By Reginald Smith

by R. Wayne Branch

If I am elected as a delegate, I pledge to use that authority to attempt to persuade fellow members of the Democratic Party to oppose one policy in particular, the relatively new and burdensome Visa I-130 application effecting non-US family members that want to live in the United States with their American partners, spouses, and in some cases, parents. For example, while blogging from the convention in Denver in 2008, I ran into my Congresswoman, Eleanor Holmes Norton – I told her I was a member of Democrats Abroad and she said she had heard of us. As a delegate I would have more access to more people in Washington who can affect real change.

More on Visa I-130:
U.S. Visa Rule Will Burden Families, Lawyers Say
(Published August 14, 2011 in the New York Times)
A new U.S. visa rule, taking effect Monday, appears likely to substantially lengthen the amount of time that Americans living overseas must wait before bringing along their noncitizen spouses or children if they have to move home quickly for personal or professional reasons, immigration lawyers say. Read the full article from this link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/13/us/13iht-immigration.html#

It would be a privilege to represent Americans living abroad at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte next September. My video explains why.

If you are on Facebook check out my “campaign” page:
https://www.facebook.com/VoteAdrianneGeorgeEmeaDelegateToTheDncInCharlotte

Please vote for me in the upcoming Democrats Abroad Global Primary by looking for and choosing my name, Adrianne George on the ballot. If you are not visiting a Democrats Abroad Global Primary Voting Center in person you can request a ballot via email via vote2012@democratsabroad.org by April 30.

Not a member of Democrats Abroad? Take a few minutes to join today:
http://www.DemocratsAbroad.org

Download the Big City Poets

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Information:
Carolyn Moncel
Mondavé Media
773.828.4500
carolyn@mondaveinc.com

Fictional Tales Examines Clandestine Meetings and Confessions

Author Carolyn Moncel Releases Railway Confessions – A Collection of Short Stories

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND, March 1, 2012 — Would you ever reveal a dark secret to a complete stranger – even if you knew you’d never meet that person again? This question is at the heart of author, Carolyn Moncel’s latest work, Railway Confessions – A Collection of Short Stories.  Currently available as an eBook only, readers can download a FREE copy on March 1 and March 8, 2012 from Amazon.com.

As passengers traveling aboard a TGV train from Paris to Geneva one summer evening, three couples casually disclose very intimate, truthful details that could potentially transform their lives either for the better or for the worst.

“The stories fit perfectly into the advice my mother gave me during my childhood,” says Moncel, a Chicago native, whose stories are often set in Paris.  “‘Be careful what you say aloud because: a) you never really know who you are talking to; and b) you never really know who is listening to your conversation and what they may know about the people being discussed.’”

In the story, “My Brother’s Keeper,” a couple must come to terms with the murders that each of them had a hand in committing and their aftermaths; In “A Choice in the Matter,” another couple must address the questions of wanted and unwanted pregnancies and the circumstances for which such requests are ever acceptable; and in the last story entitled, “Pretty Prisons,” a last couple must deal with love, infidelity and all of its complexities. Ellery Roulet and Lola Sanchez from 5 Reasons to Leave a Lover return, and along with four others, confront their deepest fears with unexpected results.

About Carolyn Moncel

Carolyn Davenport-Moncel currently resides in Lausanne, Switzerland with her husband and two daughters. Her previous work includes Encounters in Paris – A Collection of Short Stories and 5 Reasons to Leave a Lover – A Novella and Other Short Stories.  Visit Moncel’s website at:  www.carolynmoncel.com.  Follow her on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/carolyn.moncel; LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/motiontemps; and on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/carolynmoncel.

About Railway Confessions – A Collection of Short Stories

Published in February 2012 by Mondavé Media, Railway Confessions – A Collection of Short Stories is only available as an eBook.

The Kindle edition is $2.99.  The ASIN number is: B0076BLY42.  Ms. Moncel is available for appearances, book club discussions and interviews.

Contact:

Beth Thomas

blackhairinparis@gmail.com

Prissy Mag Editor & Founder Launches Black Hair in Paris Blog

February 26, 2012 Paris, France

Priscilla Lalisse-Jespersen, Editor and Founder of webzine Prissy Mag, today announced the launch of a new blog called “Black Hair in Paris.”  The blog aims to provide readers with much-needed practical information and resources such as, salon contacts and locally-accessible production recommendations.

Priscilla Lalisse-Jespersen

“At Prissy Mag we receive hundreds of emails from expats and visitors who need even more hair information,” says Lalisse-Jespersen whose webzine gives readers a unique view of Parisian life as seen through the eyes of Anglophones.  “I wrote a list of what we call ‘good’ salons, but people always wanted to know more.”  Lalisse-Jespersen also reports on new products and where they can be purchased; as well as other happenings in the Parisian hair care industry. Because readers seem to be interested in Lalisse-Jespersen’s personal experiences, she even keeps them current on her own hair care journey.  “I’m willing to play guinea pig if I think it will help others women solve their hair care issue!”

According to Lalisse-Jespersen, she started the blog because she couldn’t find any good hair salons upon her arrival in the “City of Light” in 1999.  She recalls the experience as being “painful” and led to her writing Prissy Mag’s most shared article entitled “Combing for a Black Hair Salon in Paris”.  Lalisse-Jespersen says that black hair is complicated because it comes in a vast array of choices — from the kinkiest curl to silky straight and everything in between.  Because of this women of color have a particularly difficult time finding the right salon for their hair care needs.  Soon it just became obvious that she needed a new platform in which to address these issues and blogging seems to be the right format because of its instant interactivity.

For more information about Black Hair in Paris go to www.blackhairinparis. For more information about Prissy Mag, go to www.prissymag.com. For information on Priscilla Lalisse-Jespersen go to her author site www.pljbooks.com.

Black Paris Profiles™: A Celebration of the Black Experience in the City of Light

Paris, France, February 26, 2012—In celebration of Black History Month (February) and Women’s History Month (March) 2012, Discover Paris! is pleased to announce the release of its latest e-publication: Black Paris Profiles™ by Monique Y. Wells.

Black Paris Profiles™ presents the stories of 16 contemporary African-American and black Caribbean expatriates. Their lives are rich, uncommon, and complex and their inspiring tales are certain to shatter any stereotypes that readers may hold about living in Paris. Ten (10) of the sixteen stories presented are about women, which counters the prevailing tendency for works about the “Black Paris” expatriate experience to focus on men.

Black Paris Profiles™ is a “must read” for anyone who is considering a move to Paris or simply wondering what it is like to live there. Nowhere else can you find the viewpoints on forging a successful life abroad in today’s world that each chapter reveals! Color photos and clickable links to sites containing additional articles and images enliven the accounts of these fascinating people.

Monique Y. Wells has been writing about Black Paris for several years. She is co-author of Paris Reflections: Walks through African-American Paris (co-author Christiann Anderson; McDonald & Woodward, 2002), and has an essay on Black Paris in France, A Love Story (Camille Cusamano; Seal Press, 2004). She has contributed numerous articles on the subject to print and Web publications and is the author of Discover Paris’ weekly Entrée to Black Paris™ blog. In 2011, she was named Black Culture and Heritage VIP in Paris by the online magazine African Diaspora Tourism.

Black Paris Profiles™ is priced at $9.97. Those wishing to order should visit http://bit.ly/AyxNT0.

Hej hej Family and Friends,

It is hard to believe that I have been in Sweden for six months. It seems like yesterday that I made the decision to pursue my research goals and finish writing my book. Because of your generosity and the assistance of a scholarship from the American Swedish Institute, I have been able to take advantage of this opportunity of a lifetime.

When I began fundraising last year, I thought it nearly impossible to reach my initial goal of $20,000.00, but with your support I have been able to raise $13,885.00 in cash and in-kind donations. Before I sent this email out, I struggled with what exactly I would say without offending anyone or seeming too much like a late night infomercial begging to help feed starving children in a country far away. However, I was coerced by a dear friend who told me that I should state what my goal is directly and sincerely. This, of course, also reminded me of one of the many lessons my mother taught me: You have not because you ask not!!

My current fundraising goal is $6115.00, and this amount will cover my living and transportation expenses from now until August of this year when I am scheduled to return back to Chicago.

If you have helped me get this far along, I truly thank you and gently ask you to consider donating again. If you haven’t been able to contribute, please consider doing so today by contributing via my fundraising website at: www.gofundme.com/projectsweden.

Many people have asked what living in Sweden has been like for me. Others have asked more about my research which looks at bullying in a multi-cultural school environment and the progress of my book dedicated to girls without mothers. With help from a friend, we have been able to put together a video that I believe depicts quite well what my experiences have been like so far. Please feel free to watch and share the video with others.

Thank you again for your support and for sharing my work and video. Finally, I ask for your thoughts and prayers as I submit additional scholarship applications to support my research endeavors.

Register now to vote and/or to receive an absentee ballot for the upcoming elections:
http://www.votefromabroad.org

Via: MSW Programs

Via: Actos lawsuit lawyers

What I find astounding is the inaccessibility, it seems, of getting to like-minded people. One of the great hopes of the internet and the World Wide Web was that of bringing people together. And it has. But I still find it difficult to navigate the plethora of sites that spring forth every minute, every second…

I’ve been blogging for Blackgirl on Mars for about 6 years now. It has been an interesting journey. I have met many people via the internet, most of whom I haven’t even met in the “real” world.

One such person is Donella Martin Braddix.  At the time, we were both Brooklyn girls, living very far from home. Donella and I developed a correspondence that I know fueled us both when the going got tough. We inspired each other, egged each other on. Confided in each other. I know that we see ourselves in each other and it has been in the spirit of community we have continued our friendship.

Anyway, Donella has launched her new radio station on Blog Talk Radio, Inspirit Communications. Join us for our second show this Tuesday 11pm EST (U.S) where we address the following:

We’re bombarded by conflicting images of what female sexuality is all about: from sexually-explicit, scantily-clad rappers and artists who parade their “femininity” to career-driven professionals who decry that our sexuality should be the last means by which we define ourselves, to enlightened, artistic “women warriors’ who inspire us to re-claim ‘us’.  But what does it all mean?

When I first started this column in our first issue, I was worried about how long it would last given the difficulty I originally had on finding documentation on historical Black Expats around the world. Every quarter though it seems I find something new and interesting to bring up and I have at least a year of stories left!

Scandinavia is known to most as the home of blondes, great manufacturers like Volvo & SKF as well as the epitome of social democracy. Scandinavia traditionally includes a core of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark with Iceland sometimes tied in due to ties of ancestry. Finland, neighboring Sweden, is not considered Scandinavian because despite its location, the cultural and linguistic background of its people are not Germanic (see Wikipedia for details). Up there in the cold, part of of which is in the Arctic circle, it may seem the last place to have Black expats historically but this was definitely not the case. For many reasons, Scandinavia has typically been viewed very highly by Blacks and has been a favored destination by the few whom have come to experience it.

When did you move to Scandinavia?

I moved here sometime in June, 2007.

What facilitated your move?

I met my husband and this was what made us decide to move or rather me decide to move to Sweden so we could be together and start a life here together.

Read the full story in our latest issue.

“Collaborating with others is the most exciting way to begin integrating yourself as quickly as possible in Norway,” says Laverne. “It costs you nothing but some time and the courage to offer the skills you already have as a service to people you are just getting to know. Creative people need the energy from new ideas here and it is worth going out to find these people.”

Read the full article in our latest issue.

I have been living in Sweden for over 10 years. This experience has been enriching and challenging.

I moved to Sweden for family reasons. I met my husband, a Swede, during my studies in England. We happened to share the same hall of residence and one thing led to another and before I knew it I was saying “I do” 12 years ago and the rest as they say is history. After getting married, the debate for where to live and settle down was up for grabs and Sweden won over England.

Read the full story in our latest issue.

Why did you move to Scandinavia?
I was recruited to work here in the late 90’s. It was a lateral move with an attractive twist of working at a smaller company. Maybe the quiet also had something to do with it. When I visited the first time, I felt that I could hear myself think.

What was it like when you arrived?
It was like being in one of those ornaments that you find in a gift shop, the glass bubbles filled with water, the kind with the miniature landscapes. It was idyllic, clean, and most of all, still.

- Claire Requa

Claire was born in New York, raised in Jamaica, and later moved to California with her, ‘funny accent’. She didn’t plan on living in Europe but she moved to Denmark with her Danish husband and lives in Copenhagen.

photo Claire Requa

It was wonderful to see Danish fathers taking their children to school on their bikes in the mornings.

Read the full story in our latest issue.

Whitney has officially lived in Europe for over six years and has resided in Norway since 2007

Where were you born and in which countries have you lived?

I was born in a very small town in Kansas, but grew up in Tucson, Arizona (my parents families are both from Arkansas but moved to Kansas in the late 1950s during the Great Black Migration). We moved to Arizona when I was just a baby, so Arizona is home.

Read the full interview in our latest issue.

We know that many of you have expressed considerable concern about two relatively recent developments regarding US taxation issues for Americans living abroad, developments that go beyond the requirement to file annually the IRS tax return (1040 and associated forms): the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) and the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act(FATCA).
 

There is in place a DPCA Task Force which has been examining the changes taking place in the US tax system and how those changes impact on those of us living abroad.  The Task Force has been and will continue to be in contact with appropriate senior staff at the IRS, the Department of the Treasury (home to the IRS) and the Senate Budget Committee.  

Events have been moving faster and in a more positive direction than we could have foreseen even two months ago when Democrats Abroad met in Washington.  The developments have been led, in large measure, by the US Ambassador to Canada, David Jacobson, who recently announced that the IRS would be issuing regulations that would appear to reduce, if not eliminate, the fear that many Americans abroad have about tax filing requirements. 

