Pictured above: GBC Members at DA EMEA Conference in Madrid. From Left to Right Cuthbert Telesford-Denmark, Elizabeth Bond-Spain, Nicole Pearson-Spain, Angela Fobbs-GBC Chair-Germany, Ronda Zelezny-Green-UK, Christina Skovsgaard-Norway, Patricia Hamzahee-UK, Second Row. Adrienne Johnson-UK, Erica Smith-France, Shari Temple-Germany.
Welcome and thank you for visiting the Democrats Abroad Global Black Caucus page.
For a quick-to-use list of our contact links and ideas for action, go here.
The Democrats Abroad Global Black Caucus (GBC) is made up of DA members of all ethnicities from around the world who are willing and able to advocate on issues important to Black Americans within the United States of America and those living abroad. All DA members are eligible to join the GBC. We advocate for laws, policies, and programs that improve the lives of Black Americans and educate all people on the humanity of Black people.
People of visible African descent have been in what we now know as the United States of America since 1619, long before many ethnic groups who are now considered to be White. Black Americans were essential to building America. Without Black people, the greatness of America would not be possible. Today, Black Americans are in all walks of life and are 13.3% of the American population[1]. By 2060, the projected black population in the United States will be 74.5 million, with a predicted median black wealth as of 2053 of zero and a current median White wealth of $116,000.
According to the Voter Participation Center, from 2012 to 2016, Black voter turnout dropped by 4.7% overall[2]. Black voter turnout is essential for Democratic election victories. Therefore, it is necessary for Democrats to identify and focus on those issues close to the hearts of African Americans and other minority voters. In general, voters do not turn out unless they feel included, listened to, and excited. It is important that Democrats Abroad have a caucus that directly addresses the issues of Black Americans. Thus, the Global Black Caucus will produce and disseminate political content which bears witness to the ever-unfolding international history of the Black American reality. Black Lives Matter!
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[1] “QuickFacts.” U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts Selected: UNITED STATES, United States Census Bureau, 1 July 2016, www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045216.
[2] Fraga, Bernard L., et al. “Analysis | Why Did Trump Win? More Whites - and Fewer Blacks - Actually Voted.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 8 May 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/05/08/why-did-trump-win-more-whites-and-fewer-blacks-than-normal-actually-voted/?utm_term=.c54e479ea009&wpisrc=nl_politics&wpmm=1.
DA Global Black Caucus Leadership:
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American Voters in Africa
Thank you for registering for the event "The Power of the American Vote in and for Africa: How Americans Who Vote in Africa Can Shape US Policies"
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Join Democrats Abroad
Join our Caucuses. DA sponsors caucus groups, which exist to engage members with a particular area of interest in campaigns, initiatives, and advocacy projects.
All Democrats Abroad members are welcome to join them. Learn More.
Help other Americans Abroad get registered to vote and request an absentee ballot. Become a VFA Voting Champion. Learn More.
Spread the word about voting from abroad. Explore ideas to help get out the vote.
Make a video to help other Americans understand the importance of voting in 2020. Information and script here.
Make a donation to help get out the vote.
Take part in our events. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of our events are online and open to anyone who wants to attend. Learn More.
Member Stories: Howard Hemsley
I came home from work and instead of the usual puddle of piss in my doorway, there was a dead rat. It was the size of a cat and laid in state on a white paper plate; a message from the dealers, steerers, and lookouts who sat on stoops and lounged in tenement doorways on First Street; a drug supermarket where cars with Jersey plates and dudes in ragged sneakers came to cop. It was the eighties.
There were drugs on the block when I moved there five years before after serving every day of a three-year sentence at Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary for the minor crime of passing bad checks and the major crime of being a smart-ass New York ni****r. Drugs on the block did not matter. What mattered was my ground floor loft, a former hippie belt factory more than twice the size of the railroad apartments upstairs. The rent was two-fifty a month and there was no heat, electricity, or plumbing when I moved in. A broken toilet in the middle of the floor was all that remained. With my overtime, I could make it a dream apartment. My arrogance had gotten me a job at a bigtime Wall Street law firm, where I worked sixty, seventy, sometimes eighty hours a week on deals worth billions. Every day I locked horns with biggety Harvard and Yale lawyers who decided I was a revolutionary.
After five years I knew my neighbors well enough to nod hello. My front door opened to the sidewalk and I did not have to enter the building with the weekend one-night stands from gay bars in the West Village.
Upcoming Events
Sunday, October 25, 2020 at 01:00 PM Berlin Time · 19 rsvps
Global Runaway
“To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.”
James Baldwin
Will a new wave of Black Americans explore creating a new life outside of the United States?
Is Blaxit a thing?
Join the Global Black Caucus for a panel discussion on Black American migration past and present. We will have panelists from around the world discuss their personal motivations and experiences moving abroad as well as their thoughts on the current situation in the United States. Given its long and enduring history of inequality, is it time for more Black Americans to consider resettling out of the country?
From slavery to the present, Black Americans have used migration (primarily within the US) as a way to escape the systemic racism found throughout the United States. A multitude of factors including political and economic disenfranchisement, state-sanctioned violence, and discriminatory criminal justice systems have driven Black Americans to pull up their roots in order to build better lives in new places. Will the current political environment drive more Black Americans to consider living abroad?
| Location | Event Start Time |
| Washington DC, USA |
08:00 EDT |
| London, United Kingdom |
12:00 GMT |
| Paris, France |
13:00 CET |
| Nairobi, Kenya |
15:00 EAT |
| Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
16:00 GST |
| Bangkok, Thailand |
19:00 ICT |
| Beijing, China | 20:00 CST |
| Melbourne, Australia | 23:00 AEDT |
RSVP to receive the Zoom link for the event.
Sunday, November 01, 2020 at 05:00 PM Berlin Time · 40 rsvps
Election Predictions and Insights from John McQueen!
Please join us on the pre-election eve — November 1st, 2020 — for John McQueen's well-researched election predictions, and analysis. Leading up to this will be speakers on the issues near and dear to Democrats Abroad, and how they are relevant in this election: Women's issues (Nicole Colaianni), Black Lives Matter (Robert Scott), LGBTQ (Daniel Hoever-Eckhardt), Science (Rebecca Alvarado), Voter Suppression (Patrick Mears). Niki Vonderwell will be reporting live from the ground in Ohio, where she’s helping at one of the polling centers. At the end, John will use an interactive map to show how he predicts it will go on election day, including some important state races. Moderator will be Nancy Schimkat, and our tech team is Joe Butler and Matthias Luft.
We are broadcasting this via Zoom from the Heidelberg Center for American Studies. Please RSVP to get the Zoom link.