EXPAT? IMMIGRANT? BLACK ITALIAN? HOW WILL THEY TREAT YOU? | RACISM IN ITALY 

I am an African from Uganda and I have been living in Italy for 8 years now. So what you said sounds about right. When I am hanging out with my Black American friends I get treated differently than when I am having out with my African friends. That being said, it's also so true about classicism. People will treat me much better when i am dressed up and in a place of high status regardless of me being black. Now when it comes to how we approach the racism issue. Yes, it's true that Africans are slower to go to racism when things happen compared to Black Americans but that goes back a lot to history.

Thank you for speaking on thr nuances of the black experience especially as relates to racism in Italy. As a Kenyan student studying here I also think how "well" you speak English matters and I guess that ties into everything you have said about being a Western black vs an African black and whether you're "poor" or not. I have gotten surprised looks when I say I am from "Africa Africa" (born and bred on the continent) yet I "speak English so well". Keep up the great content👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

"Italians feel threatened by change, in general". Amen!!!! Very very true. Historians have interesting theories onto why that is the case but regardless it is clear that it is something as a country we need to work on. Thank you for sharing your insights, i find your opinions always very well articulated and it's clear you took the time to understand what you've been observing and express your points with respect.

Vorrei spezzare una lancia a favore delle piccole città di provincia. Io faccio parte della famosa seconda generazione di immigrati (come veniamo chiamati nei talk show politici) o altresì noti come afroitaliani. Durante la prima parte della mia infanzia ho vissuto in una grande città del sud. Quando avevo 6 anni la mia famiglia si è trasferita in un paesino minuscolo del centro Italia, dove tutti si conoscevano e dove eravamo le uniche persone nere. Non sono mai stata trattata in maniera diversa dagli altri. Sono stata presa in giro? Sì, ma come tutti e solo dai bulletti che prendevano in giro tutti i diversi: dal bambino grassottello a quello con i capelli rossi. Crescendo sono diventata una del paese...tutti mi conoscevano e conoscevano i miei genitori. E quando ho preso la cittadinanza a 18 anni(cosa assurda se posso dire) ho avuto più problemi a reperire i documenti dalla grande città che dal mio piccolo paesino di provincia, dove l'amministrazione si è prodigata per me. Non dico che è così ovunque anzi...ma io il razzismo l'ho vissuto sulla mia pelle molto di più nelle città più grandi dove i rapporti sono meno stretti. Per i miei compaesani sono sempre stata italiana. Si sono stupiti del fatto che dovessi attraversare un iter burocratico per essere vagamente considerata tale.

I dated an Italian exchange student that came to my university for a semester, and it was honestly so surprising how conservative he was. My parents are from Ethiopia and what made me break up with him were his views about Ethiopian & Eritrean immigrants living in Italy. He didn’t like talking about politics, but he told me he voted for Matteo Salvini, so I knew that I had to end things.

Hi Tia, your description of racism in Italy is absolutely accurate, as an Italian I couldn't have found better words. I just wanna highlight how much the italian kind of racism is not that much related to skin color or nationality. It's linked to classism most of all. Till not much time ago most north Italians were racist with southerners because they were much poorer and used to emigrate to the North. Then when I was a kid racism was against Romanians and Albanians because they were the "poor people coming from the east". I think racism against black people or Islamic people wasn't a thing cause there were very very few of them at that time. Now things have changed so much, there are more people with southern roots here in the North than "pure" northeners, Romanians and Albanians are much more integrated...so Italians' hatred and racism has only found new "victims" now. Anyways I really hope that in the next years the situation will get better and the new generations will be more open minded than the old ones. Black Italians, Arab Italians, asiatic Italians DO EXIST and they will be part of our national identity more and more. People will eventually start accepting that, hopefully.

Not one bit of lie has been said. Racism in Italy is diiferent from America because a lot of times it's small remarks, microaggresions or just those cold stares in Esselunga..... Anyway love this video

As a Black American living in Madrid, there are a lot of parallels between the situation in Spain and Italy.