“What the IRS is saying here is that if … you don’t owe taxes to the U.S., and you file your return and they show you don’t owe taxes, there aren’t going to be any penalties for having filed late,” Mr. Jacobson said in an interview with Toronto’s Globe & Mail newspaper.

More than a few US citizens living abroad long ago stopped filing the form 1040, assuming they owed no tax, and had no idea about the requirement to file the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR). This rule—in effect since 1982—requires every American citizen to report all assets held in foreign banks or other financial institutions if, at any time during the year, the sum of those assets exceeded $10,000. Moreover, failure to file this FBAR report is punishable by a fine of up to $10,000—and even more if the failure to file is deemed deliberate. The IRS has rarely imposed these fines in the past but, recently, announced that, after a grace period—which expired last September—it would impose fines going back up to six years on taxpayers not in compliance.

In a recent phone conversation with senior lawyers for the IRS, we learned that, while all US citizens at home and abroad are still required by law to file both their income tax returns (Form 1040 and associated forms) as well as the FBAR, the recently released IRS information sheet may provide some comfort for those of us living abroad who have not complied. To comply with the law, non-filers are advised by the IRS to file six years back for both the income tax reporting and for the FBAR (in the latter case, non-filers are advised to attach a letter explaining why you had not filed earlier.) That information sheet can be found at http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=250788,00.html and is specifically directed to Americans living abroad (and not just to dual citizens).

ETHNIC MINORITY UK CITIZENS RETIRING ABROAD MISS OUT ON FULL STATE PENSION

Ethnic minority UK citizens retiring to countries outside of Europe could lose up to £24,000 over 20 years due to their UK Basic State Pension not being up rated in line with inflation.

The discovery was made by the Runnymede Trust, the UK’s leading race equality think tank, in its latest report To Stay or Not to Stay: Retirement Migration Decisions among Older People.

The report found that while UK pensions are uprated in a small number of non-European countries such as the USA, Jamaica and Barbados, pensions are frozen in the vast majority of Caribbean, Asian, African and South American countries.

This affects many Black and Asian Britons retiring to their country of birth in the Caribbean, Africa and South Asia, as well as others who choose to leave the UK to retire in Australia or Canada.

For many, the prospect of losing pension income overseas through receiving a frozen pension is a barrier to retiring abroad, as not receiving a full pension can have a big impact on quality of life in the retiree’s new country of residence.

This is particularly the case where the cost of living is particularly high, such as Australia, or where medical bills can be expensive, such as the Caribbean.

For example, one participant in the research who retired from the UK to the Caribbean said:

“It didn’t work because the cost of living is very expensive and [as] I worked [in the UK] for so many years and paid in my taxes and my national insurance, I found it difficult to go to be paying doctor bills for medication, so it just didn’t work for me”.

In addition, the report found that many of those wanting to retire abroad have lived and worked in the UK for 30 or 40 years, or were born in the UK, and therefore feel that as they have contributed to the UK economy through working, paying taxes and national insurance – as well as contributing to their communities – it is unfair that their contribution is not repaid in full through their pensions.

Commenting, the report’s author Phil Mawhinney said:

“It is clearly unfair that the people who were encouraged to rebuild the UK after the Second World War by working for the NHS should risk losing their entitlements if they return to the Caribbean, or elsewhere. The current system of overseas pensions uprating is arbitrary, with no logic behind a pension being uprated in Jamaica but not Trinidad. We therefore call on the Government to uphold fairness and uprate all overseas UK pensions.”

Peter Morris of the International Consortium of British Pensioners said:
“While many ‘frozen’ pensioners live in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa, they also live in Trinidad & Tobago, Dominica, India, Pakistan and Nigeria. As the number of older Black and minority ethnic people in the UK grows over the coming years, more ethnic minorities may face the unfair situation of not receiving their full entitlement if they leave the UK. Now is the right time for the government to take action by uprating all overseas pensions.”

NOTES TO EDITOR

1) To Stay or Not to Stay: Retirement Migration Decisions among Older People was published on Thursday 1 December and available to download for free here: http://www.runnymedetrust.org/publications/169/32.html

2) For press inquiries and to arrange interviews with the report author please contact Vicki Butler at vicki@runnymedetrust.org, or on 020 7377 9222

3) Runnymede is a social policy research organisation focused on race equality and race relations. We work by:
· Identifying barriers to race equality and good race relations
· Enabling effective action for social change
· Influencing policy at all levels through providing thought leadership and robust evidence

Further information is available on our website: http://www.runnymedetrust.org/

4) This research programme is funded by the Nationwide Foundation, a registered charity (no 1065552)

5) The International Consortium of British Pensioners (ICBP) represents British Pensioners all over the world receiving frozen pensions, and campaign for the government to annually uprate all UK Basic State Pensions, regardless of where the recipient lives. http://www.pension-parity-uk.com/

The Black Women in Europe™: Power List2011 – A List of Our Own©

]]> http://blackexpat.com/new/2011/11/11/black-women-in-europe%e2%84%a2-power-list-2011%e2%80%93-a-list-of-our-own%c2%a9/feed/ 0 http://blackexpat.com/new/2011/11/11/black-women-in-europe%e2%84%a2-power-list-2011%e2%80%93-a-list-of-our-own%c2%a9/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Blackexpatcom/~3/6SDdtIYKW4Q/ http://blackexpat.com/new/2011/10/20/black-and-abroad-too-interview-with-black-women-in-europe-founder-adrianne-george-part-ii/#comments Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:05:39 +0000 Adrianne http://blackexpat.com/new/?p=5530 Welcome to “black and abroad, too“, a program that inspires today’s black woman to travel abroad created by Carolyn Vines. Listen in and find out who the program is for, what it intends to achieve, why I created it and how I’ll get my message across. Enjoy!

Editors note: Carolyn Vines in the creator of the award-winning black and (A)broad website and author of the book of the same name. Read our interview with Carolyn.

Adrianne George, founder of Black Women in Europe, the premier networking site for black women living in and traveling to Europe, joins this episode of “black and (A)broad, too”. In part II of my interview Adrianne shares her top tips for successful relocation in and travel to Europe, how a selfish gesture has helped hundreds of black women connect and why traveling is good for the mind.

Listen to Adrianne’s interview.

]]> http://blackexpat.com/new/2011/10/20/black-and-abroad-too-interview-with-black-women-in-europe-founder-adrianne-george-part-ii/feed/ 0 http://blackexpat.com/new/2011/10/20/black-and-abroad-too-interview-with-black-women-in-europe-founder-adrianne-george-part-ii/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Blackexpatcom/~3/9Fvgt0jxFOw/ http://blackexpat.com/new/2011/10/17/black-and-abroad-too-interview-with-black-women-in-europe-founder-adrianne-george-part-i/#comments Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:35:29 +0000 Adrianne http://blackexpat.com/new/?p=5509 Welcome to “black and abroad, too“, a program that inspires today’s black woman to travel abroad created by Carolyn Vines. Listen in and find out who the program is for, what it intends to achieve, why I created it and how I’ll get my message across. Enjoy!

Editors note: Carolyn Vines in the creator of the award-winning black and (A)broad website and author of the book of the same name. Read our interview with Carolyn.

Adrianne George, founder of Black Women in Europe, the premier networking site for black women living in and traveling to Europe, joins this episode of “black and (A)broad, too”. In this lively conversation, George talks about she transformed her desire to live abroad into reality. She will inspire you with her story of determination, networking and good, old-fashioned elbow grease! Part II of this interview to follow on next week’s program.

Listen to Adrianne’s interview.

]]> http://blackexpat.com/new/2011/10/17/black-and-abroad-too-interview-with-black-women-in-europe-founder-adrianne-george-part-i/feed/ 0 http://blackexpat.com/new/2011/10/17/black-and-abroad-too-interview-with-black-women-in-europe-founder-adrianne-george-part-i/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Blackexpatcom/~3/uzVjGEUXoLE/ http://blackexpat.com/new/2011/10/14/black-in-the-day-african-american-missionaries-in-africa/#comments Fri, 14 Oct 2011 04:07:34 +0000 Adrianne http://blackexpat.com/new/?p=5505

Read their stories.

Read Tanja’s story.

Read Dr. Stith’s story.

Read Arlene’s story.

Read Dennison’s story.

The new mother held her daughter lovingly in her arms and all exclaimed how truly beautiful this baby is. The mother, from Gambia, was that deep dark perfection of black.

“When she grows up,” the new mother said, “she will look like you. Her hair will be long like yours, and her skin just as light. She’s a mulat, just like you.”  After I recovered from my immediate cringe at the term still in use here in Denmark for biracial children, I realized that there was still, yet one more aspect of this conversation that I needed to wrap my head around.

I immediately corrected her on my racial background: I was not biracial. I felt I had to say something because I have experienced, too many times, for example, being targeted by a group of African girls, who jeered at me, calling me mulat, or the white Danes who assumed the same, but unlike the African girls, attached privilege to this term.  The experience with the group of girls, many years ago, when perhaps I myself looked more like a girl, opened my eyes to the obvious schisms that exist here among, well, everyone.

I felt it was important for me to clarify my racial background, because in a country that is awe of the Tommy Hilfiger version of Blackness, I felt it necessary to claim that whiteness does not a black beauty make.

Don’t get me wrong. I too am in awe of the many versions of beauty that emerge from interracial unions. I don’t adhere, however, to the notion that lighter skin and longer hair is more beautiful than any other kind of beauty, just as I avoid the adhering to the flip-side of that: beauty is too varied to pin down.

That we still judge beauty by a plantocracy standard needs to be addressed. But the only person we need to question about it,  are ourselves. This article is not meant to spark a dialogue among us. It is to inspire a dialogue within.

What is beauty? Beauty is magnetic, inspirational and disarms even the most hardened. Whether it reflects feelings of envy or love, beauty moves us to feel, and when we examine these emotions within, we get a clearer picture of where we stand in our belief system in relation to where we would like to be standing.

Recently a friend of mine in New York, a mother of two biracial boys confided, “I can’t believe how people respond to my boys. Some parents even ignore their own (darker) children when my kids are around.” Many attempt to neutralize this dichotomy by playing into the duality/polarity of either/or , by strumming the other beat of, “the darker the berry”, which does nothing to balance the fact that beauty is all that  and in between.

As women, we become instant role models to little girls, little boys. We teach them about beauty by how we ourselves, relate to it.

When I was a child, I often witnessed my mother, a banana yellow woman, indulge in the ancient art of beautifying courtesy of Avon products. She used foundation, powder, lipstick, mascara, blush…I couldn’t wait to grow up so that I could do the same.

My mother often lamented the fact that my sister and I were “dark” jokingly, a notion I still have of myself despite others’ observation to the contrary.

The other weekend, I saw an old friend. It was a rare collection of Black expats here in Copenhagen and soon, the conversation turned to race. “Why do Black people always have to talk about race?” A friend, a Black man from San Francisco, once lamented.

At the party, another friend of mine, a dark woman with cheekbones to die for, shared her pain of growing up in a community she experienced as being rampant with self-hatred. She’s a high-level financial woman, and she shared the fact that Black men on her financial level, in her financial status, were simply not attracted to her.

I don’t like these conversations because it becomes so general. Do I really believe that all the Black men within the financial sector are not attracted to Black women? No, I don’t.  But I digress…

But I don’t believe we’ll ever get anywhere with this issue until each and every one of us, examine ourselves and ask, what is beauty? How is it constructed for us? How do we construct it?

I notice an interesting phenomenon amongst some bi-racial kids here. Some go through early life,  experiencing a dis-ease about being “different.” Some may even be bullied or laughed at. But then something happens as they grow older. Their difference transforms itself from a liability to an asset. The attention seems to become “positive”.

The thing about beauty is that it is not only how we perceive it in others, but how we relate to it ourselves. Someone who is used to standing out because of how they look, risks becoming addicted to this attention. That’s how beauty can become, well, pretty ugly.

Many of these kids learn all too quickly the power of beauty. They experience how we respond to it, how we value it and how it works for them.

I remember a conversation I had with a biracial Danish woman in the late 90s. When we had met, she had recently started university in England. “I couldn’t believe how I felt.” She said, “I was so much in shock. Suddenly, not only was I not the only Black person, but I wasn’t even the most interesting person in the classroom and I certainly wasn’t the most beautiful. It was a big shock to me.”

The focus is on the outside. But what if we look at our physicality as doorways to our souls? See the door as someone’s beauty, perhaps it is an ornate, gilded door, and ask, where does this door lead to when I open it? A palace of a soul, or a neglected, dilapidated, empty ruin, replete with tumble weeds and all?

Some of the negativity these newly-blossomed biracial kids experience, sometimes come from Blacks. A chasm, unfortunately, erupts between “us” and “them”.  Despite common ancestors (which all humanity shares at any rate) we now eye each other suspiciously. Many might say that this is what slavery and colonialism has left: this legacy of competition.

The other day I met up with a girlfriend. “You look great,” she said, “but always remember to wear a little eyeliner.”

Have you ever experienced being in the presence of a woman who is shining, despite the fact she wears no make-up? You can not fake that kind of beauty, and it demands a presence and balance with self, continually. Beauty is dynamic.

We must balance the images of beauty created and that we create. While Beyonce seems to hold the monopoly on what media (and supposedly the public) deems as beautiful (and she is!) there must be images of beautiful women who wear their hair natural, or choose not to wear make-up or heels. There must be room in our consciousness for the many variations of beauty.

My mother passed on her notions of beauty to me and I eventually rejected them. I don’t adhere to her idea of lightness, straightness of hair or her inability to leave the house without make-up. I do however, still think my mother beautiful.

