Ahhhh what was it like being in Black in Spain? At 20, I studied abroad in the sunny and southern city of Granada, Spain. I had on rose-colored glasses. I just wanted to exist. As I traveled around Spain, Morocco, Italy, and more that is what it felt like. But there were times when people would stare and point at me as I walked down the street in Spain. Other times, I was being stopped and asked if I needed to marry a Spanish man for a visa to stay in the country. I planned the Spring break of my dreams to vacation in Greece. However, I also had to address the n-word in the classroom and became the face of Black American culture as my students knew little about it. Being Black in Spain had its ups and downs — and obviously I liked it enough to go back twice! But living in the south then moving to the north provided me with two opportunities to understand some differences within the country itself. I am not here to disparage Spain, but I want to share some lessons and experiences.
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So, here are some things for Black travelers to be aware of in Spain. Coming from the U. However, its prevalence caught me off guard. It was on commercials, in-school celebrations of the holiday, etc. Asking some Spaniards about it, many did not understand its implications. A few did, but still based on their response to it, it was not a pressing issue to change for them. Throughout my experiences in Spain people always seemed surprised that I knew English. Or rather, that I was fluent in English as it is my first language. To be honest, I do not really understand why this was always a shock. People know who Beyonce and the Obamas were, so obviously, they were aware Black people are in the U. Thus, if you are a Black American, some people may be shocked when you open your mouth every now and again. And some even assume we speak French instead of English largely due to the African immigrant population. I got this question often on my travels in Spain and Europe as a whole. People often assumed I was anything but from the U. It was exhausting when I attempted to explain Black American history in Spanish. If you are a Black American, this question may arise. You do not have to answer it. This was an assumption I had, and due to my own ignorance, I was wrong.
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Afro-Spainards exist whether they are immigrants or first-generation Black Spaniards. Their visibility is another question. Black Spaniards have and are currently fighting for representation and equality. Because at the end of the day, Spain is still a homogenous country. Furthermore, Black people seem separate from Spaniards. In places like Madrid, there is a neighborhood called Lavapies where I found the most Black people reside. I later found out it was a predominantly immigrant neighborhood, full of Black people not from the U. A few weeks after, I further learned they were all Black African immigrants. I suspect that my U. S American and English language status played a role in why I was not treated the same as them. I will expand on my social identities more below. Whew, this one took some getting used to. Coming from Black American culture, we do not stare and point at people. Spain operates differently. I could be walking to class, on a bus, or on a beach, and people would stare and point. It was so blatant and uncomfortable at first. Most times, I chose not to engage and tried to ignore it. Other people I know have asked what they were staring at. Eventually, I befriended an African woman and her son on my daily bus route.
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We began chatting every now and again, and she was also surprised I spoke English. In the same breath of speaking English, we should be aware of our travel privileges. While our race is one thing, our U. American and passport privilege are magnified when we travel. However, this is…complicated. Our travel privileges are not like others. We know that many of our privileges we do not feel when we are in the U. Black Americans ended up in the U. Even though we may not be fully conscious of our nationality, language, and passport privileges until we travel, they still exist. And they impact how we move through the world and are perceived by others. It is good to have self-awareness and understand the complexity of our identities. People dating outside of their race is not new and you are free to do as you please. That is not what I am referring to. When I studied abroad, I walked to and from the place where I volunteered. On one occasion, a Spanish man old enough to be my grandfather chased me down to ask if I wanted a husband. These instances were few and far between, and were similar to being catcalled as I walk down the street or go to the corner store in the U. Beauty supply stores or Black hair care stores are rare. While some cities may have some things, it is still very limited compared to our normal.This means packing any Black hair care tools and products before you visit. If you are in need of Black hair care abroad packing list, I got you covered here. We have our priorities and hair is at the top of the list! Truthfully, I do not like generalizing entire countries. I have not met nor interacted with every person in Spain. But, Spain is the home of Christopher Columbus and we know how his exploration ended in the U. They are the original colonizers. So yes, there is racism in Spain. I would be lying if I said it was not even though my bad experiences were rare. Most of my interactions were pleasant. Occasionally, people had clutched their purses around me when I walked past them. I got my bags randomly checked in grocery stores more than my white counterparts. I heard stories of people being denied entry in clubs because they did not want too many Africans or Black people. Afro-Spaniards are fighting for the same representation in Spain that we do in the U. That is no coincidence. Racism is a global issue. Even a popular tourist destination such as Spain cannot escape the ugliness of it all.
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My two times in Spain were not perfect. And the funny thing is, I never intended to go to Spain. As a Spanish major in undergrad, I was a girl who just wanted to go abroad. Literally anywhere. Given what I know now, I still would not change my decision! Living in Spain changed my life and perspective in so many ways. Yes, there are experiences I wish did not happen. But, I learned so much about who I am outside of those experiences too. I learned I could, not only survive but thrive in another country and its language. So go and make your own adventure too, in Spain or beyond. Want to know more about Black experiences in Europe? Read this post. This post was originally published on January 21, and updated on March 1, 3. Sojourner White is a remote social worker, award-winning travel journalist, and train travel queen.Hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin she has been a digital nomad and called both Spain and Germany home. Through her platform Sojournies, she helps ers fulfill their career goals and bucket list dreams to find freedom and flexibility outside the office. Thank you so much for sharing this helpful blog post. Thank you for sharing. Do you think racism in Spain is mostly due to ignorance as opposed to racism in the US? So I guess it comes down to what history people are taught which also happens in the U. S too. Me, being a resident of Los angeles… Chicanos or Mexican Americans act exactly the way Spaniards act… Far as making condescending and racist remarks against Black Americans. It was more about noticing that even though we shared a similar skin color Black but she was dark-skinned she knew we were culturally different. Thank you for sharing this. Traveling to Barcelona, Spain and Rome, Italy with a few of my black girlfriends in a couple weeks and was curious about the black experience over there. We dress very well — always. That always works!
