The Expatriates’ Story
KWANA STRONG
Kwana Strong grew up in Cleveland, Ohio with her parents and two sisters. At the end of a contractual work stint in the United Arab Emirates, she struggled with the decision to return to America. She had watched numerous U. S. news reports of black people being killed by police without any consequences. These events drove her to establish a haven in Ghana for herself and her family. Kwana believes their chances of survival are better on the continent of Africa than the U.S., where racism often turns violent.
In her new country, Kwana opened an eco-friendly construction company to build her home and to support herself financially. Her company, Organic Earth Homes and Lifestyles, uses mostly natural materials with a technique called rammed earth construction.
THE WILLIAMS FAMILY
The Williams family left the United States, flying from Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, the day of the Capital Insurrection. Freddy and Quiana Williams of Atlanta felt it was no longer safe to raise their four children in America. Freddy, a military veteran, took a DNA test to find his genetic roots and discovered ties to the Krobo ethnic group in Ghana. The Krobo people are farmers in southeastern Ghana. Like his ancestors, Freddy and Quiana were called to the land. They brought a plot to build a recycling plant and a home in the coastal city of Takoradi.
TYRONE JAMAR
Tyrone Jamar moved to Ghana in 2019, during the nation’s Year of Return campaign. Ghana commemorated the 400-year anniversary of the first slaves taken to America by inviting Black people in the Diaspora to return to their ancestral roots. So, Tyrone answered the call to come home. Tired of the racial discrimination that he experienced as a traveling nurse in the U.S., the native of Columbus, Ohio, sought a change. Tyrone revealed he dealt with racist patients who rejected his care due to his ethnicity. He also had been denied promotions on several occasions by his employer. This motivated him to find a more accommodating environment for his career to flourish.
In Ghana, he saw an opportunity to offer his medical services where they would be appreciated. The country had a need for healthcare providers, so he opened a clinic in the capital of Accra.
The Lackey Family
The Lackeys have lived in several cities across the United States as a military family where they experienced different levels of racism. They were often ostracized in team sports, the workplace, and even their church. However, while stationed overseas in Bahrain for two years, they were finally treated with human dignity and awakened to how life should be lived.
After the George Floyd murder, the Lackey family realized a planned vacation to Africa should be a permanent move as the racial tension ran high in their current city of Ridgefield, Washington. The Lackeys found an opportunity to partner with the Ghanaian government to help strengthen the country’s food supply chain. So, they bought land in Cape Coast, Ghana where they plan to have fish, pig, and poultry farm.
