(00:01):
And I studied, uh, the ways that black people were portrayed in the mainstream. And Sally, it was not good.
(00:16):
Welcome to Shout Your Cause with Sally Hendrick, a digital magazine where you can get found, get heard, and get inspired with content that challenges us to be globally minded. Our focus is on raising awareness around social justice issues, cultural differences, and to bring you the people dedicating their lives to tackling challenging topics as their way of giving back. Let us be your advocate to make your voices heard around the world.
(00:46):
Right now, I am working on expanding a multimedia platform called Black Expat Stories, um, where we showcase the beauty in the black sit by documenting the journeys of black expats living all over the world. And so, um, there's another sort of great migration that's happening. Where are you getting money out of this? What's your monetization? So we monetized through events, so live events. As a matter of fact, we just did a private screening of the Woman King, which finally made its way down to Mexico. So we were able to purchase, uh, a theater and offer our expat community, um, a live viewing experience as a collective. And it was, it was amazing. Ooh, that sounds so fun. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So we're preparing for the Wakanda forever, um, which is happening November 11th. And, um, also looking to add subscriber tier to the, to the digital, um, publication, which will come in the near future, as well as, uh, doing a docu-series. Yeah. So we just will, um, take whatever we gather from the series that we're gonna be doing on, on video and stripping the audio and, and uploading it to the podcast, and also having some sort of behind the scenes interviews with, um, some of the storytellers that we have that will be sharing their journeys. And Black Expo stories.com has the, the written stories. Yeah. Um, yeah. Yeah. And we're continuously adding to it. That's
(02:21):
Courtney Bowden, the inventor of black expat stories. Last I checked. Her website is a journey of chapters tucked behind a membership wall. The website is well done. Courtney goes on to explain what Black expat stories is all about.
(02:37):
Hi, Sally. Thank you so much for having me. Black Expat Stories is a digital multimedia publication that showcases the beauty in the black sit by documenting the journeys of black expats living all around the world, one story at a time. And so, uh, the idea came because I, myself, I'm an expat and I am living in Mexico currently, and I have been for the last year and a half. And before I left, you know, I did all the research and, you know, connected with all of the online communities and discovered once we got on the ground, how extensive the expat community is, and how many, um, Americans and Canadians and Brits were deciding to leave their countries of origin to live in places like Mexico, to live in places like Indonesia, Turkey. Um, and I've spoken with so many other black expats, living all around the world.
(03:39):
And so, um, I found that not only, you know, are there a lot of us out there, but we all have a story to tell. We all have a reason as to why we decided to leave our countries and, um, in search of freedom community, um, healing and belonging elsewhere. And, um, it started as just kitchen table conversations. To be quite honest with you, Sally, I would, for some pe for some reason, people love to tell me their stories, and they tell me things that they don't often share with other people. And so I would sit down with people, we would have game nights, we would just be, you know, having dinner casually. And we would get into some of the, the reasons why we decided to make this our lifestyle being an expat, because it is in, it's a whole new world, and it's so exciting, it's so exhilarating, and there's so many communities that are being built around it.
(04:37):
And, uh, I noticed that there were so many of us, uh, that were coming to some of the same areas. And, um, we had some of the same gripes or, or reasons as to why we decided to move. And I saw the, the, the common thread. And I also as a, as a person who loves history, I remember reading about the great migration that happened, um, from the 19, from 1900 to about 19 60, 19 70, where a significant percentage of black Americans moved from the South, which there was a huge con, huge concentration of, because of slavery to places like, um, the Midwest, Michigan, Illinois, uh, even out west to California, various places along that coastal line. And so, as I started hearing some of the same stories and some of the same reasons, and I thought to myself, you know, there's another great migration brewing. And I felt a strong calling to capture it and to service almost a witness, because I know that when the mainstream media gets a hold of this phenomenon, they're going to probably peg it as a, um, as a moment. But I don't think of it as a moment. I think of it it as a movement because there are people who are getting, um, uh, residencies and visas and permanent citizenships in these other countries because they're recognizing that the quality of life that they've been seeking and that they've been desiring may not always exist in the country of their origin.