It also depends how you look. I’m half italian and half African, but I look more Moroccan and the discrimination on that particular group is fierce. I see that when they mistake me for one. 😕

I'm a mixed light-skinned third-culture kid who grew up in the US but is now living in Italy (as my dad is Italian and we decided to move back so that university would be more affordable) and you hit the nail on the head when it comes to the "dark" experience. I've experienced all three faces of Italian racism, from being the American celebrity to the Brazilian "less-than" to the non-existant Italian minority. I've definitely developed coping mechanisms, from calling my mom and just speaking in English when I'm being looked at funny to having a much more assertive and no-bs attitude with strangers, but microaggresions happen on the daily. I initially moved to a small city in provincial Liguria and have since moved to Rome, which is much, much better in the racism regard, but it's still present, it's just less black and white.

Great video. Coming from the UK (London) black british. I am love going all over Italy for holidays. ( I am a bit of an Italiaphile) I had never experienced any racism when there. Its so weird, but I could always feel that they could tell I was from England. Probably it was the way I present myself or the way I acted, but I was always treated differently in a positive way...

I am an english white expat and though people think being white is rosy but italians dont like english. I was abused in hospital like not givng me any premed before a serious op ordering me around. Endoscopy without any aneasthetic,husband is irish and italians like irish treat his totally differentally, you dont need tobe black to be abused, or snubbed. Italians wont employ non italians we worked fo othet expats as gardeners.

You nailed it, Italians are so scared of changes, but changes are inevitable, they are making it only so much more painful for themselves.

Funny enough the term black italians was reserved to the southern italians landing in America before the WW2.

That's absolutely correct! Here in Italy, the racism is based on classism mostly, not on the shade of your skin. It DOES exist, but I've never realized that because I grew up in a middle-upper class family which was very open-minded and I've always had a lot of "black" friends. Growing up I got closer to politic and I realised that in Italy (also because of the politic situation) there's a lot of racism, but no one wants to admit that. I'm pretty sure that with the next generations, like mine (I'm 16 rn) the situation will get better and the racism will be defeated almost everywhere in Italy, I really hope that. thanks a lot for this video

This is hands down the best video I have ever seen about racism in Italy. I'm so thankful that finally someone has talked so honestly about this topic. Wish every italian could see it.

Hi Tia - I never comment on anything but I felt compelled to after viewing this video. You really hit the nail on the head compared to the last video you did on the topic (which I didn’t agree with). It’s clear you lived and experienced Italy more fully. As a black Italian/third culture kid with a west African mother and American/Caribbean father it rang painfully true. It really angers me when people treat you terribly when they think you’re African and then change their attitude when they find out you’re a western black person 😒 I ran away from Italy the first chance I got when I turned 18 (to Northern Europe) but it makes me so happy to see you thriving in a place where it’s seemingly impossible. Keep up the great work on your channel!

penso che qui il razzismo non sia evidente come in altri paesi, ma sia silenzioso, esiste ma nessuno vuole ammettere che sia un problema pensando che sia peggio in altri paesi. io sono nata in latino america, ma visto che i miei nonni erano europei, non ho il "classico" aspetto che ci si aspetterebbe. il problema che abbiamo sempre affrontato io e la mia famglia è quando dicevamo di non essere nati in italia perchè subito ci categorizzavano come stranieri anche se abbiamo la cittadinanza italiana e viviamo qui da 11 anni. in generale sento che il razzismo si manifesti quando le persone pensano che tu sia una minaccia per la loro economia o quando hanno paura che l'italia possa essere vista negativamente per colpa tua. Io personalmente ho sentito la discriminazzione per il mio ingresso economico, poi quando saltava fuori che ero pure argentina ciaone..... adesso ci limitiamo a dire che siamo spagnoli, visto che è più accettato e dobbiamo fingere di far parte della classe media

You live in Milan, which is a bubble itself. There's a huge difference with the rest of Italy, please say that.