I want to tell my friend, you know, the one who gently reminded me that a little mascara wouldn’t hurt, that I’m working on my inner beauty and I want my smile to be so magnetic, you won’t even notice the fact that I have not tweezed my eyebrows in the last, well, year.

I want to explain to her that I want to present the best possible role model to my mostly of color students.  For too may of these young girls, pop star puppets have seared, ever so gently, the very delicate, sensitive idea they have about their looks and what the world thinks about it. For too many of us, beauty becomes entangled with vanity.

Competition and jealousy rots the ties that bond us. We excuse this behavior with a word like “evolution” (you know, survival of the most beautiful), as if science is to blame for the insecurities  we fail to deal with, until we’re confronted by a younger, darker, older, lighter, short-haired, long-haired woman. You know the type, the one that makes you realize, wow, not that is beauty!  Rather than open our hearts to each other with a smile, we become suspicious and resentful of the fact that we don’t hold that monopoly on beauty: no one does.  This is especially true amongst Black women who are in environs where we are in the minority. I’m not saying every one thinks like this: but you have definitely experienced being on either end of that spectrum.

It is funny the things “beauty” inspires. But again, what is beauty?

I think I may know the answer. Beauty is that glow that comes from within, which can only be ignited by being connected in the now. That is meeting all with openness to the potential of co-creating greatness. You can only shine it when you work on the most important relationship you’ll ever have: that with yourself.

Again, how much of our notions of beauty are tied-up in age-old plantocracy terms? It is true that we will always be in the state of post-colonialism. The only way we can escape this is creating an entirely new paradigm. Colonialism was the harbinger of dualist thinking. Coming with Columbus was a program of good and evil, rich and poor, slavery and freedom, beautiful and ugly. Many of the cultures encountered by Europeans, many of which have been exterminated, thought way more quantum than that.

I suggest we start with our own personal ideas about beauty. Let’s examine how much of it is tied in with addiction, competition and insecurity.

In the end, I ended up letting this new mother know that her daughter, no matter what the color of her skin or texture of her hair, was indeed, beautiful and that the biggest broadcaster of this message is her mother.

As human beings, we must be real with ourselves: through our consciousness we create our realities. Let’s collectively collaborate on building new paradigms that burst out of the dominant status quo, that of constantly thinking in polarities. Let’s be like the Universe. Let’s get all quantum, and let’s start with beauty.

Clean, green and on the scene, the land of the long-leggedy lovelies spans 14 islands of the beautiful archipelago and spangles them with treasures, from her medieval Old Town to her wealth of museums, art and nature in all directions. With crystal waters, world class restos, vibrant cultural scene, and her famed Scandi design aesthetic ranging from fash to furny and everything in between, she may be spenny, but hot damn is she worth it. Valkommen till Stockholm!

Want to find the loveliest places to stay from palaces to boutiques to homely B&B’s or even a private boat? Want the finest food from Michelin maestros to artisanal kitchens and local hidden caffs. Want to find stashes of vintage fashion, furniture and decor and discover the cities finest designers from shoes to lifestyle? Fancy your own yacht, personal museum guide, or food guru to show you the markets and taste the local seasonally sourced delicacies? Want the absolute cream of the mod Scandi design world, or even to customise your own interior pieces? Want the best and to avoid all the rest? Well, of course you do. And now you can.

LUXE Stockholm. Chic, fun and terribly useful.

LUXE Stockholm guide review -Here’s what I say:

Packaging:

Purse or front pocket size on card stock that folds accordion style. It comes in a plastic sleeve to hold it together. I don’t think it’s printed on recycled paper, or at least it isn’t labeled as such.

Tone:

Concise, snappy British English with words like, spenny (expensive), brekky (breakfast), bugbear (complaint), and of course loo (toilet).

Content – The LUXE Stockholm guide is divided into the following sections:

1. Hej Sötis (Hi sweetie – usually directed to a child or when being flirtatious) greeting.

2. Overview – Straight and to the point in only two full sentences.

3. Blah Blah – 16 general info bullet points, 4 need-to-know Swedish words/phrases.

4. Accommodation – The 12 Stockholm and two suburban hotels recommended by LUXE can be booked at luxecityguides.com with categories ranging from Action Station, Comfy Contempo, to Mamma Mia.

5. Restaurants – OK, the LUXE Guide crew really likes to eat. In this section you will find information on 49 places for fine dining, smart/casual, relaxed, lunch/brunch, and coffee n’ cake.

6. Bars – 10 bars are listed which is a very select list when one considers how many bars there are in Stockholm. How many bars are there in Stockholm?

7. Clubs – Wow, only four are listed, including one that shares my middle name, with Café Opera omitted. Bravo LUXE. I think that place is overrated though I feel the average tourist would be remiss if they didn’t go there and conclude for themselves that the place is overrated. Maybe people like Will Smith (I wasn’t there that night) went there because he didn’t have a copy of the LUXE Stockholm guide.

8. Spa and Beauty – These 11 recommendations include actual spas, make up stores, an outdoor rooftop heated pool as well as take a yoga class. One recommendation claims to have been a favorite of Stockholmer Great Garbo.

9. Museums – One can easily spend a week visiting museums in a capital city only to regret having spent the entrance fee and time inside. LUXE lists 10 must-see museums. That greatly helps when having to pare down to just a few.

10. Activities – Not your basic activities, or maybe they are: boat rides, skydiving, foodie tours, glass blowing and more are included in the 12 recommendations.

11. Very useful information – 16 bits of information that can come in handy including emergency care, limousine service, personal guides, buying wine and beers and getting your clothes cleaned and shoes repaired.

12. Shopping itineraries – If shopping is one of the main reasons you travel you will be delighted to find several shopping itineraries included in the LUXE Stockholm guide for interiors and fashion, fashion and accessories, vintage and antiques, funk fashion and vintage, as well as stores to visit on Birger Jarlsgatan, Östermalm, Södermalm/SOFO (South of Folkungagatan – OK, I’d never heard of SOFO but it does crack me up when Stockholm tries to give New York City attitude), Odengatan/Upplansgatan and Gamla Stan.
–Standout design – The best in vintage, new classics, modern, signature prints, elegance, old values, gadgets and 4 more are listed.
–Standout stores – 14 stores that sell everything from film and fresh fish to press samples at 50% off from one of Sweden’s leading fashion brands.
–Advanced shopping – need custom made furniture or one of a kin wallpaper? You get the idea of what is included in the 10 listings.

The guide concludes with a list of 14 things/places that LUXE Loves about Stockholm and (eek) 5 things LUXE Loathes about Stockholm. Only 5? They didn’t talk to any expats (ouch).

Highlights:

While everyone’s taste is different the LUXE guide lives up to its mantra of chic, fun and rather useful. This isn’t your “do Stockholm on $50 a day” guide. Rather it is “here’s how to do Stockholm if you’ve got money to spend. But even if you don’t have a wad of kroner to blow this LUXE guide includes plenty of affordable must-sees.

Lowlights:

The print is very small and in all capital letters.

Love factor:

I hated to get to the last page of the guide. It was an entertaining read.

Personal note:

I don’t know whether to be depressed or grateful for having read the LUXE Stockholm guide. Of the 123 LUXE listings (excluding the shopping itineraries) packed into this compact guide I have only eaten at 4 restaurants/lunch/coffee establishments, drank in 5 bars, partied at 1 club, indulged at 1 spa & beauty business, visited 4 museums and participated in 3 activities recommended.

After a short pause I’ve decided I’m grateful to LUXE for they have given me literally dozens of solid leads and motivation to be a professional tourist in my adopted city. Winter be damned; I’m going to check off these LUXE recommended places (excluding hotel accommodations, though I will recommend them to out of towners) one by one. Look for a new series on Stockholm Expat where I explore Stockholm the LUXE way.

LUXE City Guide give-a-way.

Black Expat is pleased to announce that we have 5 LUXE City Guides to give-a-way to 5 readers. You get to pick a guide from their selection. Simple tell us which is your favorite issue of Black Expat.com and why. Please include which expat inspired you the most and how.

Submit your answer as a comment here or to contact@blackwomenineurope.com.

Good luck!

In Denmark you get a week off in February. It’s called winter vacation and should not be mistaken for Christmas vacation (the fact that it is in February is a good hint). It is a remnant of the days of farming, when supposedly the kids were needed at home to help harvest the potatoes. Danes love their potatoes. Isn’t it funny that the potato isn’t even European and wasn’t even brought here until 1536? I figure Columbus was trying to throw his sponsors off the fact that well, no, he didn’t make it to India, and no, he didn’t find all the gold they lusted so heavily after.

If you can afford it, the best plan is to escape the last of the winter gray into a sunny part of the world, where you can cheat your way into Spring, Summer even. Last February, I figured I too, would treat my son and myself to a little sun.

The problem with traveling without purpose is that you often end up somewhere that does not fit you.  I picked Lanzarote because it looked beautiful and it is.  I managed to get a pretty decent rate for tickets and hotel.

Lanzorote is beautiful. It’s a volcanic island in the Canary Islands, a group of islands I have always wanted to visit based on the fact that I knew I could get my Caribbean weather fix, hear Spanish, get out of Denmark and be close to the spot that played not a small part in Columbus launching the seeds of imperialism out into the world. I particularly became interested in the Canary Islands when once, during a bout of researching, I discovered that there was an indigenous group there and they too, were conquered, colonized, but now, no longer existed.

No one in Denmark seems to understand my preoccupation with colonization.  Many don’t even know what it is despite the fact that Denmark once had a slave colony in what is now the U.S. Virgin Islands for almost 200 years[1]. In Danish school history books this curiously only occupies a page, whereas WW2 which spanned  six years, is granted 100s pages.

But anyway, I became intrigued by the Guanches[2] of the Canary Islands because throughout my travels around the world, one thing made itself particularly clear: We are actually not that far away from each other as we think we are. For example, something as simple as housing, whether you’re in Hawai’i, the Caribbean, the U.S. South, South America, Africa, you will see that there is a pattern there. In these places, you will find galvanized rooftops, verandahs, wooden louvers: all clues of the European adjusting to tropical climes.  If you come from a country that has once been colonized by a certain European country, well, chances are you have just as much in common with that European country and other colonies than you do with your ancestors.

So Lanzarote. I was excited. My son and I looked at pictures of it on the internet for days, commenting on its black, volcanic landscape.

When we landed a wall of heat hit us as we deplaned that took me back to the Caribbean. Ah, I am home, I think.

As we drive in the taxi to our hotel, my son’s smile is as large as the sky, and we can’t help but comment on the white-washed houses glittering like diamonds against its backdrop of black lava-covered landscape. The sky is blue and the hotel, once we arrived, sprawling.

It’s always a good time to travel when the economy is bust. Prices go down as the wise hold on tighter to their money. It is the fools who fuel the economy.

So for a very modest price my son and I were able to stay in a five star hotel, with an ocean-view and 3 resident swimming pools. After we enter the hotel room, we immediately raid the fridge for goodies. We bounce on the bed and contemplate the view.

Lanzarote is, indeed magical. The staff, gracious. We soon learn the grounds, the way to the small town and enjoy the fact that a. we are out of Denmark and b. the weather is fantastic.  There isn’t much to do the first day we arrive except discover our neighboring town. Fortunately for us, it is populated with a few good places to eat. That night, before we sleep and wake up to start the day with the breakfast buffett, my son and I look up at the sky and it is as if the stars are all bowing down to us.  The perspective of the night sky, from that location and time of year was spectacular. I showed my son the Pleiades star constellation[3] which resembles an arrow, and from that I was able to discover, for the first time Orion.

In an attempt to sustain whatever connection my son may still have to the Universe, I have begun taking an interest in all things nature. But this ends up being pathetic disparate attempts at gathering information from the internet in a life not able to contemplate its own existence. How can I catch him, while I am falling?

It should be apparent to you by now, in case I have not mentioned it, that one of the ways you can describe my current state of mind, if you want to avoid crazy, is by using the term mid-life crisis.[4]

I’m like what is going on? What are we all doing here? Why are people running around like they know what this is all about, but don’t? Nobody does! And then I start thinking, imagine if everybody in the whole world just kind of stopped. I kind of envision like every single human being stopping what they are doing, putting down their guns, getting off their computers, turning the tv off, putting that hoe down in the field kind of thing and come together. Come together and decide, we’re going to figure this life thing out. We’re not going to leave it to philosophers or other people of science, we’re not going to hand it over to religion, we’re going to look into ourselves and each other. We’ll make LIFE our focus. It’ll be like a world contemplate life day, except it won’t be just one day, it will be our priority, til we get it right.

I know what you’re thinking: in your dreams. And then I’ll tell you, you know what? I can only cry in my dreams, but one day, I really do hope to make those tears real.

But until then, I attempt to squeeze my contemplation of life in between teaching disgruntled students who want only to learn grammar, and a child who thinks what he sees on television is normal.  Why does everything have to be so alienated from the other?

So I endeavor to decode the skies and stars. I plot all the full moons into my calendar for the rest of the year. This I do in Lanzarote. My son admits that the constellations are magnificient. I do think he manages to get the enormity of it, just enough to snap him from the ipod stuper he seems to be in of late.

So that night we rest, my son and I, in Lanzarote, thinking, hey, we certainly beat the system this time! In the middle of the winter, we have escaped south…

One of the reasons I need to leave Denmark is because I find it suffocating.  I realized, while living here, how important it is for me to see difference.  But when you live in a country that was cited by the right-wing Norwegian suspected of recently blowing up Timothy McVeigh style some buildings in Oslo, Norway’s capital, as one of the only two European countries to have it right (read: anti-immigration policies firmly in place) then you get my drift when I tell you that difference is certainly not celebrated in a country like Denmark.

To put it mildly: I can’t even wear my hair out in this place.