(06:18):
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(06:45):
So why Mexico? So Mexico, we moved, you know, during the height of the pandemic, and, um, it was just a good time in our lives. My husband and I, we don't have any children and we don't have a, um, a whole lot of obligations that, that keep us here in the states. And so, and I say here because I'm currently in Atlanta doing some traveling, but Mexico was, um, a great choice because we, we had never lived abroad before. And as you can imagine, it can be an overwhelming and intense, intimidating experience. And so we wanted to make it a little bit easier on ourselves by moving to a place that wasn't too far from our own home base here in Atlanta. And so where we live is only about a two and a half hour direct flight. We also, because of, um, the, the explosion of remote work, my husband became untethered from his, from his role professionally and, you know, was able to do more traveling and be location independent.
(07:58):
And so it was important for us that he was in a time zone that, you know, his, the rest of his team were gonna be in. So we came from Atlanta, which is on the eastern, uh, standard time. We moved to an area of Mexico, which is on central standard time. So not a whole lot of adjustments that needed to be made there. Um, the, the visa situation is quite straightforward and pretty easy in Mexico. And so it didn't take a lot for us to have to apply and, and, you know, go through that whole immigration process, although we did end up doing it. So I am a temporary resident of Mexico right now. Um, and it's just a beautiful place. Once we got there, we noticed how, again, extensive the expat community is there. Where we live in Plyo, Carmen is the second fastest growing city in Mexico. There's so many developments. The quality of life is incredible. I wanted to live by the water, by the beach, have access to that, and just have a change of scenery so I could really heal and find myself more and transform, transform my life. And my life has been transformed because of this publication that we've started. And, um, again, this movement that we've identified.
(09:18):
So how is it that you're meeting people in play Del Carmen, what's the easiest way to get plugged into an expat community? And in addition to that, are you learning Spanish
(09:32):
? So the easiest way to get plugged into expat communities, I would say, would be to search online. So there are so many Facebook groups, anywhere you want to go, you can search expats in whatever city or country that you're looking into. Um, there are quite a few Facebook groups for Mexico because there are, you know, um, a few areas, a few hot pockets, if you will, hotspots for expats that we typically would travel and settle into. And so, uh, those communities offer you so much information around housing, around, you know, basic things like, uh, how to find out how to pay your utility bill, especially if you're going to a country where you don't speak the language. This, this stuff is helpful. Um, and so there are apps as well. There's the expat app, uh, which recently launched, I believe it was last year, which connects expats, especially black expats, living all over the world.
(10:32):
Um, there are WhatsApp groups. Let me tell you something, when you live abroad, WhatsApp is life. Everything happens on WhatsApp. There are groups, there are threads. And so, um, we were able to really cultivate community even before we got on the ground. And to answer your question, yes, I'm learning Spanish, um, [inaudible] I need to learn more. Uh, but living in Mexico for the last year and a half and being immersed in such a beautiful culture, um, and the language has helped me increase my skill level. So I would say I'm probably about a second grade speaking level.
(11:11):
The first language that I was exposed to after English, of course, was Spanish. I was taught Spanish in school, starting in I think the first grade. And so I ended up taking a ton of Spanish in high school and then in college. And then I went to Spain and I was over there for a semester. And so I speak Spanish pretty well. I still keep it up now. And then I went into Italian as well and started setting that because of all the traveling that we did. So I applaud you for definitely jumping in to learn the Spanish, because there's so many places that you can go if you decide to even go beyond Mexico that will speak Spanish. It's, it's a really wonderful, beautiful language.
(11:56):
It really is. And like you, I had, um, some Spanish education in school, but it didn't start until high school and then I continued it in college. But I will say classroom Spanish and, and Spanish on the ground in the real world is, I would say there are almost two very different things. Um, because when you're learning in the classroom, you get the benefit of having your instructor or your teacher kind of slow down and explain things. But when you're sort of thrust into it, when, for instance, you're trying to negotiate a fair, uh, uh, cab ride , you know, there's a lot of things that you pick up and, and, um, it really is trial by fire, but it's fun.
(12:43):
Can you share some, you know, a story that's on your black expat stories? Maybe tell me a summary of one or two of them. I, I'd love to hear what, what's going on with your new friends?
