Black People in Australia? Where??

After just over a year here in Oz I’ve become accustomed to the fact that there just aren’t many Black folks here in Oz. More specifically, there aren’t many (any?) Black Americans here in Oz. This fact in and of itself isn’t exactly shocking but I found my recent response to seeing and speaking with another Black American to be a bit startling.

Don’t get me wrong, if you walk thru downtown Sydney you’ll pass by a few Black people of unknown origins here and there. We all look at each other with an expression that says “Were we in the Black Student Union together in college?” But then quickly realize “Nah, couldn’t be the same guy, but I KNOW I know a brotha that looks just like that cat.”


Recently I met a Black woman who has relocated to Oz. Interestingly she tracked me down as a result of this blog. What startled me wasn’t that she married a hardcore Aussie farm boy (although that alone is a bit shocking) but rather that she knows other Black people here! Apparently there’s this undercover community of Black Americans that only show themselves during Kwanzaa and Juneteenth! (google it)

So, I’m pretty excited because now I’m going to going to get access to the secret society. It’s kinda like the Skull ‘n Bones for Blacks in Oz complete with secret clubs and top secret handshakes. Things are looking up for Black2Oz! I’d invite you all along…but you don’t know the secret password.

Black2Oz out.