So traveling has become a kind of cure for this.  I have used Copenhagen as my European base to see, well, more of Europe.  It is in this spirit that I traveled to London and experienced a multiculturalism I thought only existed in New York or Trinidad for that matter. It is in this spirit that I traveled to Madrid and experienced, well, how not culturally diverse that city was.  It was in this spirit that I traveled to Berlin, only to be flanked by the overpowering, opulent architecture that can only had been designed to make human beings feel, well, small.  It was in this spirit that I traveled to Amsterdam, and reveled in the First Annual Black Women in Europe Festival, and fell in love with the Surinamese people, recognizing my Caribbean roots in their food, their faces, their spirits.

But this time, although it belonged to Europe, it was not the mainland, and again, I was intrigued by the idea that the Canary Islands was once inhabited by a aboriginal people that were perhaps, related to the Berbers of Northern Africa. The Guanches are described as being tall, blue eyed and blond. Who spoke in a language of whistles.

The next day at the breakfast buffet, my son leaned in towards me and whispered, over the table, “Mom, we really stand out here.”  There we were, yet again, although far from Copenhagen, two rare birds sticking out amongst a sea of pigeons.  I vowed that I would never travel like that again. We wanted to escape the conformity of Denmark, but found ourselves entering the conformity of the world.

If you are an American living overseas you are invited to join the Americans Abroad professional network on XING.

The old adage holds true: it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

View last year’s Power List.

7 Financial Tips to Help Expatriates Prepare for When Danger and Disaster Strike Abroad

Summary: The unrest in Libya, Bahrain and the tsunami in Japan are vivid examples of the unexpected dangers faced when living abroad. How would you move money, pay bills and conduct other necessary banking transactions if you were stuck in the middle of political unrest or living in a country that experienced a natural disaster?

The unrest in Libya, Bahrain and the tsunami in Japan are vivid examples of the unexpected dangers faced when living abroad. Whether you are a career expat or starting your first assignment, when sudden events cause a country to descend into chaos to the point where the basic infrastructure starts to decay, the lives of everyone living overseas is impacted.

In Egypt during the civil unrest, the government shut down the internet. Forget trying to access Facebook, Twitter or Skype. Try conducting banking activities without phone or internet service. How would you move money, pay bills and conduct other necessary banking transactions if you were stuck in the middle of political unrest or living in a country that experienced a natural disaster?

Also in some areas of Egypt banks were closed for several days. When banks are closed for days, ATMs will begin to run out of money as customers start to hoard cash and the central bank can’t make deliveries to resupply banks.

Also as unfavorable weather conditions also impact the local employees, who do you think will be staffing the bank in your host country? Last November, while on vacation in Koh Samui, I was caught in a monsoon. As I was checking out, I realized I did not have enough Thai Baht and went across the street to the local bank to exchange money. However due to the excessive flooding in many areas, the bank never opened because the staff could not make it to work.

I think it is easy to imagine what it is probably like trying to find a bank or ATM in areas of Japan that have been tragically reduced to a pile of rubble and sludge.

Unfortunately in other parts of the world, life goes on and it is business as usual. Tuition needs to be paid. Mortgages on rental property are due. Financial obligations must still be fulfilled.

These 7 financial tips can help expatriates living abroad financially prepare for when danger and catastrophe suddenly strike.

Cash will always Rule
Citizens in the developed countries depend heavily on credit cards and cash in the form of plastic (ATM/Debit cards). However, many citizens of emerging countries don’t always have access to banks. In these countries only the rich and middle class can afford credit cards and the privilege of a formal banking structure. Also, in some cultures to incur debt is not looked upon favorably. These citizens operate on a primarily cash basis.

Keeping a supply of cash on hand in the local currency as well as a mix of other easily convertible currencies such as the U.S. dollar, Euro and Pound Sterling may help you secure hard to come by necessities and transportation.

Retain a bank account outside your host country
When expats move to another country they sometimes assume they won’t need a banking relationship with their home country and close all their bank accounts. If you are a expat, frequent business or leisure traveler, it is probably not ideal to keep your money in one country.

Have a bank account outside your home country that you can access remotely via online banking or telephone banking. If you feel comfortable enough, enlist someone you trust as a joint account holder or signer on the account so they can access the money for you in an emergency.

A multi-currency account is the best possible banking option. You will have access to more than one currency if global financial markets start to fluctuate wildly as they often do after widespread civil unrest and a catastrophic event. HSBC, Lloyds TSB, Everbank and Barclays offer multi-currency accounts.

Maintain a portfolio of financial solutions
Relying only on cash or credit cards can be a recipe for disaster for a dangerous situation that is changing rapidly and is escalating by the minute. As my Jamaican grandmother used to say “it is a poor rat who only has one hole.” Leave no financial stone unturned. At a minimum you should have the following financial solutions:

Debit/ATM cards
Credit Cards
Pre-Paid Cards – This is the new financial product du jour gaining in popularity due to its less regulated status. Banks and non-banks offer pre-paid debit and credit cards. Cash PassportTM a re-loadable travel money card available in several currencies by Travelex is a popular choice.
Virtual Credit Card/Virtual Credit Card Number – Due to an increase in global identity theft and fraud rings, these are also becoming more popular. They eliminate the need for having a physical card and work well for online transactions. Check with your bank to see if they offer this product or service.

Don’t overlook Pay Pal and Western Union. A pay pal account will allow you to send and receive money and make payments online with a valid email address. Western Union is available in over 300,000 locations worldwide and you can also send and receive money online and in person.

Also don’t forget to pack your checkbook when you move overseas. Although almost obsolete, checks are still recognized as a negotiable instrument. A check drawn on a global bank with branches in several countries might come in handy. Exchange fees and rates might not be the best, but an emergency is hardly the time to join the raging debate on bank fees.

Fund your own exit strategy
Before taking that overseas assignment, plan and begin to fund your exit strategy. After 9/11, most companies developed Business Continuity Plans. Your company’s primary goal will be to implement this plan effectively. Have your own financial resources available to execute your exit strategy for leaving your host country and ensure flexibility to make decisions for you and your family’s well being and security that best suits your needs.

Purchase extra insurance
Travel insurance is essential. However, it is not enough these days. Make sure your exit strategy includes a plan with a crisis response company that can provide travel, security, medical and evacuation services and if necessary repatriation of mortal remains. These companies are staffed with medical and security personnel and have vast experience in dealing with natural disasters and large scale emergences. Many of these companies offer corporate and indivual plans for travelers not attached to a corporation. Global Rescue, On Call International and MEDEX Global Solutions are some of the companies that have provided advice and assistance on evacuating people from Egypt and Japan.

Pay for membership with local chapters of expatriate organizations
Don’t wait for your company to sponsor your membership to expatriate organizations. Create your own network by purchasing membership for local chapters of expatriate organizations where you can meet veteran expatriates who have experienced an emergency or two and can provide support and helpful tips.

Also, these expatriate organizations work tirelessly on behalf of the rights of their citizens overseas and can provide a wealth of information about what is going on in your home country and how it impacts you even though you are living overseas. American Citizens Abroad (ACA) and The Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO) offer memberships. InterNations is an expat community for people living and working abroad and it is especially great for solo expats as they have quite a few social events to network and meet people. Membership is by invitation only.

Invest in technology
Technology is one investment you can’t do without. A satellite phone is useful if cellular service becomes unavailable. If permissible in your host country, a two way radio is also a good option. I never travel without my Doxie scanner, which fits into my carry-on luggage and is useful for uploading receipts, pictures and important documents. For storing sensitive data like passwords and account numbers, there are many IPhone apps available, and some of them offer encryption as added protection.

Lisa R. Mitchell is a global business leader with over a decade of experience in financial services.

Regarded as a “thought leader” on international financial services, she has spoken at several international conferences and written articles on financial topics that impact expatriates.

She spent 7 years as the Vice President and Manager of International Personal Banking (IPB) at Wells Fargo and she has also worked for Citigroup in several different divisions including retail, small business credit, relocation mortgage and expatriate banking.

Lisa holds an MBA from Thunderbird, School of Global Management and a BA in Political Science from The State University of New York at Albany.

Lisa is currently working on a book, Global Money Matters: A Guide To Making Smart Money Choices While Leading A Global Lifestyle to help individuals living overseas navigate their finances.

For more info or to purchase the documentary on DVD for $15, visit:
www.inspirefilms.net

These positions have a duration of 2 to 5 years with salaries up to $250k per year (USD) depending on assignment.

LANGUAGES
Arabic (MSA, Algerian, Egyptian, Gulf, Saudi, Yemeni, Iraqi, Levantine), Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telegu, Indonesian, Javanese, Japanese, Korean, Pashto, Dari, Persian-Farsi, Turkish, Turkmen, Urdu, Hausa, Igbo, Somali, Swahili, Yoruba, Baluchi, Bengali, Cambodian, Chechen, Georgian, Kurdish, Malay, Papiamento, Tagalog, Quechua, Thai, Azerbaijani, Kazakh and Uzbek.

QUALIFICATIONS
Required:
• An excellent command of the target language, as well as strong verbal and written American English skills (grammar, vocabulary, idioms, and spelling);
• Must be capable of providing idiomatic translations of non-technical material using correct syntax and expression from English to the native language or vice versa;
• Ability to conduct consecutive, accurate translations/interpretation of ongoing conversations/activities;
• Must be capable of providing cultural social, ethnic context of translations and interpretations, and advise supported organization on the cultural, social and ethnic significance of conversations, situations, documents, etc.;
• Must have good interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a civil-military team in an unstructured environment;
• Must be familiar with the local culture, conduct oneself in accordance with local customs;
• Must hold a current U.S. passport;
• Applicants selected will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information;
• Must be willing to travel/work in various locations worldwide;
• Willingness to work shifts and extended hours in support of 24/7 operations;
• Must be able to live and work in a harsh environment.

All applicants will undergo a background check, oral and written skills language examination, medical examination and counter-intelligence screening per conditions of employment on this contract.

U.S. Security Clearance Required: No
Schedule: Full-time
Travel: 100%
Benefits: Yes

Tony’s family immigrated to Massachusetts from the former Portuguese African colony of Cape Verde and he spent his formative years on Cape Cod. Tony graduated from Boston College and the School of Law at the University of Minnesota. Tony joined the Foreign Service in 1997 as an economic officer, and has served in several career tracks.

Tony is a political military officer in the Office of Political Military Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. Other assignments include deputy economic counselor, American Embassy, Abuja, Nigeria; environment, science and technology officer, American Embassy, Moscow, Russia; Deputy Director for African Affairs, Executive Office of the President, Office of the United States Trade Representative; special assistant, Diplomatic Readiness Task Force; watch officer, Operations Center in the Executive Secretariat; political and consular officer, American Embassy, Ottawa, Canada; and consular officer, U.S. consulate general, Shenyang, China.

He is a recipient of three Superior and two Meritorious Honor Awards, and the Recording Industry Association of America Award for Excellence for promoting the arts and the protection of intellectual property in Nigeria. Tony is a member of the Bar in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a former Term Member in the Council of Foreign Relations, and a graduate of the International Career Advancement Program. He speaks Turkish, Russian and Mandarin Chinese.

Prior to State, he was a Legislative Assistant in the Office of former Congressman Joseph Kennedy. Tony’s wife is a Foreign Service officer and he has a daughter and son with him in Ankara, Turkey.

A career member of the U.S. diplomatic service, Charles A. Ray currently serves as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Zimbabwe. From 2006 to 2009, he was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Prisoners of War/Missing Personnel Affairs, responsible to advise the Secretary of Defense on all matters related to accounting for personnel missing from past wars, and for the development and implementation of a national personnel recovery policy. From 2005-2006, Ray was Diplomat in Residence at the University of Houston.

His other diplomatic assignments have included Ambassador to Cambodia; he was the first U.S. consul general in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Deputy Chief of Mission, Freetown, Sierra Leone; administrative officer, Chiang Mai, Thailand; special assistant to the Director of the State Department’s Office of Defense Trade Controls, and tours as a consular officer in Guangzhou and Shenyang, China.

Prior to joining the Foreign Service in 1982, Ray served 20 years in the U.S. Army, with tours of duty in field artillery, public affairs, Special Forces, psychological operations, and intelligence. He served in Germany, Korea and Vietnam, as well as a number of military posts in the United States.

Ray has a B.S. in business administration from Benedictine College, Atchison, Kansas; an M.S. in systems management from the University of Southern California, and an M.S. in national security strategy from the National Defense University. He is a published author having written two books on leadership and four works of fiction. He also writes social commentary and in his spare time is a contributing editor to a New York City-based Internet radio network. Ray taught photography at Los Angeles City College, and has contributed photography to a number of national and international publications. He is also an artist and was the editorial cartoonist for the Spring Lake News, a North Carolina newspaper, from 1978 to 1981.

Ambassador Pamela Bridgewater has enjoyed a celebrated career as a United States Foreign Service officer who has led diplomatic efforts that helped change the course of world events. A native of Fredericksburg, Virginia, Ambassador Bridgewater is a graduate of Walker-Grant High School. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Virginia State University, received a master of arts degree in political science from the University of Cincinnati, and completed course work and advanced to candidacy for the PhD degree from the American University School of International Service.

A Foreign Service Career Minister, Ambassador Bridgewater’s overseas tours include Belgium, The Bahamas, and Jamaica. She has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and was the first African-American woman to serve as principal officer (consul general) in Durban, South Africa. She has the distinction of being the longest-serving U.S. diplomat in South Africa during the historic transition from Apartheid to a nonracial government. As the political officer assigned to cover Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress, a former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa said, “Bridgewater established a degree of trust and confidence with Mr. Mandela and the ANC leadership that the U.S. had not previously enjoyed.”

