How Black Girls Abroad Began
Black Girls Abroad began as a personal blog after Nia, the creator, left her home country of the U.S. for the first time at age twenty to partake in a 10-day trip with her arts university. In preparing for this trip, her dorm room became littered with notes from every article, vlog, and study abroad meeting that crossed her path. However, Nia quickly discovered that her experience abroad didn’t align with the information she had diligently gathered. The reason why was clear: none of it considered the intricate interplay of her various identities – Black, American, woman, student, and artist.
A year later, Nia launched Black Girls Abroad, aspiring to provide the kind of information she hadn’t found in her own research. Since then, she has forged connections with fellow travelers whose journeys were similarly shaped by the intersection of their identities. These connections inspired Nia to evolve Black Girls Abroad into a library of narratives from traveling Black women with diverse ties to the U.S. By archiving these tales, Nia enriches the broader travel community narrative with stories that foster inclusivity.
A Message for the Black Girls
Blackness and womanhood are integral parts of our identity, but they don't define us entirely. We look different, live different, speak different, dress different. We have different passions, different fears, and so many personalities.
Yet, at times, the world around us forgets that.
Sometimes we are painted with rhetoric that ignores the nuance of our experiences. Rhetoric that, at times, minimizes our humanity in exchange for promoting only our trauma.
This is why Black Girls Abroad is devoted to celebrating the diverse experiences of Black women, however they manifest. Some stories illuminate what it means to embody Blackness or womanhood abroad. Others offer insights into personal growth and healing. And sometimes, they're simple tales of exploration, love, joy, or anxiety—distinct from the broader Black woman experience.
All these experiences are valid and valued, and thus, are deserving of being shared. So, for all the Black girls who contribute to the tapestry of diversity within our community, this is for you.
About the creator
Nia Alexander Campbell is an artist, designer, writer, and educator from Richmond, Virginia. Nia’s creative practice explores the ways collage, writing, and traditional & digital painting methods can be used to tell stories through design. She believes that storytelling in any medium can function as an excellent way to combat ignorance, give a voice to the otherwise unheard, and bridge the divides wicked problems create. In both her visual and written work, Nia is passionate about inclusion and sharing the experiences of marginalized communities, making a point to depict more than just trauma narratives.
Learn more about her and her creative practice here.