There's a lot of racism in Italy and it comes in many forms, both aggressive and subtle. I'm a white, non Italian, been here 10 yrs, and even though I've received racial abuse as a foreigner, it's pales into insignificance compared to minority groups, especially towards Black Africans and Muslims. A recent story shocked me and even though I don't usually let things like this affect me, because there are idiots like this all over the world, this one hit me in the gut. This happened a couple of months ago. A young black teenager, BORN IN ITALY, committed suicide because the community he grew up in would not accept him as an Italian. To the point that they chose not to shop at his place of work due to the fact he was black. After years of this degradation and being so lonely and isolated he chose to take his life. Apparently Italians still can't see they have a problem.

Thank you for sharing your experience and explaining important nuance - that the Black experience is not homogenous!! I would just like to add that Italy is spookily silent about their colonial crimes against Black people in Somalia and Eritrea... This is common among all former European colonisers. They ignore their past of human rights abuses and the hand their countries have played in destabilising these regions. Many Italians view Africans as lesser because of their wars and poverty, not realising that Europeans have exploited their resources, that many African borders were created by Europeans post-war to serve their interests, sowing the seeds of ethnopolitical conflict and wars. They complain about immigrants/refugees, not realising the role their countries made in creating the circumstances for them. If you're a white Italian (or other European tbh) some individual steps u can take to "pull up": educate yourself on your country's colonial history, don't use racial slurs - nope not even in songs, if you see a Black person being unjustly treated use your voice to speak up there and then, get involved in helping refugees and immigrants with resources & if you notice your family or friends have anti-Black implicit/explicit biases, challenge them on it!

The lump in your throat that you described when considering the plight of black Italians, I got that same lump in my throat from listening to this video. As an indigenous European I feel a visceral anger at how our continent has let down the groups of people you describe in this video. Both the relative newcomers like yourself as well as the Europeans of more recent family lineage, like the black Italians. I live in Scotland. The political currents that have swept much of Europe have been resisted somewhat here. We decisively voted against Brexit, for example. But that's only a small mercy and I'm certainly not complacent. I listen to the experiences of black Scots and where I can, I spread the word about the changes that need to be made. I don't know what to say. I'm angry. I'm embarassed. But we'll keep struggling for the society we want together. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, it was an illuminating listen.

This video makes me so sad. I'm from the south of Italy, and I think that the situation is even worse. My boyfriend is black, and he moved to France two years ago because of the depression. In Sicily there is no job and there isn't respect for black people. I hate the way sicilian people look at black people, it makes me feel angry and so ashamed. If I could make a wish, I would like people to become intelligent enough to understand that there are no differences. I am so sorry that you have to live thinking about this kind of problems, it's a huge injustice...

Perfect explained!! great video!! I am half Italian an half Croation and I was born and raised in Switzerland and I would say that the racism in Switzerland is similar to the racism you talk about in this video. Love your content. Love from Switzerland

But if somebody put an Italian on the cover of a Nigerian or Angolan magazine and said “this is Nigerian beauty” black people would react the same way.

Totally agree with everything that has been said in the video, but there is a piece of info missing and that can explain further this shift in perception. The climate around the black community has changed and got worse also because of the refugee crisis in the last couple of years. There is an immediate association unfortunately that now is made towards black people escaping a difficult situation in Africa Sabsarhian and the economic cost that comes with it for European countries. This aspect should not be underestimated. It would be helpful if the narrative of the news related to immigration would be different, more focused on the positive. Media are a powerful tool, they "teach us" what to be mad about, what to care about...ever wonder why some sports are popular in some countries and not in others, it all come down to media coverage.

Your channel seems very genuine and I appreciate the variety of topics. I also love how you address your growth and things you've learned overtime.

We had a black miss Italia like 20 years ago...

I'm from Brazil, and despite the fact that here a huge part of the population are of black and racism exist in a very structured way, if you are a black person from thw western world and come here to live, probably you would have the same results if you are inside of a bubble as you said. If you step out of the your zone, and get into the real world all the prejudices starts to appear.