At the height of the most recent civil war in Liberia, Ambassador Bridgewater was named Special Coordinator for Peace in Liberia and spearheaded the efforts that led to a comprehensive peace agreement and democratic elections. Her extraordinary accomplishments and leadership abilities led President Bill Clinton to name her U.S. Ambassador to Benin; President George W. Bush to name her U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, and now, President Obama has asked her to serve as his representative as Chief of the United States Mission in Jamaica.

Before joining the diplomatic corps, Ambassador Bridgewater was a university professor at Morgan State University and Bowie State University in Maryland, and Voorhees College in South Carolina. She received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Virginia State University and the University of Cincinnati, and Morgan State University awarded her an honorary Doctor of Public Service.

There is a consistent theme that appears throughout Ambassador Pamela Bridgewater’s professional life, and that is her role as both mediator and mentor. As a professor, she intellectually challenged and encouraged her students who later distinguished themselves as states’ attorney generals, judges, academicians and authors. Among Ambassador Bridgewater’s mentees is former Jamaican Minister of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade and Ambassador, Anthony Hylton, who was her political science student at Morgan State University.

A tireless public servant, Ambassador Bridgewater has won numerous commendations for her contributions to international affairs and public policy including the Girl Scouts of Virginia Lifetime Achievement Award, the Dominion Power Strong Leaders Award, and the 100 Black Women’s Candace Award. She is the recipient of the U.S. Presidential Meritorious Service Award, the Charles Cobb Award for Trade Promotion, and three Department of State Superior Honor Awards.

The 2011 Expat Youth Scholarship is open to students ages 12-18 of any nationality who have resided in a foreign country for at least two consecutive years.

This year’s theme asks participants to create a video explaining their favorite thing about their host country and its culture.

A total of $10,000 in scholarships will be awarded to six students in the following categories:

Category One (Ages 12 – 15)
1st Place $3,000
2nd Place $1,500
3rd Place $500 Category Two (Ages 16 – 18)
1st Place $3,000
2nd Place $1,500
3rd Place $500

Please share this with any young expats you know who may be interested and visit www.expatyouthscholarship.com for more information.

The entry deadline is May 13, 2011.

The deadline for letters to Michelle, book 2 has been extended to March 1, 2011. We are also asking that you complete a survey, regardless of whether you intend to submit a letter. More information and the survey are available at our webpage: Go, Tell Michelle, Book 2

Deadline for submissions is 1 March 2011.

GHI Spring Lecture Series 2011

Crossing the Color Line: A Global History of the African American Freedom Struggle

Organized by Martin Klimke (GHI)

African American civil rights activists early on conceived of their struggle for racial equality as part of a larger struggle against colonialism in Africa, Asia, and South America. This lecture series brings together scholars from both sides of the Atlantic to reflect on this booming field of African America history and to shed light on how both African Americans’ quest for equality and the responses to it transcended the borders of the United States. Focusing on new actors and geographic regions, the series will offer a more comprehensive perspective on the civil rights movement.

All lectures begin at 6:30 pm (refreshments will be served from 6:00 to 6:30 pm) and will be held at the German Historical Institute, 1607 New Hampshire Avenue NW (Directions). Please RSVP (acceptances only) by Tel. 202.387.3355, Fax 202.387.6437 or E-mail.

Bourgeois Radicals: The NAACP and the Struggle for Colonial Liberation, 1941-1960
March 24, 2011
Speaker: Carol Anderson (Emory University)

Global Perspectives on the Black Freedom Struggle
April 21, 2011
Speaker: Manfred Berg (University of Heidelberg)

Black Expatriates and Civil Rights Activism in 1950/60s Ghana
May 26, 2011
Speaker: Kevin Gaines (University of Michigan)

The Night Malcolm X spoke at the Oxford Union, England: Race Protest in the Subversive Special Relationship
June 9, 2011
Speaker: Stephen Tuck (University of Oxford)

In cooperation with the Humanities Council of Washington, DC, the Black German Cultural Society, and the Goethe-Institut, Washington, DC

I’m Kadijah and I’m a producer for the production company based in the USA and UK called Leopard Films and work on the show called House Hunters International. Our show is widely popular show that airs on HGTV (Home and Garden TV). Our hit show is looking for energetic individuals, couples and families to share their story about moving abroad. Participating in our show is a lot of fun and a great way to document the exciting experience of searching for a home and new life abroad. So I’m looking for any Contributors who has recently moved abroad and bought property within the last 2 yrs. Contributors must also be fluent in English and be between the ages of 25 to 35.

To a get a better sense of what the show is about feel free to watch a few episodes of the show at : http://www.hgtv.com/house-hunters-international/show/index.html or go to Youtube.com and type “House Hunters International.” If you have any more questions regarding the show, please don’t hesitate to ask. You can contact me at Kadijah.Cliff@leopardfims.com. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Take a peek at a previous episode:

Already overseas and in need of a job?

Is it time to move on?

Whatever your job or career situation, we have added a new page with global job listings to help you find that perfect job.

You can search by continents and Australia, and clicking through any listing takes you to dozens more.

Happy Hunting!

First Lady Michelle Obama addresses the "100K Strong" State Visit event on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. January 19, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

During the President’s visit to China he announced the “100,000 Strong Initiative” to increase both the number and the diversity of young people from the U.S. studying in China. Today, the First Lady highlighted a series of efforts that will help support this goal, including:

Secretary Clinton’s “Double the Numbers Challenge” to encourage college and university presidents to double the number of students who study in China, with an emphasis on reaching Hispanic Serving Institutions and Historically Black Colleges.

A new Community College Mini-mester program that provides shorter-term, more affordable study abroad opportunities.

The Chinese government has offered 10,000 scholarships for Americans studying in China. These “bridge” scholarships will cover all in-country costs and target high school and college students and teachers. The D.C. Center for Global Education and Leadership (CGEL) will create up to 1,000 study abroad opportunities over the next four years in support of the President’s Initiative for students, teachers, and education policymakers from Washington, D.C. public and public charter schools, an underserved community.

The State Department has created a high-level federal advisory committee composed of prominent China experts and leaders in business, academic, and the non-profit worlds to help oversee these new programs and outreach efforts.

Sage words from the First Lady of the United States:

Maybe they may feel like study abroad is something that only rich kids do, or maybe kids who go to certain colleges; they’re the only ones who do that. They may hear those voices of doubt in their heads — you know, the ones that say that, “Kids like me don’t do things like that,” or “How will this really be relevant in my life?”

Now, I say this because I understand these feelings. I felt that same way back when I was in college. I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, and the idea of spending time abroad just never registered with me. My brother and I were among the first in our families to go to college. So, trust me, we were way more focused on getting in, getting through, and getting out — (laughter and applause) — than we were with finding opportunities that would broaden our horizons.

And the truth is, with the high cost of college these days, many young people are struggling just to afford a regular semester of school — (applause) — let alone pay for the airline tickets and the living expenses to go halfway around the world.

So we know that it’s not enough for us to simply encourage more people to study abroad. We also need to make sure that they can actually afford it.? ?

Read all about it: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/01/19/first-lady-michelle-obama-when-you-study-abroad-you-re-helping-make-america-stronger

from the BBC

John Abraham Godson, a Polish citizen born and raised in Nigeria, has been sworn in as the first black member of Poland’s parliament.

Mr Godson had served as a councillor in the city of Lodz before taking up a parliamentary seat, vacated by a party colleague after local elections.

His entry into parliament has created a media stir in the mainly white country. You can read the full article here.

Author, Carolyn Vines

I caught up with Carolyn Vines, author of Black and (A)broad and she graciously answered a few questions for me about her new book:

Why did you write a book?

I started off writing black and (A)broad to inspire black women to travel outside the US. However, as I got deeper into my writing process, I noticed that with each trip I made at various points of my life I also made an internal journey, which ultimately led me to my core self.

Traveling and living abroad helped me to redefine how I saw myself as a black woman in this world. From that point, sharing my story became about showing black women that we have options beyond the limitations of who our cultures tell us we are. No one can tell me who I am anymore, and that is so liberating.

What is the book about?

The book follows my movements from the moment my Dutch husband (then boyfriend) asks me to move to Holland with him to the present. My story moves back and forth in time and geographical space to my various moments of self-revelation.

My childhood was filled with tragedy. Add on to that the racial ugliness that still exists in the US, and it’s no wonder I had no idea who I was and what my potential was. However, even from a young age, I resisted living within the boundaries of what was expected from a black girl/woman. Traveling, even within the US, was a big part of that resistance.

black and (A)broad is also a love story of sorts as it does recount my relationship with my Dutch husband. Deciding to marry outside my culture, nationality as well as my race – with its ups and downs – is a story within itself. Interracial marriages can and do survive, and my book gives a glimpse into mine.

How did you get a book deal?

I didn’t get a book deal; I’m self-published. That’s also a good story. The first query letter I sent, snail mail, to a respectable publishing house in California garnered a response. The acquisitions editor requested a proposal, read it and gave me feedback. She loved my writing and found that the story was a compelling one that needed to be told. Unfortunately, she was more interested in a travel guide for black women and if I were willing to write that type of book, she’d certainly consider a book deal with me.

I thought long and hard about her suggestion and decided to stick to my original plan. I wanted to write a memoir with a message, and that’s what I did. The interesting thing is that the decision was in keeping with my message, which is that we must strive to define ourselves in our own terms and on our own terms.

I knew that whether the publishing industry endorsed it or not, I was a writer. I learned that I didn’t need anyone to tell me that. Secondly, whether the publishing industry endorsed it or not, this book deserved to be published. I didn’t wait around for anyone to tell me that my book was good enough to be published.

Sure I gave up some things, but I can say, with conviction, that I have no regrets.

Do you have any advice for sisters who want to live in the Netherlands?

For sisters who want to live in the Netherlands: just do it. Holland is a good place for Americans. It’s a better place for black people because the Dutch are not obsessed with race. I’m not reminded day in, day out that I’m a black woman, which frees up my energies for other things like raising my kids, keeping my marriage healthy, seeing to my own needs as a woman, ensuring that my creative fire burns, establishing myself as a writer, editor and publisher.

The other thing I’d say to sisters is this: Dutch men do get their swirl on! Do I need to say anything else (LOL)?

What dreams do you have for your daughters?

I want them to grow up with a solid sense of who they are. I don’t care too much where they live; it’s about what they want. I want them to know their worth!

Get your copy of Black and (A)broad today:

Building on the great success of the first ever European Diversity leadership Summit in Vienna 2010 and the high interest and demand expressed by former participants and partners, we are most happy to invite you to join us at the 2. World Diversity Leadership Summit Europe in Vienna from the 24 – 25 of March 2011!

If you want to find out how you and your business can profit from Diversity and be competitive in today’s rapidly changing environment, then join us in Vienna in March 2011! Visit www.wdls.eu to find out more about Europe’s most important Business and Diversity Summit and take advantage of our special offer.

Diversity has never attracted as many stakeholders as it is doing today!

Unfortunately WDLS-EU registration capacity is limited. We therefore strongly recommend you register early and take advantage of our Limited Early Birds Special Offer (490€)!

Special Early Birds Rates for students and NGOs

WDLS-EU also offers special rates for NGOs and students. Find out more by clicking on this link: www.wdls.eu/registration2/

WDLS-EU Registration

Kindly visit our homepage under www.wdls.eu and register under www.wdls.eu/registration2/ in order not to miss out on Europe’s most high-ranking and informative Summit on Business Leadership and Diversity.
Register today and join us on an extraordinary and global Diversity and Inclusion journey!

WDLS-EU 2011 registration fee includes:

Participation at all conference and breakout sessions from 24-25 March 2011
Conference materials
Opening and adjourning receptions
Cocktail Reception European Diversity Leadership Honours
Coffee breaks and meals
Bus Transfers related to conference Agenda

Visit www.wdls.eu for our full agenda, speakers and registration forms.

Vienna 2011 awaits you, and we look forward to welcoming you to the heart of Europe!

Please Join

Members of Democrats Abroad

South Africa in Honoring

Reverend Jesse L. Jackson

With a Luncheon at 12:00 p.m. in the afternoon on Wednesday, November 17, 2010

At the Lemurian Sandton
70 Dennis Road
Atholl, Johannesburg

Space for this event is limited so register today!

For further information: RSVP-ZA@democratsabroad.org

If you have questions please contact Lindsey Reynolds
at ed@democratsabroad.org or call + 1.202.488.5073

Paid for & Authorized by Democrats Abroad

Contributions from non-US citizens and corporates are not permitted.

Want to know what it is like to be an African American expat in Germany? One sister, Rose-Anne Clermont wrote a book about it:

Basically, the book “Busch Girl” traces my experiences being a black woman in Germany over the last ten years. Many people can’t believe some of the experiences, but it’s all true and written in a humorous tone.

One of the small anecdotes from the book was recorded on NPR Berlin, the link to that is here:
http://berlinstories.org/2009/01/07/rose-anne-clermont-on-seriously-bad-manners/

Rose-Anne is touring Germany and Austria. Be sure to check her out:
http://www.randomhouse.de/author/author.jsp?per=357189&mid=5#tabbox

Inspired by Forbe’s Most Powerful Women 2010 List on which Michelle Obama is named the most powerful woman, I decided to compile a list of The Most Powerful Black Women in Europe.

The Black Women in Europe™ Social Network members have submitted nominees and I invite you to do the same. You can suggest a name to be included on the 1st The Most Powerful Black Women in Europe List by commenting on this post or by emailing contact@blackwomenineurope.com.

Simply include a name of a powerful black women in Europe (or 2 or a dozen), their country, and why they are powerful. If they have a website please include the URL.