(12:55):
Yeah, absolutely. So, um, these stories are still in development, so you will see them on screen very soon. So I spoke with an expat who lives in Easton Bull Turkey and has been for the last year or so. And you know, a lot of people think that when you move abroad, you know, especially to places that maybe, um, uh, tourist attractions and, and places that are on people's bucket lists, a lot of people have the misconception that life just is paradise, right? All you do is eat great food and lounge around, but that's not always the case. Um, life still happens even if you have become an expat. And so the story that she shared with me was one where her mother came to visit her, and she's originally from F Florida. Her mother came to visit her, and unfortunately they both contracted C O V I D and, and she recovered, but her mother did not.
(13:59):
And so her mother had to get hospitalized and had to have, you know, professional medical care. And unfortunately, her mother did succumb to, to covid related, um, a covid related illness there in Easton Bowl. And so she was sharing with me how important it is for people who decide to leave the country to make sure that their medical affairs are in order and make sure that they have all of their, um, their documents and their paperwork. Because after her mother passed unexpectedly, she was thrust into having to sort of sort those things out. But she did say the beautiful thing. Um, and I guess the silver lining of all of this was the community that she had cultivated while living in Istanbul really surrounded her with so much love. She has a daughter there as well. And so they offered to watch her daughter as she was taking care of the final arrangements.
(14:57):
Um, they came and celebrated her mother's life with her. They were just there for her. And so she said, she told me, she said, Courtney, honestly, I feel like I've had more support here from my chosen family in Easton Bull then my, you know, family of origin back in the States. And so she was just talking about how strong community is there and how seriously they take, um, someone passing away because family is so big there. So that's one story that I'm really excited to share with folks because again, a lot of people think that it's all sunshines and rainbows, but it's not. But the, the lesson here is to make sure that things are in order when, if you decide to, to live abroad. And also the importance of cultivating community. Another story that I'm excited to share is of a woman who moved to Mexico and decided to open up a co-working space.
(15:58):
And she, um, came from here in Atlanta with, which is a creative hub for so many people, and realized that where she was, there were many other creatives there too that did not have a space to go and create maybe, um, record podcasts and do open mic nights and things like that. And so she shared the story about the 30 days leading up to her grand opening of, um, a creative workspace in, in Plyo Carmen. And so I'm really, really excited to share that story. As a matter of fact, yesterday she just, uh, celebrated her one year anniversary. And, um, seeing her journey has been so incredible. And so, um, I'm excited to share her story with the world because it shows you that an entrepreneurial spirit can really support you anywhere you are in the world. I mean, she has a brick and mortar space and she went through a lot to really open up this space for the community, but, uh, she has done it and she has been able to sustain herself for the last year. So it's these stories where people go and they leave a life in a land that they've, they've, that they, the only one that they've known, and they're able to c create and cultivate such a beautiful life, um, elsewhere. And so the purpose of another purpose for us showcasing these stories and illustrating these stories is to show people that, um, you can create a beautiful life outside of the United States or outside the country of your origin. Um, but I would say the number one key is cultivating community.
(17:43):
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(18:10):
I love that you found her and the co-working space. I actually thought that you might mention that a co-working space would be where you would find people, because that's how I found people when I was in Prague and also when I was in Krakoff Poland, and I ended up asking them, I said, Hey, I tell you what, you get people to come and I'll come do a free Facebook ads presentation to, you know, your groups. Cuz I was just thinking maybe they're using them, maybe they're not. At least I would get my name out there and I would also be able to have a little bit of footage to show online and throw some international experience on there in order to say, you know, I've met these people overseas. I didn't make any money necessarily doing that in particular, but it certainly gave me, um, well it got me out of my nerves, if you will. You know, I was able to, to get that out my system and to do something outside the box and have these wonderful trips that I was taking and meeting new people. And guess what, that was a tax write off too. .
