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Friday, March 29, 2024

‘Blacks Without Borders’

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America, the home of the free and land of the brave, noted so eloquently in the Star Spangled Banner, for many upholds the values and principles on which this nation was founded.

The land of opportunity, symbolic of the Statue of Liberty inscribed with “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe.”

However for some, something once deemed the American credo has fallen by the wayside as many African-Americans are finding the very opportunities that are often sought on American soil in the world’s second largest and second most-populated continent in the world – Africa.

Producer and director Stafford Bailey and Judy Bailey, producer of the documentary “Blacks Without Borders,” shows in another light what used to be deemed the “dark continent.”

Despite the pictorials of jungles, tribes, impoverished areas and rural lands often displayed in American history books and mainstream media, the Baileys have set out to illustrate to African-Americans that America is not the only place opportunities may present themselves. In fact, Stafford says many of the opportunities that have eluded Blacks in the states are available in South Africa.

“The reason the people we followed in the film moved to South Africa was because they didn’t find those same obstacles there as in the U.S.,” Stafford said. “There was no glass ceiling or an asterisk next to your name because you were Black. In South Africa being Black was a plus for them.”

During the documentary, the 12 African-Americans now residing in South Africa, share their stories of success and revelation, obtaining heights and securing a certain lifestyle that all agree would have been unobtainable in America despite their education or level of experience and expertise.

Cora Vaughn, a Chicago attorney, resigned from a million dollar a year law practice to move to South Africa, a place she says she has always identified strongly with.

“Law practice in the U.S. was very difficult because the legal system is pretty much a racist system. So, you had to constantly fight against sexist and racist attitudes,” Vaughn said. “

In spite of the cynical behavior Vaughn faced in the U.S. life in South Africa has proven to be more generous. No longer practicing law, Vaughn is now an inn keeper who lives only two blocks from Nelson Mandela, and is experiencing her American dream on foreign soil — a place she’s always considered home.

“I love living in South Africa. Besides being beautiful, scenic, as close to the Garden of Eden you will get on this Earth, it is progressive,” Vaughn said. “While living here I have met people from Asia, Europe and America. It really gives me a different perspective about the world and not just one from the viewpoint fed to us by the American press.”

The Baileys note the economy is in crisis and unemployment rates in the U.S. are 6.1 percent and 11.2 percent for Blacks, American retirement plans have lost $2 trillion and foreclosures are skyrocketing at record levels.

They say this is an optimal time for African-Americans to start looking outside of the box and maximizing the opportunities — if not available in the U.S. — then elsewhere.

“Blacks have so many advantages in South Africa and we show this in the film,” Judy said. “South Africa is a growing market and that presents many more opportunities than in a more mature market such as the U.S.; South Africa’s affirmative action has teeth. White-owned companies are required by law to incorporate Blacks into their companies and being Black is an asset.”

The scope of this film also highlights the beauty of South Africa’s lush green land, the Atlantic and Indian oceans bordering South Africa, large cities, and its world-class infrastructure.

Among other things, South Africa provides a lifestyle for African-Americans that may be otherwise difficult to obtain in the states, with many of the participants living in large homes, some as big as 11,000 to 30,000 square foot houses.

Charles N. Henderson, the managing director and co-owner of Henderson, Harper & Associates, a company that provides services in leadership, emotional intelligence and customer service, found a niche in the South African market to help heal the wounds after apartheid.

“My mission is to create opportunities for people to change the quality of their life for the better, both personally and professionally,“ Henderson said. “With there being less competition in South Africa it generally is less intense than in the U.S. and I created my opportunity.”

Residing in South Africa for 15 years, and starting down a path at a young age of drug addiction and crime, now Henderson, Harvard educated, is living a lifestyle he says he never would have been able to sustain in the U.S.

“I can afford things here that are unusual in the U.S. if you are not among the super rich. I have a full time worker and three part time workers that assist me,” Henderson said. “This is definitely different from how I was living in the states.”

Henderson says everything in South Africa is almost 50 percent cheaper than in the U.S.

Karen Vundla, a filmmaker originally from San Francisco, now resides in Soweto with her husband, and says in Hollywood the TV industry was very difficult to maintain a stable lifestyle.

“Living the L.A. life was tough. Film and TV freelance work is scare. However, here in South Africa we’ve had the opportunity to work in our chosen field,” Vundla said.

With 4 to 5 million immigrants populating American soil, the 12 African-Americans documented in “Blacks Without Borders” were looking for, sought and have found their refuge and land of opportunity in South Africa.

“There are many opportunities in South Africa for the enterprising African-American,” Vaughn said. “I believe every African-American owes it to himself or herself to see what Africa has to offer. If nothing more there is a sense of belonging, which you will never have living in America.”

“Blacks Without Borders” received the Audience Choice Award and Best Documentary at the 2008 Trinity Film Coalition Film Festival.

Both Stafford and Judy hope this film encourages African-Americans, churches and other organizations to look beyond the borders and create their own opportunities, while illustrating that the possibilities for African-Americans are endless.

If interested in a copy of the film visit www.blackswithoutborders.net.

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