I read an article the other week where a black-American exchange student went to Italy with her caucasian classmates, she said that when she was in Italy, people would cross the road to avoid her, a woman stared at her and screamed, people would refuse to give her directions and a man threw a beer in her face by a pool and no one got up to defend her, just a quiet look of sympathy from an African migrant that was within her view, some people were verbally racist with her too. It broke my heart reading that, I'm mixed race & my Mother is a black woman, if this ever happened to her, it would destroy me inside, it as such a sad article to read.

100% correct. It's all well and good when you only mix with the liberal, middle-class, urban, cosmopolitan classes where you are recognised as one of them. It's a different ballgame when get out of that protected social enclave and people don't know you are a professional expat from the US but mistake you for one of the many undocumented African immigrants that hang around Italy's train stations. In any case, at the bottom of the Italian ethnic pecking order are not blacks, but people who may look not all that different from Italians: Muslims and Roma

I'm African and my plan is to visit Italy in the future to explore the beauty of it, but always was scared of racism bc for some reason i thought it would be worse in Italy idk

I’m a Black American and I lived in turkey and Serbia. I’ve experienced racism in those countries and when I call some of them out on it. They will say I didn’t call you the n word. There a several ways to be racist. Even when I had met Africans that weren’t Americanized they were okay with these racist acts from them. They were approving it which was making me feel crazy.

It's so weird for me to hear all of this and recognise stereotypes that I've been taught since i was a kid. What you said resonates with the mindset and ideas that Italians generally have about black people and minorities in general. I've never thought about it that much, but it's scary how the way you see other groups is deeply rooted into you, whether you want it or not, and it depends on the cultural environment you were raised in. Luckily, I would say a lot of people are able to distance themselves from the first (possibly racist) thought that automatically comes into their mind and be rational

It is a really interesting, nuanced video and I certainly subscribe to your thesis that there is a lot of xenophobia/racism in Italy. And not from now: I lived in London, in the 80s, and I was shocked to hear some racist comments made by some Italian acquantainces about a Nigerian friend of mine only on the basis of his race. Obviously it is impossible to be racist ... when there are no black people around and in the 80s the only black people I had ever seen in Milan were some Eritreans... and I had never heard any comments about them, probably because I was living in my middle class, progressive bubble. But as soon as I got out of it I was exposed to some crass racism, which totally took me by surprise. The funny thing was that I then moved to a different European State where I was exposed to some micro (and one macro) aggressions for being .... Italian.

Aggiungo il mio pensiero ponderato su questo argomento. Abito in un piccolo paesino, sin da quando ero piccola le persone di colore per me erano Eddie Murphy e Will Smith. Poi alle volte andando a fare la spesa con i miei genitori vedevo altre persone di colore fuori dai supermercati a chiedere elemosina. Sono cresciuta e all'università le uniche persone di colore che vedevo erano turisti o mendicanti e questo come dicevi giustamente tu ha creato la differenza Americano/Nigeriano, solo per una questione economica. Adesso i bambini a scuola hanno come compagni di classe bambini di colore e non solo, cinesi, arabi etc etc. Io sono convinta che questa cosa porterà (non nell'immediato purtroppo...) alla consapevolezza ed all'accettazione. Siamo un popolo molto radicato nelle sue convinzioni, non siamo cattivi ma è da poco, soprattutto nelle province, che ci stiamo affacciando ad una realtà che è normale in altri paesi del mondo... con gli italiani ci vuole pazienza!! :)

I'm a black Italian, and thank you for explaining how I feel about racism in a country in which I consider part of, but my other fellow neighbors don't think I am.