(19:21):
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I, I've, I've met expats, um, who share, who are willing and open with sharing their stories in co-working spaces, like you've mentioned. Um, there are all kinds of gatherings. So where I live, there's always something that's going on. So in the WhatsApp groups, the Facebook groups, um, I've met people, um, at dinner parties, I've met people who have introduced other people to me because the expat community can be very small and interconnected. And so I've just encountered people from all over the world. And that's one of the most rewarding parts of, of this experience of building this platform, is just how, um, many people have intriguing and compelling stories that I believe the world needs to hear.
(20:14):
I remember too that when I went to, uh, college in Spain, the people that I met there and then the people I met on my travels that I did outside of that over the years, those are the people that I've become friends with and keep in touch with the most, in addition to a few friends from home and a few friends from college. But as far as my international experiences, I really feel like there's this, I don't know, there's some commonality, there's something about wanting to be a global citizen and wanting to know all about the entire world as opposed to just knowing about basically your own zip code and the five or six six around you.
(20:55):
Exactly. Exactly. And I think that's the other thing too, Sally, and I'm glad that you mentioned it, is having this global perspective and being a global citizen, I feel more like a global citizen than I have ever, um, I I've ever had in my life because I have to be aware of not only what's going on in my home country, which I'm back here to vote actually, um, but also what's how that impacts the rest of the world, right? I think that there's a huge misconception that when people like me decide to leave the country that we sort of unplug totally. And we, we disengage. But that's actually not the case because, um, I just happen to live in a country that neighbors the United States, we share our border and what impacts my home country impacts the country that I'm living in. And I would say that, um, it has made me a more well-rounded individual, a more self-aware individual of, of all of my privileges and misconceptions. It has broadened my perspective. Um, it has deepened my empathy for other people and it has allowed me to connect with folks who are so different from me. And I can appreciate all of those unique qualities in others, I think more so than, um, if I would've just stayed put
(22:28):
You go into more of this great migration that you were talking about earlier. What do you think about that whole concept?
(22:38):
I'm sorry, the first part, um, was, was muted. Can you repeat your question?
(22:43):
Why don't we go into more about the great migration that you were talking about before and how that applies?
(22:50):
Yeah. So the great migration that's, that's brewing, um, and I believe in the near future we're gonna start seeing more, uh, hard empirical data to back this up. But there are so many people that have decided to leave the United States or are making that transition. And, um, I liken it to the great migration that happened in the 19 hundreds, from the 19 hundreds to about 19 60, 19 70 because, um, back then, you know, specifically I can speak to the black experience because I've had family who participated in the great migration. That's actually how I ended up being born in Michigan because both of my, my family, um, my, my maternal and paternal sides are from the south. My mother's side is from Mississippi, my father's side is from North Carolina. And so, um, for anybody who is aware of the original great migration that happened in the United States, between that time, uh, a lot of black Americans decided to leave the deep south for opportunities in the north, the Midwest, and also the West in California.
(24:06):
And in those kinds of areas, and there were job opportunities, there was less overt discrimination. Um, and, you know, people decided to create and, and create lives and, and build families there, right? Establish families. And so the thread, the commonality that I'm seeing between what happened back in the 19 hundreds, from 1900 to about 1970 ish and today, is that more black Americans are looking for spaces, safe spaces where we can fully be ourselves, we can be fully free, not targeted due to the color of our skin. Something that we just simply cannot change, uh, especially given how polarized our country is now, especially along the lines of race. And so, um, I find that there's so many commonalities. You know, it says that people say that history repeats itself. And I, and I believe that history is repeating itself in some ways, but it's, it's evolving in others where folks are not just limiting their, um, their ability to, to move just only in their countries, right?
(25:20):
Only in the United States. They've broadened their, um, their searches to, um, the international space. And I think that's largely because of the pandemic which have, which has untethered people from having to be, um, physically present in a location for work. It has also been spurred by, um, the, the rising cost of living. And I think the, the decrease in quality of living. We have so much gun violence, school shootings and, um, mass, you know, mass violence that I think that people are starting to really, they're starting to explore other ways, um, in other places to live because we are in such a globalized society and we have so much access to other information, firsthand accounts, uh, journalism travel, I think exposes people to the possibilities. And, uh, I think that we are going to be witnessing even more so, uh, a migration, the next great migration where folks are leaving, um, places like the United States, Canada, I've met so many Canadians, um, Britain, United Kingdom, all of that.