DEADLINE IS 29 NOVEMBER 2010. THE LIST WILL BE PUBLISHED ON 3 DECEMBER 2010.

And above all thank you for helping to create The Most Powerful Black Women in Europe List!

And a special thank you to Mark Derek McCullough for creating The Most Powerful Black Women in Europe logo as an early birthday present to me.

–I. E.

–-Lonely in London

Help a fellow expat by telling us how you deal with feeling lonely abroad. You can comment here or email us: editor@blackexpat.com with “Question” in the subject line.

Got to Vote From Abroad to request your absentee ballot before the end of the month for the crucial mid-elections in November.

Even if you have requested a ballot to vote over seas before, unless you have specifically requested one for the mid-term elections, you must do that now.

Berry A. Claytor Scholarship

Chinese Study Abroad Program

Offered by African-American Linguists

http://www.weboaal.com/scholarship.htm

•

Claytor Scholarship Deadline: Materials must be received by October 30.

•

Eligibility:

• African-American student

• Open to African-American students studying Chinese at the undergraduate or the graduate levels.

• It is not required that the applicant be a Chinese language major or minor.

• Student must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the major.

•

Scholarship:

• Totaling $5,000

• Scholarship funds will be used for study abroad at Beijing Normal University - www.bnulxsh.com

(NOTE: After selection, the Scholarship Committee will work with applicant to expedite application to BNU)

• The scholarship is for tuition, books, lodging, and airfare for one semester of study at Beijing Normal University in Chinese language.

• The student is responsible for finding out whether s/he could use the credits towards their U.S. university study BEFORE accepting the scholarship.

•

Application Materials:

• Essay of 500 words or less should include the following:

1) What is your interest in Asia, specifically China?

2) How have you studied the language previously?

3) Why would you be a good candidate for the scholarship?

• 3.0 GPA in the major of study (Mail official transcript to address below)

•

Submission of materials:

Submit essay to: scholarship@weboaal.com

•

Mail certified transcripts to:

Tamari Jenkins/African American Linguists (or AAL)

Chaffey College

Language Arts 107

5885 Haven Ave.

Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91737

•

Fall 2010 Issue

a

Dear Black Expats,

Konichiwa tomodachi!

Hello friends!

We hope this issue finds you well. We are happy to bring you a second Asia issue, this time focusing on Japan.

Japan is special for Black Expats for several reasons. First, it is one of the most popular destinations due to both the US military presence and the prominence of English teaching programs such as JET. Second, until recently it was one of the few non-Western modern nations. These two factors have attracted many Black Expats over the years to observe and love the culture and its people. It is also one of the most organized, though I use this term loosely, Black Expat areas where the community centers around a site called Black Tokyo whose webmaster, Eric Robinson, is a topic of one of the articles in this issue.

We hope the interviews in this issue, as well as the living and spending guides, will help any interested in sojourning the Land of the Rising Sun.

Hit television show ‘House Hunters International‘ (currently showing on the Homes and Gardens Network in America) is casting for a new season. If you are currently looking for a home abroad, I would like to put your story on TV!

The property and travel show is looking for energetic individuals, couples and families to share their story about moving abroad. Contributors can live anywhere in the world but should be fluent in English.

Participating in the show promises to be a lot of fun and a great way to document your exciting search for a home and new life abroad.

If you are interested in participating in the show or want to find out more, please send an email to househunterscasting@leopardfilms.com or Kadijah.cliff@leopardfilms.com. Please include your contact information, the locations you are moving from and to, and a picture of your family and your current property.

If you would like to take a look at a few episodes please feel free to do so here or go to Youtube.com and type “House Hunters International.

IPI Interim Director Alison Bethel McKenzie. Photo: IPI

The International Press Institute (IPI) Executive Board announced on Monday that it was appointing IPI Deputy Director Alison Bethel McKenzie as Interim Director following the decision by Director David Dadge to pursue new opportunities after overseeing two successful IPI World Congresses and strong development of the organisation’s press freedom activities.

Chairman of the IPI Board Janne Virkkunen said: “David has done an excellent job during his relatively short term as the Director of IPI, under the difficult circumstances created among other things by the global financial crisis. I have known David for many years and I know that he has been and will always be a true fighter for press freedom and freedom of expression. David is now, of his own will, stepping down from his post as the Director of IPI and it is time to thank him for his tremendous efforts to fulfil our mission as an important global press freedom organisation. On behalf of the IPI I wish David good luck in the future, whatever his coming challenges will be. Our new Interim Director, Alison Bethel McKenzie, starts her job only a month and a half before our next World Congress and 60th year anniversary celebrations, to be held in Vienna and Bratislava in September. I know that Alison will do an excellent job in leading the IPI secretariat and preparations for the next congress.”

Ms. Bethel McKenzie, who joined IPI in 2009, has over 25 years of experience in journalism, as a reporter, bureau chief, editor and media trainer. From 1995-2000 she was senior assistant city editor at The Boston Globe, supervising a reporting staff that covered City Hall, urban affairs and transportation. In 2000, she joined The Detroit News as features editor, and then became the paper’s Washington, D.C. bureau chief from 2001 to 2006, overseeing coverage of the White House. She joined the Legal Times in Washington, D.C. in 2006 as executive editor, moving on in 2007 to the Nassau Guardian, in the Bahamas, as managing editor.

Before joining IPI, she spent a year in Accra, Ghana, for the Washington, D.C.-based International Center for Journalists, as a Knight International Journalism Fellow, helping Ghanaian journalists improve their reporting skills in the run-up to the country’s 2008 presidential election.

Web: www.freemedia.at

IPI World Congress
Vienna & Bratislava
11 – 14 September 2010
www.ipiworldcongress.com

Follow the link below to read this story.

People in this Russian town used to stare at Jean Gregoire Sagbo because they had never seen a black man. Now they say they see in him something equally rare — an honest politician.

Photo: Russian councilman Jean Gregoire Sagbo is the newly elected councilman of Novozavidovo, a village 100 kilometers (65 miles) north of Moscow. He is Russia’s first black politician. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

Hi Ladies,

This is your last opportunity to let me know if you can help keep our network on Ning. I am having second thoughts about moving platforms after reviewing your profiles during vacation.

We are rich in members in so many ways (diversity, locations, talents, etc) that I do not want to loose any of us in a transition.

You are needed to take a few minutes to answer a few questions, once and for all via our Black Women in Europe Social Network survey link.

Hugs from Sweden,

Adrianne

http://www.dennisonbertram.com

Here’s the link to see his entry and if you like it, vote too!
http://www.pdnthelook.com/bin/Rate?image_id=1009900394

Read all about Trina’s project, Uncaged Birds, and learn how to participate:

FIVE YEARS AGO…

…I traded in my corner office for a room with a view.

In 2005 I left my job as Head of Human Resources Development in a major ad agency to establish my own training and coaching company – Creating Tomorrow: The Leadership Consultancy.

“Creating Tomorrow” – the name itself reflects the enormous Leap of Faith this step represents in my life!

As you can imagine, the road has often been rocky – filled with its fair share of both joy and frustration. To commemorate the challenges I’ve faced on my journey thus far, today – 1 June 2010 – I am launching a project that is very near and dear to my heart: Uncaged Birds™.

Why “Uncaged Birds”?

Inspired by Maya Angelou’s seminal autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Uncaged Birds™ honors the realization that simply opening the door to our proverbial cage isn’t enough. Each of us must make the decision to step through the door take flight. This confidence- and skill-building program is designed to reflect the specific needs, heritage and history of women of African descent living in Europe. It is also a vehicle to foster intensified dialogue between women of African descent in the Americas and in other parts of the world; esp. Europe.

“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”–Maya Angelou

With Uncaged Birds™ I provide support for women of African descent as they more effectively tap into their innate individual and cultural strength, and utilize that strength as a powerful springboard to personal and professional success – in a safe, stress-free environment that respects our heritage and history.

Let’s be our own role models!

Uncaged Birds™ addresses the specific needs of women of African descent committed to succeeding both personally and professionally, despite the added challenge of living and doing business in cultures that are still not used to seeing people of color in a positive, non-stereotypical light. After having lived and worked for more than 30 years in Europe, I designed the program I would have personally wanted and needed for support and motivation as a young expat and woman of color making her way in Europe.

“Nothing will work unless you do.”–Maya Angelou

The launch portfolio will expand throughout the year offering a variety of individual and group coaching, training and communications platforms.

Let’s Get Started!

Are you a woman of African descent living in Europe? If so: be a part of TableTalk: The Virtual Round Table!

This Year’s TableTalk will be a 3-part series of 90-minute interviews taking place in July!

“I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.”–Maya Angelou

15 July 2010
The Expat Talks or “What’s a nice (Black) American girl like you doing in a place like this?” – A group of five Black American expats share stories and experiences about living and working in Europe, and tell how leaving America has affected the way they see their country – and themselves.

22 July 2010
Europe in Black, Brown and Beige or “No, where do you really come from?” Five Afro-European women come together to discuss issues of national and cultural identity, and compare and contrast how those issues are viewed differently from country to country.

29 July 2010
What We (All) Know or “The free bird thinks of another breeze.” A mixed group of African-American expats and Afro-European women come together to combine their insights about living, loving and working in Europe.
I will act as moderator/facilitator for this series, motivated by my own personal expat experience after living in Germany for more than 30 years.

What’s Left?

Visit the site and let me know what you think!
• What do you think of the launch portfolio?
• Are you interested in being a part of TableTalk?
• What do you think would be a relevant topic for the upcoming CoachingHives™?

Uncaged Birds™…

…was created to support you when and as you need it, so you can more confidently wing towards – then embrace – your own brand of personal and professional freedom!

Find out how to participate: http://uncagedbirds.wordpress.com/

Creating Tomorrow:
The Leadership Consultancy
Tel.: + 49-176-548 208 35
Mail: info@creating-tomorrow.com
Web: www.creating-tomorrow.com
Blog: www.creating-tomorrow.com/blog

Expats in Sweden may be interested in participating in a survey. I got this request on XING to send out to the relevant groups I moderate so I thought I would share it here:

Dear Madam or Sir.

Thank you very much in advance for taking a few minutes for considering my message.

My name is Tobias Luzius and I do currently work as expatriate at Freudenberg Household Products AB in Norrköping, Sweden. Besides my employment I am studying a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Liverpool, and I am currently preparing my final dissertation (master thesis). The dissertation requires, besides extensive literature research, an empirical part for which I need to collect and analyze primary data in form of a survey. This is also the reason of my email today.

The topic of my dissertation is “Influences of national culture on the leadership style of expatriates in Sweden”, dealing with the following research questions:
– What leadership styles do make a leader effective in Sweden?
– What influences does the Swedish culture have on the leadership style of expatriates in Sweden?
– How susceptible are expatriates in Sweden to local leadership styles?
– Does the influence remain with the leaders after they return to their home countries or do they fall back to previous behavior?

For the collection of primary data I do a survey among expatriates in Sweden (those currently working in Sweden and those who might have moved back not too long ago), ideally from different industries and different nations of origin. The aim of the dissertation is to understand the cultural influences and their impact on the effectiveness of expatriate leaders, thus providing basic research for supporting the effectiveness and success of these expatriates.

In order for my empirical research to be meaningful, I need a considerable amount of data. Therefore I am contacting you today kindly asking for your help.

At https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Expatriate_Leadership_in_Sweden%3E you will find my online survey. The survey will take about 15 minutes to respond. All information, including the statistical data, will be anonymous, respondents will not need to provide their name or company information.

The results of my work, which I finish in September, will be made available to all participants who leave their email address at the end of the survey.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact me at any time:
Via Email: tobias@luzius.de
Via Telephone: +46 70 684 7939

Thank you very much in advance for your time and your kind support.
Best regards
/Tobias

Tobias J. Luzius
_________________________
IT Manager Nordic
Freudenberg Household Products AB

P.O. Box 608 (visiting address: Mäklaregatan)
602 28 Norrköping
Sweden

Fon: +46 (0) 11 19-7939
Mobil: +46 (0) 70 684 7939
Fax: +46 (0) 11 19-7905
Email: tobias.luzius@fhp-ww.com

28-year-old Zimbabwean Vimbayi Kajese first came to China for a visit in 2004, then moved to Beijing in 2006. She now works as the early morning news presenter at CCTV-9, the English Channel of China Central Television.

She is the first African news presenter on the Chinese Mainland and perhaps the whole of Asia too. Her bright smile, eloquent diction and elegant demeanor have impressed millions of TV viewers and Internet users around the world.

Read the exciting story.

Expats have disposable income and special needs.

Stockholm, Sweden April 15, 2010 – The AGCG Advertising Network provides businesses, service providers and event planners access to the diverse and economically important market of black women and global citizens known as expatriates.

“Black women continue to spend money on the products and services they need even during an economic downturn”, Adrianne George, founder of the AGCG Advertising Network explains. “While they may focus more on items for the household and less on discretionary purchases, black women continue to make buying decisions for themselves and their families”.

Indeed, research reported in Target Market News shows that purchases by African Americans of items related to the home continued to increase despite the need for economic sacrifices. Appliance purchases grew 27% to $2.2 billion. Computers for home use climbed 28% to $3.5 billion. Consumer electronic expenditures went up by 32% to $4.5 billion.

“Of course the market for reaching black women extends outside of the United States”, says George. “In fact black women in Europe are often an ignored market yet make spending decisions daily as do their other European counterparts”.

International citizens known as expatriates can be found in every corner of the world and have special needs. “As an expat from the States living in Europe I know these needs first hand”, George reveals. “While the reasons vary for living abroad those who do need mobile phone service, information about schools for their children, insurance options, food stuffs, and other personal items”, she says. “Just imagine starting from scratch and needing to know everything”. Businesses who reach out to the expat market find a receptive audience.