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We only stay in the better hotels or the pricier Airbnbs to avoid true barbarians. We rent luxury SUVs so we can look down on goofy people staring at us from their cars or the street, and then we turn away hauntily, nose in the air. Thanks for the blog. Stepping out and try something new. Thank you so much for commenting. I also got a ton of questions in the school I was working in from students about my culture, appearance, etc. Not gonna lie it was overwhelming at times but I never had any major life-threatening incidents. Thanks for taking the time to lay out this information. Its hard for some people to understand why information like this is essential for us. Thank you for your comment Chris!I know Black men can have different experiences from Black women while traveling but I hope you have a wonderful time!! Are there any safety concerns that I should be aware of? Also, compared to other parts of Spain, how racist is Granada? Hi Natasha! So happy to hear you are going to live in Granada. I would say I had less racist encounters while I saw there. I think it is because they are used to college students being there. Do be warned though that regardless of where you go in Spain you will probably be stared at as a Black woman. I also feel like I got more questions about my Blackness in southern Spain because I did not look like the other Black people whether Afro-Spaniards or African immigrants who lived there. Overall, I loved my time in Granada! As a Black British woman, I moved to a town just outside Alicante, Spain with my two young daughters in the early s. Yes, in the beginning the stares were a little uncomfortable but as the years went by, I do believe we were accepted by the locals. My children feel they they were never discriminated against, but being young maybe they never recognised the signs…. My children are grown up and have moved back to the U. I am now here on my own and do wish there was more of a black presence here. Thanks for sharing. Very insightful. I also hail from Milwaukee. I totally understand your desire to travel. Wow this was a very intense article to read.
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I will never visit Spain after knowing this, the pain that we still go through here in the US is enough for me. Yeah to each their own! But nothing compares to the U. This was far less intense than being born and raised in the U. Have you been to tenerife? What are your thoughts about the island? Hi Temitope! I will say that my time in Spain had more good than bad. As a woman of colour, with dreadlocks and living in spain, I consider myself to be an educator. When people stare, I smile. I can be the nicest person going for them to learn just a little about me.I have changed their views. I was horrified, I have locks! You can imagine what people were thinking. I called him aside and had to explain to him there was no reason for him not to wash his locks despite his European hair texture. I invited him to my home and made him wash his locks and then I proceeded to style it! Thank you for sharing! That can be a bit emotionally laborious and tedious for others but if it works for you I know they appreciate it! We can all learn and grow. No touching my hair, no stares none of that. In fact people have been overtly polite and accommodating. Attitude says a lot. Thank you for sharing your experience! However, you have to remember there are peoples experiences outside of yours. To essentially say that we attract racism is very disheartening and simply a ridiculous thing to assume after myself and others were vulnerable in sharing on this post. I implore you to think about why it was easier for you to blame those of us who experience racism then those who perpetuate it. People always throw insults when someone goes against the grain. You are basing that off your experience just as this is my website and I share my travel experiences as well. Again, thank you for sharing — I hope you continue to enjoy your life in Spain! My boyfriend and I are traveling to Madrid from the US soon for vacation.
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We are both African American. Do you have any experience traveling there specifically? Your post was very eye opening and much appreciated. Madrid was cool for me! I love love their food and museum scene. But you can still see the division between Spaniards and Africans from the continent. Super helpful, thanks SO much! Shay, please come back and update us after your Barcelona vacation. Sorry that you had problems in my country. As an Spanish person,I have to recognize that some people are a little racist. And maybe the majority we are in a subconscious level. But I think that you maybe misunderstood some things:. Inmigration started in the s and lots of African men are muslims, not christians. We tend to associate African people-poverty,inmigration,problems. We stare a lot to foreigns, to people that look like diferent. If you have had red hair and look like Norweian, we would look at you.
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And we are quite curious: we make lots of questions to foreign people,we want to know things of other countries. Sometimes there is simply ignorance and not a real purpose of offending you. Having said that, I hope the situation will improve in the new generations and you would feel safe and happy with us. There are things that are embedded into cultures around the world that are racist and discriminatory even if they are part of tradition or part of the customs especially here in the U. So for future reference when a Black person regardless of their nationality or ethnicity says they experience not-so-good things in a country due to the color of their skin it is not in the best faith to try to explain it away. Thanks for sharing! Of course you are right. My mum is really polite and and I remembered her reprimending me for staring to one of the first afrikan girls that came to town. I was admiring her colourful dress, she looked like a princess in my eyes. Of course, as my mother told me, people can feel really uncomfortable and vulnerable, specially if they are alone in a foreign country. You have a very interesting blog. Good look and best wishes from Spain! Thanks for elaborating. Thanks for reading!
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