(26:42):
So it's exciting and it's also something that I think should be taken into account by our legislators who are, you know, running on certain platforms. It's, you know, it's important to, to attend to the needs of people. And I think that, I think that so many people, including myself, we've gotten a little bit disillusioned about, um, what's happening and, you know, the state of our country or countries that, um, making a move like this is brave. It's, it's scary, but sometimes it's necessary. And I will say that for me and my own family, it has been, um, a saving grace, honestly. It has been such a healing experience, um, a fulfilling experience and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. And when I talk to other expats who have moved for some of the same reasons, they share that sentiment and oftentimes the only regret that they have is not doing it sooner. So I'm here as sort of like an evangelist of sorts to encourage people, um, to open it up as a possibility, open the cells up to the possibility of potentially moving abroad and, and not relying on what mainstream media tells you about other places. Because when I say that I live in Mexico, people are like, well, what about the cartels ?
(28:23):
You know? And they're like, are you okay? Like, every time something happens, people like messaging me, like, are you, are you okay? You're in Mexico. And I'm like, baby, I need to be asking you, are you okay? Because I just heard of another school shooting. You know? And that just does not happen in other parts of the world. So, um, all that to say, I think that, um, the world needs to know what's happening. This movement that's this bur about this burgeoning movement. And, uh, I think that we will start to see more people make the move. And, um, I'm just here to serve as a witness and to tell the stories.
(29:10):
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(29:37):
I love that you brought up all of this and how, how brave it is for people to be able to do this sort of thing, to actually leave where they started. A lot of times I feel like some of the problems here in the US are so heavy that you feel like you just have to kind of uproot and move forward because it's as hard as change is it, it takes a lot of courage to move into a new space like that, into the unknown. And it is kind of funny, even though people, people are still really, they have those misconceptions about other places and it's like, wait a second, look at your own home. Look at the glasshouse that you're in, right? Because, uh, you're, you're not, you're not seeing what's happening here right now today, there's a whole new white flight situation happening in the south too.
(30:37):
Really, there are a lot more about this. Yes, there are a lot of small towns where in the past maybe the population was, uh, 50 50 when it comes to black and white. And then you have a lot of Mexican migration or immigration. You have a lot of new communities coming in, a lot of shifting around. And what happened in my hometown is an entire white flight to a zip code that used to be nothing but farmland. People have started to build houses there over the last 15 years or so. They've been building houses in this community and they ended up having enough population at that point to build a brand new school. Well, I decided to go and do some research on the statistics of the zip code. They went, they came from where I was, was growing up to the zip code where they moved to, and also the school, um, the school statistics when it comes to education, free lunch program, et cetera, et cetera.
(31:44):
Crime rates, median income. I did a, a big research study on that cuz I was trying to win a grant from the Rockefeller Center. Well, what and what ended up, I didn't get the grant, I'm sorry, but I will be writing a book about all of this cuz I think that there's so many examples to show. When I researched what was going on, my hometown had changed to be 98% of the students were on the free lunch program. Mm-hmm. , the median income was 30 to $35,000. The new zip code that hardly had any population in the past, really, except for a few farmers, is now $65,000 median income and about 15 to 20% on the free lunch program. And most of the people in the new school are white. Wow. And it happened, it just kept happening and people were leaving of a couple of different towns and coming to this smaller town and, and getting away from these other cities that were, um, basically you, when you end up not tending to, and I remember you said this just a few minutes ago, when you're not tending to the needs of the people and you're not accepting the cultural differences that people have and bringing them into your workspace, bringing them into your home, you know, treating them with respect in your schools, you end up with this whole situation repeating itself.
(33:21):
And it comes from fear Yes. Of other people. It comes from fear based in untruths, I would say
(33:32):
Yes. Past.
(33:33):
The past can be really heavy. And when you haven't reconciled the past yet, those problems are going to perpetuate. So I kind of call this a whole new white flight situation. Wow. And, and I've talked to other people who said this has been happening in my small Tennessee hometown as well.
(33:55):
Wow.
