Is Europe Hate-Free? Black Texas Couple Decides to Move to Italy to Escape Police Brutality and Racism in U.S.

A Black Texas couple is planning on completely shifting to Europe, citing racism and police brutality as some components for his or her transfer outdoors of america.

Nadine and her husband Kim Dawkins of El Paso, instructed CNN that they bought a house in Latronico, Italy — a city within the southern area of Basilicata — in 2019 because of the low costs of the properties. The next yr through the COVID-19 pandemic and the surge of anti-racism protests, they determined that they have been going to go away the U.S., extra particularly after the homicide of George Floyd. 

Floyd’s demise sparked a wave of demonstrations internationally after he was killed by a Minneapolis, Minnesota, police officer who knelt on his neck throughout an arrest. A video of the incident was recorded and extensively shared on social media. 

“[It] confirmed the world how we as Black individuals in America have been handled for hundreds of years,”  stated Nadine, a 59-year-old navy veteran, per CNN.

She continued: “Mainly, police brutality in the direction of Black individuals, mass shootings from home terrorists, and simply the general hate on this nation is why we’re leaving the USA.”

Their new three-story abode has two bedrooms and has undergone a number of easy renovations, CNN reported. They added two extra bedrooms and expanded the kitchen by including a eating room to the area. As well as, there’s an underground cellar, and so they upgraded the balconies which have panoramic views, per the report. 

The duo paid almost $47,000 for the house. 

The Dawkins relations aren’t the one Black individuals in recent times who’ve determined to ditch the U.S. for abroad. Others have opted to stay in locations like Trinidad and Tobago, Germany, Spain and Ghana —to flee the ripple results of racism for a greater high quality of life, USA At the moment experiences.

Ghana turned a well-liked vacation spot following the occasions of 2020, leading to an uptick of Black Individuals making use of for visas, CBS Information reported. Whereas there, many individuals prioritized connecting with the previous and the expertise of their enslaved ancestors. 

Equally, Nadine has had a robust connection to Italy after discovering out she has an ancestor, her great-great-grandfather, who moved from there to America within the nineteenth century, based on CNN. He modified his identify to Clint Jeffrey and bought her great-great-grandmother Lucinda, who was enslaved in Arkansas. Nevertheless, not a lot is understood about her, she stated.

“Sadly, I’ve no extra details about Lucinda. All I do know is that she was a slave, and he bought her. My grandmother and great-grandmother by no means instructed me anything about her,” Nadine added, CNN reported. “I consider it was due to such atrocities that slavery and the reminiscences of it had on them; as a result of, in fact, being born within the 1800s and early 1900s was a tough time for all Black individuals in America.”

In line with the report, the couple plans to remain in Latronico for six months a yr, and the remaining time, they may stay in Panama. From there, Nadine and her household will work on acquiring citizenship in Italy. She hopes to proceed digging into her household historical past and monitor down the place her ancestor is from.

Though many individuals flee to Europe in an effort to flee racism within the States, it’s nonetheless prevalent in international locations like Italy. Final yr, advocates spoke out about racism and discrimination following the demise of a 39-year-old Nigerian road vendor, who was reportedly attacked in broad daylight.