African Americans have traveled globally and lived abroad for centuries, but only part of their story has been told. There have been ebbs and flows of this voluntary movement, but we are currently witnessing an unprecedented level of travel and expatriation. While there is a growing literature on Americans abroad and some research on African Americans who lived abroad historically, there is sparse data on African Americans currently living overseas. There is need for a comprehensive, scientific study of this unprecedented migration. In addition, it is important to disseminate the findings from this research in ways that reach a broad audience. That's where WeGlobal comes in.
Our Vision
A world where information about African Americans living abroad and an appreciation for their contributions’ is common knowledge.
Our Mission
To provide African Americans and the global community information on African Americans living abroad through research, public education programs, networking, interactive exhibits, and serving as a resource clearinghouse.
Our Why
We are undertaking this initiative to:
- Discover the motivations, experiences, and characteristics of African Americans living abroad as this is little understood and seldom explored.
- Educate, empower, and inspire future generations as to what is possible in terms of living, working, and making a difference abroad.
- Reframe the popular (and many times negative) narrative about African Americans domestically to reflect the positive and ground-breaking experiences of those abroad.
- Collaborate with libraries and museums in creative ways during the research process, and to disseminate the findings of the research to the general public.
- Inspire new scholarship on African American migration, especially on how this new wave of voluntary global movement by African Americans deepens the previous research on forced and voluntary migration by African Americans.
- Provide a repository of data and information for future researchers, scholars, and others.