The AGCG Advertising Network is comprised of multiple Internet properties from recognizable brands: Afro European Sister’s Network, Black Expat, Black Female Authors, Black Women in Europe™, EurOBamaBlog, JobsinStockholm.com Blog, and Women of the African Diaspora, and provides vertical advertising across several platforms and several channels.

Since one size does not fit all the AG Communications Group can also create advertising plans that include additional websites outside of the AGCG Advertising Network as well as ad copy in different languages.

“The time has come to court black women and international citizens if you want to grow your business and expand your customer base”, says George. “These are two of the most loyal markets”.

Contact: adrianne@agcommunicationsgroup.com
AGCG Advertising Network: http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/agcg-network/
AG Communications Group: http://agcommunicationsgroup.com/about/

Three of the group, known as Simbirsk White Power, were convicted of the racially motivated murder of Etizok Ndobe Ernest in the city of Ulyanovsk.

Investigators said his throat was cut and he was stabbed repeatedly on his way home from work as a DJ in 2008.

To continue reading this article click here

House Hunters International is a real estate travel program that airs on the Home & Garden cable network (HGTV). They are currently casting people for this show right now in Sweden and are looking to tell your story on TV. Our show consists of a family or couple who has relocated in the past few years and the property they have purchased.

The purpose of the show is to demystify the process of moving and living abroad. You can learn more about our show and watch episodes here: http://www.hgtv.com/house-hunters-international/show/index.html or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyQyGFyVwoQ

Putting together an episode with you would be a real treat for our audience and it’s a lot of fun for you too. Contributors to the show get a nice keepsake shot in HD video and also receive compensation for your time and efforts. Please contact the casting team at househunterscasting(at)leopardfilms.com for more information.

The first issue of Black Expat online magazine in 2010 will have a focus on Asia.

Stay tuned for interviews with expatriates in mainland China, Hong Kong and Thailand.

There are so many black expats in Asia that we will follow up with a second Asia issue.

If you would like to be included you can submit your own story and photos to editor@blackexpat.com or answer our interview questions and submit them along with your photos.

And regardless of where your expat experience has taken you in the world, past or present, we would love to include you in a future issue, hear your feedback and have you send us your questions.

As the saying goes “Health first …and all other things shall be added onto you”. You are invited by the Gesundheitsbehörde Hamburg, MIMI Project Hamburg and The EuroAfricaCentral Network to the Joint Health Seminar/Workshop for Africans in Germany coming up on the 6th of March, 2010.

Entry is FREE and strictly on registration + invitation!

Registration:
http://www.interculturalmedicine.com/index.php/seminars.html
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=266556161331&ref=m
Survey:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cnR5ZHFHRUxnVkpGRXdfOHVRWU1TbEE6MA
Poster:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=266556161331&ref=m

J. Nathan Bland began his career with the U.S. Department of State as an intern at the Foreign Service Institute. He then returned as a Presidential Management Fellow assigned to the Public Affairs Office for the East Asia and Pacific Affairs Bureau.

He joined the Foreign Service in 2006 and served his first tour as a consular officer posted at the U.S. Consulate in Shenyang, China. He is now serving as the public affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See.

Mr. Bland, a native of Louisiana, graduated from Louisiana College in December 2000 with a B.S. in Business Administration. He then went to Xinjiang, China to teach English for 1 1/2 years before returning to attend graduate school at Seton Hall University’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations. He graduated from Seton Hall with a M.A. in Diplomacy and International Relations and an M.A. in Asian Studies.

If you’re going to be an expat you really should learn the local language. But that can be expensive and time consuming. Fret not. I discovered a free interactive tool for learning languages and want to share it with you. It’s called Live Mocha.

Here’s more good news! If at least three of you sign up for a free course via my link (you can take as many courses as you want. For example I am using Live Mocha to maintain my French, improve my Swedish and as a support for the Arabic course I am taking) we will all get a free Travel Crash Course (regular price $9.95) in the language of your choice!

The Travel Crash Course is available for English, Portuguese, Mandarin and Spanish speakers learning English, Mandarin, Spanish, Italian, German and French.

Here’s my link:
http://www.livemocha.com/invite/r:emS5jJGJ

Hugs,
Adrianne

In the fall of 2010, Clements International will be awarding scholarships to the winners of an essay and creative image contest.

This year’s theme asks, “Where would you go in your flying house?”

The Expat Youth Scholarship “Life in a Flying House” offers participants a chance to use their experiences living in a foreign country to imagine where their journey might take them next. The phrase, “Life in a Flying House,” is inspired by the idea that expat students who spend their childhoods moving between different countries and cultures develop rich life experiences.

Eligibility

Students ages 12-18 of any nationality who have resided in a foreign country for at least two consecutive years are eligible to apply.

You must have lived outside your home country (country of passport) and the foreign country/countries in which you lived cannot be your country of passport.

Categories & Scholarship Awards
Clements is awarding a total of $10,000 in scholarships to six students in the following categories:

Category One (Ages 12 -15)
1st Place $3,000
2nd Place $1,500
3rd Place $ 500

Category Two (Ages 16 – 18)
1st Place $3,000
2nd Place $1,500
3rd Place $ 500

Submitting your Entry

Entries must be submitted electronically. We will not accept mailed entries. Our online form will allow you to enter your personal information and essay text, attach your image, and input your electronic signature.

Completed entries must be submitted by Thursday, May 13, 2010.

If you are unable to submit your entry online or have questions regarding the online entry form, please e-mail: info@expatyouthscholarship.com

http://expatyouthscholarship.com/

I just found out about an online food store, My American Market for Americans craving a taste of home and anyone else across Europe that likes American food products.

Hopefully, If you’re an African American exapt in Europe, you are enjoying more slow food, less processed food and seasonal fruits and vegetables than you may have allowed yourself at home, and maybe don’t even miss what is so readily available in the States.

But a sister from the States in the Mediterranean mentioned to me the other day that she still has a hard time eating pancakes without maple syrup. Luckily I can find maple syrup in Stockholm. But if you need boxed cornbread mix…

Use coupon code “BEXPAT21″ until the end of October to get 10% off your order shipped in France and EU+Switzerland.

Happy shopping, eating, baking, etc!

Beatrice Acheleke, founder and leader of the Black European Women’s Council was honored at the 2009 World Diversity Leadership Summit this month in Washington, DC. Ms. Acheleke is a mother, executive director of AFRA, a non-profit, non governmental self-organisation and NGO of Black Women with headquarters in Vienna, Austria, and an inspiration to Black women everywhere.

Previous honorees include Vaclav Havel, former President of the Czech Republic and leader of the Czech Velvet Revolution against Communist Rule.

The World Diversity Leadership Summit conference is the world’s leading gathering of senior corporate executives, leading experts and policymakers focused on global and local diversity best practices. Conference partners included some of the largest and most respected companies and media outlets n the world.

BlackExpat.com is proud to know Beatrice and have her as a member of our community! We salute you and congratulate you!

Wanted:
Follow up letters to the book Go, Tell Michelle, African American Women Write to the New First Lady. New submissions are requested from Black women living in Africa, Australia, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin American, the Middle East, and South America addressed to Mrs. Michelle Obama.
We are especially interested in your reactions to this historic event in African American history; the public response to Michelle in your community; your perception of how Michelle has changed the image of Black Women around the world; public reaction when she visited your part of the world; your hopes and dreams for the First Lady; treatment of Michelle by the American and foreign press and your fears, cautions and hopes.

Why: Published in the upcoming book Go, Tell Michelle: African American Women in the Global Diaspora.

What: Submissions can be poems, letters, and other prose and should be between 350 -800 words.

When: Your deadline for submission is October 1, 2009. Submit to: uqi@buffalo.edu (Uncrowned Queens Institute). Send questions to pbertram@gmail.com and bnevergo@buffalo.edu

Visit: Go, Tell Michelle Sisterhood Network at GTMsisterhoodnetwork.blogspot.com on http://gtmsisterhoodnetwork.blogspot.com/

Africans working or studying in the city live in constant fear of attack, according to the report by the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy.

A quarter of 200 people surveyed said they had been assaulted more than once. Some 80% had been verbally abused.

But the number of assaults was down from the MPC’s last survey in 2002.

The report’s clear conclusion was that Africans living in Russia exist in a state of virtual siege, says the BBC’s Rupert Wingfield Hayes in Moscow.

Extreme violence

Many of the African respondents said they:

* Avoided using the Moscow metro
* Were also careful to avoid crowded public places
* Did not go out on Russian national holidays or on days when there were football matches

Many of the attacks on Africans were pre-meditated and extremely violent, the report found.

One Nigerian migrant interviewed by the BBC had been repeatedly stabbed in the back and then shot.

Another man said his attacker had attempted to remove his scalp.

Officially there are some 10,000 Africans living in Moscow, but far more are believed to live there illegally – many as economic migrants.

The Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy is an English-speaking interdenominational Christian congregation that has ministered to Moscow’s foreign community since 1962.

Read some of your comments about this story:

As a foreigner you will never feel safe in this country. Shairaz, St. Petersburg, Russia

I’m Asian, not black, but that was one of the main reasons why I left Moscow years ago. I did hear and see the violent assaults on just any black people in Moscow, and our school actually told all the black students not to come in for two weeks around Hitler’s birthday for feared attacks. I’ve lived in many different parts of the world but Moscow certainly was the worst one in that respect. Such a shame. B., Moscow, Russia

It is dangerous to use Moscow tube for all kinds of minorities, not only for Africans. Moscow hooligans point out different targets from the crowd. While visiting Moscow I try to look alike typical muscovite to avoid attention attraction. If you are in a crowd it’s safe to use the tube and any other public areas. Kirill, Rostov-on-Don, Russia

However sad it is, I have to admit that these facts are true. We are in 21st century, but still attitude towards non Russian people here in Moscow remains the same. Foreigners at least are treated with suspicion; at most they are attacked, bullied. I don’t see that many Africans on the streets, you can hardly find them in public places. Even though I know that many study in Moscow. When you see Africans in Moscow, they always go in large groups of four or five people, never alone. Seeing a black person here is still exotic. Ordinary people just stare at them, but there are groups of youngsters, who think that Africans should not be here. Listening to all of this horrible stories on radio, TV about Africans being attacked, I am surprised why there are any who choose to come to Moscow. Svetlana, Moscow, Russia

For me it comes down to one thing, these people are living in the past. We welcome every foreigner including Europeans back home. The only way we can improve our own communities, we come and learn, then take back our experiences back home. Unless someone realises this, tough time are ahead of us. O., Moscow, Russia

Really? I lived in Moscow for four years and never once witnessed the subject of the report. It was something reported in the foreign press which mysteriously I and my colleagues never saw. Like most everything else reported on Russia, it was not true. However, I have seen rampant and very unpleasant prejudice twice in my life once in Nova Scotia and once in Salisbury in Wiltshire. Michael Hockney, Vancouver, Canada

While I didn’t live in Moscow, I did live in St. Petersburg for the winter of 2005 on a study abroad trip. Even then, the racial violence was startling… people were being attacked on the streets just for the colour of their skin. The anti-caucasus sentiment as spread to a nationalistic furore against any foreigners, students included. There was a contingent of African students at the university where I studied, and they all lived in the dormitory in the same building as the classes. They all travelled together if they had to go anywhere, while I felt fine walking alone in the dark winter days. I felt so guilty for feeling safe inside my white skin, and so horrified that innocents were being attacked just because they were there. This is a problem that the West has roundly ignored for too many years. Trista, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/8230158.stm

Q3 September 2009 Content

• Interview: Ernest White II – in-depth on Columbia
• Sierra Henderson – Marriage For Hire – propositions while studying abroad
• Francis Holland – reasons for why he prefers living in Brazil
• Terri Doerrzapf – communications entrepreneur in Germany
• Black in the Day: West Indian Expats in Latin America

Read the new issue of BlackExpat.com today.

Host: Solidarité Africaine de France
Moderator: Sandrine Joseph
Price: 12€
Date: Sunday, September 6, 2009
Time: 12:00pm – 6:30pm
Location: Belushi’s Paris
Street: 159 Rue de crimée Metro CRIMÉ ligne 7
City/Town: Paris, France
Email: soafric@hotmail.fr
Website: http://www.s-af.org/

Au nom de l’association Solidarité Africaine de France , nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à une rencontre excepptionnelle, dont le thème sera: Identité noire dans la République Française ( la place des noirs dans le paysage républicain).

La rencontre se déroulera le dimanche 06 Septembre de 12h à 18h selon le programme ci-après 12h à 13h présentation des participants, de 13h à 14h déjeuner, et de 14 h à 18 débat au restaurant le Belushi’s Paris 159 rue de crimée( en face du canal ).

J’attire particulièrement votre attention sur le fait que notre intervenant, l’historien,écrivain,éditeur Dieudonné GNAMMANKOU, est un des plus grands professeurs d’histoire(enseignant d’histoire Africaine à la Sorbonne), il est aussi l’auteur de nombreux livres et articles.

Vous avez des idées des propositions d’actions favorisant la diversité et des envies de partager pour agir alors, chaque participant aura la parole entre 5 et-10 minutes pour exposer son idée.

Un modérateur sera présent pour assurer le cadre du débat et reformuler les propositions.

Un repas d’un prix de 12€ à la charge de chaque participant est à payer sur place au restaurant. Toute participation confirmée engage auprès du restaurant le paiement du repas.

Pour de plus amples informations vous pouvez joindre Arsène Olivier NIOMBELA au 06 09 24 81 63 ( responsable de la communication SAF) or Guy Samuel Nyoumsi au 06 98 97 43 61 ( Président de SAF).

