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African American Travelers

According to NAFSA data from the 2017-2018 academic year, the percentage of African American students who study abroad is not proportional to the number who are pursuing an undergraduate education. While African American students represent 13.6% of post-secondary enrollment in the United States, only 6.1% of American students abroad are African American. SUNY Brockport is dedicated to increasing diversity abroad and providing opportunities for all students to pursue an international education. This page is a compilation of information and resources for African American students interested in studying abroad.


Things to Consider
  • What are the minority, majority, and plurality racial and ethnic composition of my host country? 
  • Where do people of my race/ethnicity fit into my host country’s society? Am I likely to be a target of racism/classism, or am I going to be treated the same way in my host country as I am in the US? 
  • What is the history of racial and ethnic relations and/or tensions in my host country? Is the situation currently hostile to members of a minority race, majority race, or particular ethnicity or religion?
  • Are issues of racism/ethnic discrimination influenced by immigration in my host country? How do politicized immigration concerns fuel racial tensions? What is the character of immigrant communities?
  • Are there laws in the host country governing race relations? Ethnic relations? What protections are offered to ethnic or racial minorities?
For more questions to ask/tips for handling situations abroad, visit Diversity Abroad’s Minority & Students of Color Abroad.
(adapted from Brown University and Northwestern University Study Abroad)

Resources