Black Travelers: Explore Culture, Adventure & Connection
- Black women are relocating abroad seeking safety, emotional well-being, and a better quality of life.
- Key push factors include racism, microaggressions, political climate, and rising cost of living.
- Destinations like Medellín, Colombia and Portugal offer cultural belonging and reduced feelings of being othered.
- Expat communities and events—ExodUS Summit, Blaxit Global, Flourish in the Foreign—provide resources and sisterhood.
- Women report improved mental, physical health, economic relief, and the chance to build life on their own terms.
A quiet revolution is happening in America. Black women are leaving the United States in search of safety and a better quality of life. For many of them, it’s a response to living in a country that they say has often failed to protect them.
The reasons expats give for leaving the U.S. vary, but among Black women, concerns include the cost of living, racism, microaggressions, and the current political climate.
Nicole Barrett, who moved to Portugal in 2023, tells the Boston Globe that her decision to relocate was driven by concerns about emotional safety. A racial profiling incident involving her son was a major factor. Barrett also mentions that a child she considers “almost a foster son” experienced an anxiety attack after witnessing George Floyd’s murder, which also influenced her choice.
Expat Agenisz Samadhi is the founder of Bliss Life Travel, which hosts retreats and monthly mixers for expats and travelers in Medellin, Colombia. The New York City native said she chose Medellin because it gave her a taste of home in a place where she didn’t feel othered.
“After traveling to 32 countries searching for where I wanted to build my life, I chose Medellín, Colombia, because it felt like New York and Miami wrapped into one — creative, cosmopolitan, and warm,” Samadhi tells BLACK ENTERPRISE.
“The Afro-Colombian presence and deep sense of cultural pride made me feel both inspired and accepted,” Samadhi notes.
Expat-led online communities such as ExodUS Summit, Blaxit Global, and Flourish in the Foreign exist to provide information and to help Black women navigate the processes of moving and living abroad. On these forums, Black women in various stages of life share the pros and cons of moving abroad, either temporarily or permanently, outside the United States.
Delores Edwards recalls her experience during her second visit to the summit last fall in the Boston Globe, where she said she noticed a significant increase in “attendance and energy” from the first visit.
“The speakers discussed teaching, accounting, and project management positions, offering clarity about employment overseas. Sharing a moment of sisterhood, more than 2,500 Black women came together for a common purpose,” Edwards wrote.
From South America to the Caribbean and Africa, Black women are finding connection, relief from economic strain, and improved mental and physical health abroad. Their stories aren’t about escape but about cultivating life on their own terms.
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