MOSCOW — A second candidate of African descent announced he’ll run for head of a rural district in southern Russia, election officials said Monday, making for an unusual slate in a country with deeply ingrained racism.

The campaign for head of the Srednyaya Akhtuba (pronounced SREHD’-nyah-yah ahk-TOO’-buh) district already has attracted wide media attention because of the candidacy of Joaquim Crima (pronounced joh-ah-KEEM’ KREE’-mah), a Guinea-Bissau (pronounced GIHN’-ee bih-SOW’) native who’s become known as “Russia’s Obama.”

But now he faces a challenger with racial credentials even more like Obama’s — Filipp Kondratyev (pronounced fihl-EEP’ kahn-DRAHT’-yehv) is the son of Ghanaian father and a Russian mother. Kondratyev announced his candidacy last week, said Gennady Shaikhulin, deputy head of the Volgograd regional elections commission. Obama is the son of a white mother from Kansas and black father from Kenya.

Antipathy toward nonwhites is widespread in Russia, and observers say hate crimes, including killings, are rising.

But Crima appears to have used his self-deprecating humor and upbeat demeanor to become something of a local celebrity.

Crima says the authorities have become wary of the popularity he has accrued, and he accused them of putting Kondratyev forward to snatch votes.

Kondratyev “came to light only after the start of my campaign,” Crima told The Associated Press Monday. “It is obvious the authorities see me not only as a popular candidate, but as a serious candidate. This is something they were not expecting.”

Kondratyev denied being a stooge, telling the AP that he has no ties to the current administration head, Vladimir Romanov — who is among the total nine potential candidates for the Oct. 11 vote.

Romanov, seeking a second successive term, also denied wrongdoing.

Crima already has complained of other forms of pressure. He said Monday that unidentified men visited him at home Sunday and offered 3 million rubles ($95,000) — six times his annual salary as a watermelon vendor — to withdraw from the race.

All nine potential candidates are affiliated with or have expressed affinity for Kremlin-friendly parties.

Official campaigning for the vote begins Aug. 30, by which time potential candidates each must submit around 800 signatures of support for registration with the elections commission.

A black woman backed by the anti-immigrant Northern League has been elected mayor of the small Italian town of Viggiu close to the Swiss border. Sandy Cane, elected in local elections held across Italy at the weekend, won by a slim margin of only 38 votes.

The 48-year-old mayor will govern the town and surrounding district of Valceresio, on the border of Varesotto and the Swiss canton of Ticino.

The daughter of an American soldier and a woman from Viggiu who emigrated to northern France, Cane was born in Springfield in the US state of Massachusetts.

She told Adnkronos that the Northern League had “welcomed her warmly” and that she “was in love with Viggiu”.

Read more at adnkronos.com.

“I want to think about the elderly and the young,” she said. She regarded as a “joke” suggestions by the Northern League secretary in Milan, Matteo Salvini, that the city should segregate train passengers by race.

Read more at The Independent.

View more photos.

African American women living in Europe are invited to submit a letter to United States First Lady Michelle Obama for an upcoming book entitled Go, Tell Michelle, African American Women in Europe Write to the New First Lady. This is a follow up to the book Go, Tell Michelle, African American Women Write to the New First Lady (GTMsisterhoodnetwork.blogspot.com).

For more information and to participate contact Peggy Brooks-Bertrain on pbertram (at) gmail.com.

Soul Cities with Nelson George

From the desk of Nelson George
August 1

In October I’ll be officially announcing that I’m editing a new international black travel site. Can’t tell you the name, but can say that there’ll be video, pictures and blogs about traveling while black that cover destinations in the U.S. and around the world. My upcoming trip to Rome, Milan, Barcelona and Madrid are for this web site. I have trips coming up to Toronto, Miami and LA. I’m looking for recommendations for spots to visit in those cities. Remember — always travel black.

*********************************************************

Nelson George is coming to Europe next week and is looking to speak with/interview black expats living in the above mentioned cities. (see hid bio: http://nelsondgeorge.net/?page=bio)

If you would like to be interviewed, please send names/email addresses to pamlew62(at)aol.com.

We’ve been gone for a bit but the Q2 issue is coming out now as promised!

As before, we will provide stories and insights from Black expatriates around the globe from the usual to the most unexpected. In this new issue we chronicle:

David Crane, man of many talents – MC, illusionist, entrepreneur, and expat in the United Arab Emirates!
The chronicles of Black expats in Ghana, local expat Elimisha Jaliwa and the local support organization the African-American Association of Ghana
Mirco Richardson who has made a new life in Germany a long time ago
Harolynne Bobis, living with her husband in rural Greece
The grand saga of the centuries old presence of Black Expats in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union

As always we also provide insight into their chosen homes from the sights to how much rent costs.

Become a “fan” of our Facebook page today and join the global Black Expat community. Start and join discussions on the “Boxes” tab at the top of the page: http://companies.to/blackexpat/

This is not an issue to miss! Tell your friends!

And as always, we welcome your stories and submissions at submissions@blackexpat.com. Bloggers interested in guest posts are encourage to email contact@blackwomenineurope.com.

Click to the new issue here: http://blackexpat.com/new/black-expat-q2/

Thank you for reading the new BlackExpat.com.

Kind regards,

Reggie, Adrianne and Derek
BlackExpat.com Team

Clements International is excited this year to be offering a new scholarship program for expatriate students. US$10,000 will be shared between six winning students, aged 12-18, of any nationality, who have spent at least two years living outside of their home country.

The scholarship contest offers expat students a chance to share their experiences of living in a foreign country through an essay (500 words or more) and creative media (photographs, illustrations, paintings or video).

“As a company devoted to protecting the futures of expatriates and their families, this scholarship demonstrates our commitment to supporting growth and learning among this unique segment of the population,” said Vice President of Marketing, Lloyd Yavener.

The scholarship entry deadline is Friday, May 15, 2009.

So hurry… Click Here for more information and good luck!

Multi-talented Bonnie Greer was born in Chicago where she later studied with David Mamet before moving to New York to study at the Actors Studio with Elia Kazan. She has been living in Britain since the late 1980s. Bonnie regularly contributes articles to the Guardian, Telegraph, Independent and Marie Claire as well as appearing for comment on TV and radio. She has been a judge on many prizes including the Orange Prize for Fiction. Her latest play will be moving to the West End in 2009.

Her latest novel Entropy will be released in May. Here is a description of the novel:

Janet Bookman Baker is trying to come to terms with her father’s death and a weekend long ago when he disappeared without a word. She sits alone at night watching the lights in her neighbour’s garden, imagining his hands on her skin and listening to a voice on the radio. Although she has never met the owner of the voice, in Janet’s mind, Anna becomes her closest friend…

Unaware of Janet’s existence, Anna Taylor is facing a crisis of her own. When someone starts leaving her messages, she becomes convinced the person behind them holds the key to her past as well as her future. A mysterious 19th century photograph seems to link the two women, but as they discover the ties that bind them, they are forced to question all they know, and to ask themselves whether they are prepared to risk everything to be free.

Read Bonnie’s interview with her publisher.

The fact of the matter is that no matter how well you have adjusted to your new life abroad, you will always be visited by a nagging longing to go home. This longing does not reveal itself constantly, but instead chooses to hide behind your happiness and optimism until, well, you realize that although you may even think of your new country as home, you will never, ever be really home until–

Until what? My theory is that this longing will always surface and that you must get better at combating it. The truth is, I can’t move back to the U.S. now. If I didn’t have a child, it would be another story…
This weekend my son sprained his ankle. But before we knew it was a sprain, I had to take him to the emergency room to ensure that it was not broken. We showed up at what was a very quiet emergency room. We both were well-armed: I had my students’ work to correct, my son his psp and new Tony Hawk game. The wait was not long and the staff, pleasant.

“You speak perfect Danish–It is not everyday that I meet foreigners who speak fluent Danish.” The doctor was young and had kind eyes. She was gentle with my son and I felt very comfortable.

“Well, I’ve been here ten years and to be honest, I am sure I am capable of speaking even better Danish if I practiced more.” The conversation was in Danish.

“Where are you from?”

“New York.” I told her. Her look quickly turned to disbelief. “Why are you here?” I explained to her that my son’s father was Danish, and well, you know…

“I would do anything to live in New York.” She admitted, “How to you deal with being here?”

“Well, take this situation for example.” I explained, “If I was in New York, I probably wouldn’t even have health insurance.” She nodded her head knowingly and in the end, I ended up, inwardly, to ask myself the very same question: What AM I doing here in Denmark?

Yesterday I had a talk with a friend of mine who now lives in Switzerland. Dmitri and I go back to ’94, where we met at The Coop in the Village. I’ve written about the Coop before: A fantastic little club that played Hip Hop and Reggae and surprisingly, had a mostly Black patronage despite it’s downtown location. The d.j. at the time, accordingto Dmitri, could have very well have been d.j. Spooky, but all I could remember was that he was GREAT. Biggie, The Police, Sean Paul–we managed to dance all night.

Dimitri and I ended up speaking for almost two hours. Like me, Dimitri is a writer and we both wrote for the same publications. He was once the Associate Editor at the Source and he continues his writing, to this day, in Switzerland where he is in the throes of finishing up his novel. With two kids and a wife, he has, very much like myself, learned one of the most valuable lessons inherent in having a family: that of putting one’s ego aside.

Actually, Dimitri lives in France, on Lake Geneva, in a little village where he and his family commute to Switzerland everyday for work or school. Dimitri moved to Flatbush, my old hood, when he was an adolescent and often his viewpoint is both as an insider and outsider. He is passionate about Haiti (his country of birth) and is determined to tell the success stories of this historically rich island.

It helped a lot exchanging experiences about being Black in Europe. As he said, he would prefer to be in the States, because there, there is more room for social and economic mobility. That is true. He said, “Europe is an old concept–there is not much that will change soon.” I have to say, I agree.

The other morning I ended up watching a BBC documentary about German colonialism in Namibia– this was the first, true Holocaust and all that they would later do to the Jews they did to the indigenous people in Namibia. When you look at the history of colonialism you understand where and why constructs of race were made, and you also realize how little many in Europe know of their own colonial past and the role their past governments have made in the devastation and rape of people and countries throughout the world. Now they begrudgingly give “aid” to so-called Third World countries when in truth, the amount given, or loaned, will never, ever match what had been originally taken.

This is the truth Europe must reckon with but by all accounts, she ain’t there yet. No matter how token a gesture some of us may think Obama’s presence in the White House is, the fact is, he is there. This will never happen in Europe.

I get particularly miffed at my situation when I get on the Metro. It puts me in a bad space: first of all, people’s ineptitude at using this form of transport grates against my nerves. All of sudden I realize how provincial this city really is. The metro is new, and etiquette yet to be established. It weighs my heart down when the faces that look back at me look nothing like mine.

Well, anyway, it was great to talk about how much we missed Jewish folk (if you’re from New York, you know what I mean); how difficult it was to get work despite our education (D got a degree from Harvard) and what countries are good to find okra and what not.

I try not to write when I feel like this. But it is an aspect of my truth. I am not happy with this current perspective I have of this world, and I will try to move out of this funk.

In any event, thanks Dimitri, for yesterday. We need to talk more often.

farvel,
the lab

US Study Abroad Demographics

As you see, African-Americans (about 12% of the population overall; not sure the % of higher education students) are only about 3.8% of students studying abroad. There could be many theories, financing, lack of programs at schools they attend, fear or ignorance of going abroad, major selection, etc. but we still believe this is a problem that should be fixed. Especially in the 21st century. The full report is here.

Dear Readers,

As everyone knows, we live in increasingly precarious economic times with all of us struggling to keep our jobs or just make ends meet. In light of the current turbulence in some areas of the world, we on Black Expat would like to give a few tips that may help in your time abroad in these volatile times. Unemployment is soaring and industrial output collapsing in many parts of the world. We are not being alarmist but just helping you have a safe and fun time abroad.

1. Unfortunately, it is the verdict of history and experience that economic turbulence brings political and social turbulence. Several governments such as Iceland and Latvia have already fallen (albeit peacefully) and riots and demonstrations are being increasingly seen in many parts of the world. This will likely continue.

2. Political and social instability can bring grave consequences especially to those seen as having means or being outsiders. Attacks on foreigners such as Americans or Blacks could increase. Be aware of your surroundings at all times and stay clear of any mass demonstrations or unruly mobs of people. Don’t let curiosity get you in trouble!

3. Keep abreast of the news in your country of residence daily. If things begin to change, especially for the worse, you do not want to be caught by surprise.

4. Banking systems are increasingly unstable and not all countries have FDIC protection for deposits like the US. It is a good idea to keep a good reserve of cash at home for living or travel expenses in case of bank or financial emergencies. Also, keep your cash in a STABLE and EASILY CONVERTIBLE currency. If hyperinflation or worse hits the country, you want your cash in the most stable medium possible, most likely US dollars, Euros, or Japanese Yen. In the worst case scenario, gold is usually always convertible (but expensive).

5. You should register with your home country’s embassy and keep abreast of travel warnings. If it is recommended that foreigners leave, don’t be stubborn LEAVE (otherwise like a friend of mine you could be caught in a war zone like the summer 2006 war in Lebanon).

6. Far-right and other fringe groups are gaining currency, especially in places like Eastern Europe. Be aware of these sorts of rallies and don’t hang around the general area if they happen.

7. Do not advertise your Western (especially American) status unnecessarily. Flashing passports and having signs of wealth such as jewelry and electronics may attract the wrong kind of attention.

8. Make sure all of your passport, visa, and residence documents are up to date. Legal residency may become more strictly enforced.

9. Have a contingency plan in case you lose your job or have another emergency.

We hope these tips will help those abroad continue to have a memorable experience in these unusual times. Thanks for reading Black Expat!