“I think sometimes it's just as a society, they try to box us in, especially in the United States, you can only be you have to be this to be black. And when you
start to expand your world, especially amongst black people, then you don't buy into that as much.” – Noelle Ojo, author of The Blaxit Effect: The African-American’s Guide to Relocating to Africa (2022) and Foreign Service Officer with USAID.
Episode 16 features my third interview in my series called “I Want to Change the World…So I moved to Africa?!”. I had the pleasure of interviewing Noelle Ojo,
author of The Blaxit Effect: The African-American’s Guide to Relocating to Africa (2022) and Foreign Service Officer with USAID.
Given her background as a Brooklyn native, FAMU grad, and "professional expat" who has lived in 5 African countries and spent nearly 20 years working overseas at an NGO, private sector, and as a Foreign Service Officer, I knew our conversation was going to be juicy. But what I didn't know and couldn't have known is that our conversation would turn into such a beautiful meditation on what it means to be Black American in Africa, but also Black and American, both in Africa, and at home.
It's not something I stop and consciously think about every day, but both of those things - being black and being American - shape my lens how I view and show up in the world in very powerful ways. And my being both of those things shapes how I’m viewed and responded to as I move through the world in equally powerful ways.
As you tune into this amazing conversation, whether or not you’re Black and/or American, I invite you to reflect alongside me on what forms your sense of belonging, of identity, of community. What shapes how you’re seeing and being seen – and how do you want to show up in relation to each of those ‘hows’?
Want to learn more about Noelle and her book?
Also, stay tuned for a bonus mini-episode with Noelle next week! During our conversation she talked a little bit about connecting to culture through literature and through language. She spoke with such eloquence and also such insight that I decided to capture that content and release it as a bonus. I’ll drop the bonus next week.
As always, I invite you to drop me a line on IG @missjanaiashley or send me an email at janai@gilmorefacilitationllc.com to share whatever reflections this episode brings up for you.
