GROUPS
African-American Expats
Many African-Americans left their country to escape the confines of racism, segregation and McCarthyism in the United States. As a result, an entirely new African-American subculture sprouted up in Europe, Africa and other countries abroad. A street in Paris is named after Josephine Baker, who found acceptance and fame in France that she couldn't achieve in the still-segregated United States. Marcus Garvey was a leader of the Back-to-Africa movement. And singer Nina Simone lived in several different countries, including Liberia, Switzerland, England and Barbados before eventually settling down in the South of France. Find out more about these African-American expats, and the new lives they made for themselves abroad, on Biography.com.
Featured People
See all African-American Expats (9)
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Marcus Garvey
- In these groups:
- African-American Expats
- Famous Leos
- Famous Civil Rights Activists
Marcus Garvey
Civil Rights Activist / 1887 - 1940
Marcus Garvey was a proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, inspiring Nation of Islam and the Rastafarian movement.
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Nina Simone
- In these groups:
- African-American Expats
- Famous Black Entertainers
- African-American Biopics
Nina Simone
Civil Rights Activist, Pianist, Singer, Journalist / 1933 - 2003
Nina Simone sang a mix of jazz, blues and folk music in the 1950s and ‘60s. A civil rights activist, she wrote songs promoting the movement.
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Richard Wright
- In these groups:
- African-American Expats
- Black Writers
- Famous Virgoans
Richard Wright
Journalist, Author, Poet / 1908 - 1960
African American writer and poet Richard Wright is best known for Black Boy, a moving account of his childhood and youth in the South.
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Langston Hughes
- In these groups:
- Famous Harlem Residents
- African-American Expats
- Black Writers
Langston Hughes
Poet / 1902 - 1967
Poet, playwright, short story writer, and columnist, Langston Hughes was one of the founders of the cultural movement known as the Harlem Renaissance.
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Josephine Baker
- In these groups:
- Famous Black Entertainers
- African-American Expats
- Famous Jazz Musicians
Josephine Baker
Civil Rights Activist, Dancer, Singer / 1906 - 1975
Performer Josephine Baker dazzled her way through the 1920s and 30s, from the Cotton Club to the Folies Bergre
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James Baldwin
- In these groups:
- Famous Harlem Residents
- African-American Expats
- Black Writers
James Baldwin
Writer / 1924 - 1987
James Baldwin was a novelist and playwright who wrote about racial and sexual issues in the mid-20th century, especially pertaining to black life in America.
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