The Black Expat: Living Abroad as Your Country Burns
Life has it’s moments. I call them ‘journey moments’, those times in life when something big happens that changes the trajectory you are on and you can almost ‘see’ widespread change on the horizon. I’d venture to say that we are all on a journey, and some will participate in moments that change the course of history, especially if the next steps are strategic and the long game is considered. And yet, here I sit, at a pivotal moment in history, halfway across the world from it all.
Six years ago I moved from a comfortable life in Houston, Texas across the world into the unknown in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. I was told to be careful, because tales of the Middle East conjured up by American media warned people like me who dared leave the States of dangers ahead. I chuckle writing that now, because my time here has been anything but dangerous; I’ve literally seen the world, met beautiful people, grown and flourished and felt truly safe, for perhaps the first time in my 45 years. I realize this goes against the grain of the narrative we are taught back home, the idea that the United States is the only country on earth who sees the value in its people and allows them to be free. Growing up we are taught such intense patriotism and the notion that the U.S. liberates countries where their citizens are persecuted. What I’ve come to learn is that freedom is relative and when you embrace your journey the truth will set you free.
I am the product of two black parents who were born and grew up at the end of the Jim Crow Era and beginning of the American Civil Rights Movement. As young adults they came of age in the time of very active civil protest against the injustices that America visited upon Black people. I am proud of the work they did in their communities; protesting, registering black people to vote, and taking an active part as voices in the political systems within city government on behalf of brown and black folk. They focused on getting other young people involved in the process through an organization they founded called L.O.V.E; Ladies On Voter Education, mobilizing efforts of females in the community to encourage minorities to exercise their voting rights. It’s safe to say that I’ve always been informed of my value and the power of the Black community I am blessed to be a part of. With this pride, comes the knowledge of how we are viewed in our own country and the injustices that come with the skin I’m in.
In the wake of the televised murder of George Floyd, like the many videotaped assassinations of people of color we have witnessed as a country over the years by law enforcement, I’ve watched the reaction of Black America through peaceful protests, and yes, some rioting and looting. The majority will focus on the latter, telling my community that these things make them thugs, perhaps deserving of the treatment we are fighting against, or that this is not the way to get the message across. Let me be clear, I don’t condone or condemn the response, because I’m focused on the cause. If you have a problem with how people respond to injustice, STOP the injustices they are pushing back against. As Dr. King stated, “Riots are the language of the unheard.” And so, like many Black American Expats living outside of America, I watched as many cities burned, and wished I was there.
It does something to your psyche to see a person killed in front of you who looks like you or your father, brother, nephew or son time and time again with little to no consequence. Over time, I imagine it hardens you as a form of “self-care”, so you don’t completely fall apart. Being an expat unable to come home to the States due partly to COVID 19 and job obligations it’s even harder to watch from the sidelines, feeling torn between being thankful for the blessing of where you are and the fire inside to get engaged in the fight first hand. You watch as you see protests carried out on television that you know you would be a part of if only you were there. I believe this sense of social responsibility that my parents instilled in me is their legacy, and it is feeding my strong desire to get involved on the front lines, doing what I can to make change.
Where I live it is against the law for protests in the streets. Expats here look for other ways to support the Black community back home so we are not detached from the cause. One way we’ve found is to ‘buy Black’; identifying businesses that are black owned here in the UAE and patronizing them here. Other ways to get involved are donating money to the #BlackLivesMatter movement, families of the victims of police brutality, or organizations that are focused on equality for members of marginalized communities. Using social media platforms to express our opinions and have necessary conversations is way we are making our voices be heard. Any and every thing counts and being so far away is even more of a motivator to want to get involved. This is OUR struggle.
While I sit and watch the movement, protests, and progress being made on many fronts from 8,165 miles away I am encouraged. I am encouraged for the time when I am no longer abroad, but on the font lines of this movement, fully engaged in this moment in history. Until then, I imagine the cities on fire are the systems that caused them to be.
Rest in Power George Floyd and the countless Black people who have died unjustly at the hands of the police.
Author: Marilene Shane