(33:55):
So it's not just one area. It is a lot of areas peppered around the state that are not inside, you know, the major metropolitan areas that we have in Tennessee. So, you know, point that out.
(34:09):
This is, this is I think a, a great conversation to have Sally, because the same thing is happening in Georgia, in the metro Atlanta area. And I remember growing up, I did not grow up in Georgia. I grew up in Michigan, but I remember, um, my parents integrating the neighborhoods that we would move into. And this was like in the late eighties, late eighties and then the early two thousands. And so, um, white flight has been a thing for decades now, and I think that it is a symptom of exactly what you mentioned is this intolerance to difference. Right? And I think that, um, there's so many people who are like me who said, you know what? Fine, you wanna move away from me, I'll leave the country . You know, like, if you don't want to live among me and people who look like me.
(35:04):
And if you don't want to integrate and if you don't want to accommodate for various cultural differences, um, if you don't want to reconcile the past, great, fine, I'm done. Right? And I find that too often in this country, um, black Americans are expected to do the work of the entire country with reconciling racial differences. Right? When it wasn't, it, we weren't the ones that created the problem. , you know, many of us came, uh, our ancestors came as chattel, literally slaves. And so with emancipation and then, uh, reconstruction and then segregation and all of that, all of that has built up to what we are now seeing as another sort of white flight. And what I'm finding is there are so many people who have decided to opt out of being a martyr who have decided to opt out of just having to fight every single day.
(36:06):
When we left Georgia and I I I have not shared this, um, yet in this conversation, but one of the catalysts to us leaving was racism. Quite honestly. You know, we lived in a, uh, predominantly white town in metro Atlanta, north of Atlanta, um, one of the coveted zip codes. And from the day that we moved into that neighborhood, my husband and I, we were pretty much harassed, uh, and targeted by our neighbors who would call the police on us for the most minor offenses that not, wouldn't even probably garner a letter or a conversation from a homeowner's association. And so, um, I think that they're just as white flight is happening, um, where folks are building homes on this farmland and they're trying to sort of separate themselves and, and having to opt out of, of being in community with other people that may not look like them, believe like them, um, or live like them.
(37:11):
There are so many more people who are saying, you know what, that's fine. That's great. Okay, great. You, you wanna discriminate against my child in, in, in school, which I grew up with, right? I grew up in a predominantly white town. I've been called the N word from elementary school. Um, and so for me, it was just as an adult, that experience of living in that neighborhood and having the police called on me, especially given all of the things that we are experiencing with police and police brutality, was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. Um, because I got tired of really, um, swimming upstream and climbing this steep hill, which felt like, uh, it was never ending. And I will say that living in Mexico feels like a reprieve from all of the heaviness that, you know, um, I've had to carry as someone who is black in this country, um, and someone who has black ancestry and folks who were literally enslaved.
(38:19):
I mean, we're two, three generations removed from that and a lot of people don't want to admit it. And so, um, I do think this is an important conversation to have from that viewpoint as well, because what is evident to me, and I think you too, is that things are moving and shifting. Um, and I think we have a choice. We're at a critical point now in our nation's history where we can decide to live together and work together and be in community, or we will be forever divided and constantly fighting. And I don't wanna see the ladder, you know, I don't see myself moving back to the United States to live, but I still have family here. I still have friends here. I come back here to vote for God's sakes. And I do have an invested, um, interest in this country, healing. Its old wounds. But first, um, we need to reconcile the sins of the past in order to move forward.
(39:17):
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(39:49):
I'm so glad that you actually went in that direction with this because I'm not your typical, uh, white person from the South who says, I don't see color, you know, and all of that. And I understand what is wrong with that. I understand a whole lot of this. The book that I'm writing is historical fiction about this very issue. And I've written a lot of the side of this that I can see and feel and hear. And now I'm having to put my, my shoes, my shoes, my feet into the shoes of the black side of the, the story. And it's very difficult. It is heart wrenching and I'm trying my best to create the right voice. And so I'm actually starting to open up and ask for help from some people that I grew up around to get their perspective because I don't want to portray this in the wrong light.
