo’s father, who is a native of the country. They’ve since met many Black American families, and even more have contacted them about relocating to Ghana. In 2019, Ghana rolled out the red carpet to encourage Black Americans to connect with their African heritage and resettle in the country. The yearlong effort, called “Year of Return,” was linked to the 400th anniversary of slaves being brought to the United States. Ghana was a key point for transporting slaves. The Joneses, who had visited Ghana multiple times, strategically planned their move over five years. They have no misgivings about leaving the U.S., though they miss friends and family and Five Guys hamburgers. “There is no utopia,” Ayo said. “You still need money to live, but you have to ask yourself what is it you are looking for. I’m not saying that coming to Ghana or any African country is perfect, but you are never marginalized by race or seen as less than because you are Black. That’s freedom.” joy.sewing@chron.com

Sewing: Black Americans, fed up with racism, move abroad as ‘Blaxit’ trends

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