Black Americans living overseas reflect on Juneteenth

Black Americans living overseas reflect on Juneteenth

BANGKOK (AP) — As the United States marks only the following federally recognized Juneteenth, Black Americans living overseas have embraced the holiday while a day of reflection accompanied by every one one other accompanied by an chance to educate people inside their host countries on Black history.

President Joe Biden moved fast last year to federally identify the day Black Americans have been celebrating since the last enslaved people were told they were lacking ask in remittance inside Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, place of set of two years following President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.

In Liberia, Saqar Ahhah Ahershu, 45, from Jersey City, N.J., is organizing the country's earliest "Journey Home Festival."

"Because this is small part of that hidden African American history that still hasn't been completely unpacked," he said inside Monrovia.

Liberia, Africa's oldest self-governing republic, was founded by freed slaves repatriated to West Africa from the United States inside 1822, exactly 200 years ago this year. This weekend's event will include a trip to Providence Island, where former slaves settled earlier to moving into what is now mainland Monrovia.

While there are no indeed indeed official statistics tracking Black Americans moving abroad, numerous are discussing it additional publicly following the police killing of George Floyd. In the aftermath, numerous African Americans saw the U.S. "from the outer external outside in" accompanied by every one one other accompanied by made up their minds not to return.

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Tashina Ferguson, a 26-year-old debate coach, was living inside New York at the hour dated of Eric Garner's death.

She moved to South Korea inside 2019 accompanied by every one one other accompanied by will commemorate Juneteenth on Sunday accompanied by a category of haul performers at a fundraising brunch for the Marsha P. Johnson Institute.

She has mixed be in touch concerning the newest confederate holiday.

"The commerciality of Juneteenth has become this exist fond of whole, 'Put it on a T-shirt, place it on ice lotion tubs' type of thing," she said. "But while a Black anthropoid actuality within the Black inhabitants I'm like, 'Yeah, let's commemorate us.'"

She said that only a strong alter would build her exist convinced by concerning returning to the U.S.

Chrishan Wright inside New Jersey regularly speaks accompanied by Black Americans who scheme to or by that hour dated have made the go abroad.

Wright, 47, hosts a podcast "Blaxit Global" accompanied by every one one other accompanied by said numerous of her guests are tired of the U.S.

"They've done all the things to attain what is supposed to exist the American dream, accompanied by every one one other accompanied by that yardstick keeps moving. They don't exist inside be in touch exist fond of they're on firm ground inside terms of actuality intelligent to present with up labour comfortably or pay off student invoice or fair cover their bills."

Wright plans to go inside 2023 to Portugal. Through her podcast, she by that hour dated knows of Juneteenth celebrations this weekend inside Lisbon, the capital.

In some places accompanied by larger populations of Black Americans, Juneteenth is by that hour dated small part of the program.

LaTonya Whitaker, from Mississippi, has lived inside Japan for 17 years. She is administrative director of Legacy Foundation Japan, which hosted a Juneteenth gathering of concerning 300 people at the ritzy Tokyo American Club on Saturday.

She accompanied by every one one other accompanied by her husband David didn't scheme to exist inside Japan.

Like Whitaker, numerous Black Americans at the Juneteenth event came to Japan almost by coincidence, while Christian missionaries or Peace Corps volunteers. But they made Japan their home.

She now wants to lift their son there since she worries concerning firearm violence inside the U.S.

"I realized we really need a community," said Whitaker.

Michael Williams teaches African American history at Temple University inside Tokyo accompanied by every one one other accompanied by left-hand the U.S. when he was 22. He's now 66 accompanied by every one one other accompanied by had lived overseas for a a large amount of of his mature life, nevertheless returned to the U.S. for graduate educational organization inside Boston accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Baltimore.

America has changed so much, he feels exist fond of a tourist when he visits, he laughed.

Williams said he knows concerning Juneteenth from teaching history.

"I would always extremity my presentations that hopefully, someday, this would exist a national holiday. And so now it is, accompanied by every one one other accompanied by it feels great," he said.

In Taipei, Toi Windham accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Casey Abbott Payne are holding multiple events to commemorate Juneteenth. The two, small part of Black Lives Matter Taiwan, are hosting performances by Black artists accompanied by every one one other accompanied by musicians.

Both have celebrated accompanied by their families lengthy earlier to it was a confederate holiday.

Windham has lived inside Taiwan for five years, accompanied by every one one other accompanied by had always celebrated Juneteenth growing up inside Texas. For her, it's an chance to educate people concerning a different small part of American culture, flat the darker parts.

"A a large amount of people tend to exist fond of hip-hop the arts accompanied by every one one other accompanied by the attire accompanied by every one one other accompanied by sure parts of our culture, nevertheless I exist inside be in touch exist fond of it's important to permit in all parts of Black culture," she said.

Payne, an organizer, has lived inside Taiwan for 11 years accompanied by every one one other accompanied by said he excessively celebrated Juneteenth growing up inside Milwaukee, which has one of the oldest celebrations nationwide.

"As a kid, I remember the highway actuality lined accompanied by highway vendors, accompanied by every one one other accompanied by there's music going on accompanied by every one one other accompanied by there'd exist the Juneteenth parade rolling through," he said.

Still for others, the day is a chance to joyfully gumboot spine accompanied by every one one other accompanied by rest.

In Bangkok, a category called Ebony Expats organized a silent movie screening, a bike ride inside a the natural world reserve accompanied by every one one other accompanied by a dinner for at a Jamaican eating place serving jerk chicken accompanied by every one one other accompanied by pumpkin soup.

Restaurant owner Collin Clifford McKoy served 20 years inside the U.S. Army earlier to eventually opening his eating place all over the pandemic inside Thailand. He said the Juneteenth holiday is a chance for Black people to part their the arts while actuality so a lengthy way from home, American or not.

"Overall, it's concerning coming accompanied by every one one other anyway of where we are, accompanied by every one one other accompanied by it tells how a a large amount of gore runs deep while a inhabitants to go nearer accompanied by every one one other with every one other accompanied by exist fond of ourselves," he said.

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Associated press writers Huizhong Wu inside Taipei, Taiwan, Yuri Kageyama inside Tokyo, Krista Larson inside Dakar, Senegal accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Jonathan Paye-Layleh inside Monrovia, Liberia, contributed to this report.

Black Americans living overseas reflect on Juneteenth