(40:53):
I it's almost, it's like acting when you're writing a book or doing a podcast or doing, you know, a docu-series like you're doing with black expat stories. You are having to get into other people's shoes and really understand where they're coming from. And sadly, one of the things that happens is that you get probably the most brilliant people can't take it all cuz they do feel it all and they do know a lot about everything, and it's so heavy that the martyr martyrdom that you're talking about, it's easier to just say, hold on, I'm just gonna go over here because this is a safety net for me. So I can protect my energy and protect my space. I still care about this over here. I come home and vote, I still pay taxes, I do the things that I have to do, right? But I'm over here to protect myself because if you do it in the space where you started, it's much, much harder. The molasses is a little bit thicker.
(41:59):
Absolutely. Absolutely. And I'm, I'm so glad to know that you are interrogating these issues because you, these are conversations, these are difficult conversations that need to be had. And I appreciate you devoting an entire platform to giving voice, um, to these issues because, and you're probably including this in your book, but racism doesn't only oppress black people. It imprisons those who hold the racist beliefs. Two,
(42:35):
I agree with you there. It's just like forgiveness. If you exactly. If you're not forgiving of necessarily of, of a particular person, you're holding the poison in your body and destroying yourself from within. So I, I do hope, and I do think the pandemic has been a huge catalyst to kind of flip everything upside down. You know, it's like we're gonna turn the potatoes over right now and Right. You know, we're gonna see what comes up on the other side. So I'm so glad to have connected with you here and I cannot wait to get to some of these stories.
(43:12):
Thank you so much, Sally. I appreciate, um, this conversation and I love conversations like this. And, um, you know, whatever I can do to support the shout Your Cause platform, I'm here for it because I see the work you're doing is so necessary. It is so important and it is so challenging. It's so challenging because you are going against the status quo, right? You could very easily make the choice to look away and to try to live your best life and to really benefit from all the privileges that you hold just by virtue of being, you know, born. But you instead have decided to interrogate these issues, um, to expose some of the blind spots that we have as a country, as a community, right? And I think that, um, more people need to be tuned into this incredible platform and I'm excited to share this and other stories.
(44:17):
So we're actually in pre-production for the docu-series. We're gonna be shooting as soon as I get back. Um, and so we will have some wonderful footage to show because I also recognize that, um, when you, when you talk about living abroad, a lot of people need to see that experience. So just having it as an audio, um, experience is not enough. And I'm excited to have put together a team of folks who are so dedicated to this cause, um, to this vision that they have joined me in, uh, wanting to document this incredible movement. And so you could expect black expat stories to be on your screens really soon here. And my goal is the first of the year, um, top of 2023, we're gonna be dropping these stories, these intimate interviews with people who have, uh, left the only land that they've ever known to find freedom, community healing and belonging.
(45:23):
There's gonna be so many stories that span the, the spectrum of experience. So you're gonna hear about people opening up businesses, losing dear family members and loved ones, but you're also gonna hear about folks who have left the country to find love and to, you know, um, create a community and cultivate connection. And I'm just looking forward to the world seeing us, um, in this light because one of my other missions is to truly change the way that black people are depicted in the media. And so before I came to this work, I was a media scholar first, and I studied, uh, the ways that black people were portrayed in the mainstream. And Sally, it was not good. There were so many tropes, so many, um, limiting depictions. And so, um, media is the most powerful way to tell a story. And so you still, you tell a story, um, long enough and consistently enough, you're gonna get people to believe it.
(46:29):
And that's what I've found that has happened with black Americans specifically. I cannot speak to any other, uh, part of the African diaspora, but I do find that the media does a really good job of vilifying, demonizing, and condemning us as a people and only allows for a certain, um, kind of portrayal. And so I wanted to portray everyday people who are not rich, who are not celebrities, who are not athletes by any stretch of the imagination, but just everyday people who have decided to make a change, who have done the brave thing and have created a beautiful life as a result. And that humanity is what I really am really excited to showcase here.
(47:18):
Thank you for listening today. My name is Sally Hendrick. Be sure to visit our website for show notes and more information on how you can inspire others. If you would like to contribute content to our magazine, please apply on our website at shoutyourcause.com.