Anch'io non sono molto d'accordo sul fatto che un posto come Milano (come altre città del nord), in quanto più aperto e multiculturale, sia meno razzista di posti magari più piccoli al centro o al sud. Per la cronaca, io sono piemontese e vivo a Torino. Io vorrei aggiungere qualcosa raccontandovi quanto segue. Parliamo di almeno 30 anni fa. Nel paesino di montagna dove trascorro le mie vacanze, veniva sempre un marocchino a vendere le sue mercanzie. Faceva il giro dei paesi. Quando arrivava, prima di tutto veniva fatto entrare, gli veniva dato da bere e da mangiare se era ora di pranzo, e poi esponeva le sue cose, e così passava di casa in casa. Soprattutto gli anziani dimostravano questo atteggiamento. Parlo di persone alcune molto chiuse, montanari culturalmente limitati, che spesso passavano il tempo a litigare fra loro in dialetto per delle czzate di vicinato. Ma verso lo straniero, di colore, sì c'era un po' di diffidenza, ma prevalevano valori come l'ospitalità, l'accoglienza e anche un po' di curiosità. Questo deve far riflettere. Forse non è un fatto tanto culturale o di arretratezza. L'elemento che prevale oggi in Italia è la paura. Percepiamo la realtà attraverso paura e incertezza. Talora ingiustificate. Quando Salvini si vantava di una riduzione di omicidi e reati nell'ultimo anno, portava furbescamente dati che in realtà seguono un trend costantemente positivo da decenni, nonostante l'immigrazione. Siamo oggettivamente più sicuri ma percepiamo maggiore insicurezza. Guardate adesso le reazioni per il Coronavirus. Questa paura è usata da alcuni personaggi politici come un'arma di propaganda e viene alimentata. Non parlo solo di Salvini. Pensiamo al seguito che hanno certi gruppi di estrema destra nella periferia di Roma per esempio, dove si vivono situazioni di forte degrado economico e sociale. Altro esempio è il modo in cui si danno le notizie oggi. I titoli dei telegiornali sono accompagnati da stacchi musicali studiati per creare ansia. Si vende meglio il proprio prodotto a chi ha paura. Io penso che la crescita del razzismo in Italia vada di pari passo con la crescita della paura, una paura cosmica, esistenziale, spesso priva di senso.

Oh Tia mi spiace tantissimo, non hai idea di quanto le tue parole mi spezzino il cuore. L'Italia è il mio paese, ma quello che dici purtroppo è vero, spero che sia solo una piccola parentesi. ❤.

I'm speaking as latin american living in Milan, yeah you said everything right, you pointed out every issue in this country.

My cardiologist is african and he graduated from university here in my city. This is the first time I meet a foreign doctor in my italian hospital and I m so glad about it (i work as a translator and I love to meet people from other countries) I have so much respect for my cardiologist.

Very insightful, "life is not black or white." Your observations about Italy proved that point.

I'm 20 and I live in Venice and from what I see, what you said applies perfectly here too, even though I'm not sure about the situation of italian-africans, because I think they are considered as fully Italians. I'm white and I was born here so I've never faced race issues and obvuoiusly I'm talking for my generation. What I wanted to tell you is to keep in mind that if you'll have kids my generation will be the one at the government, a much more aware one, so hopefully your kids won't have to live in the same type of society you live in. We can't do much for the older generations, our grandmas and grandpas, because most of them were brought up with a fascist mentality in the Mussolini era (and after he died the culture remained of course), you just need to look at how the Etiopia campains were organized, the posters fascists hung in the cities that were extremely racist, but I do think we are getting better, generation after generation. I'm positive that we're headed the right way.

Very interesting! I would say your point of view is the same for Spain today. As an African-Spanish woman, it is very interesting to see how people's reactions change when I am known for my UK upbringing or if they know I am African & Spanish (Spanish nationality too)... BIG difference. Sad but all you said makes sense, I can see how this would apply to Italy too. Great honest video! Also, love your hair :)

I think we Italians fear more illegal immigration. And yes, people care a lot about our culture.

I agree with everything you said, you put it perfectly! another thing Italians hate is being called racist 😂😂😂I remember the feedback I got on my video about racism and how no one actually listened to what I said, they were just angry that I called Italians racist. vabbè. I hope by the time you have kids this country will be somewhat better. and even if it’s not, I know you’ll instill great values in them

This was a really interesting and informative video. Thank you for taking the time to create and upload it. 🙏🏽 It was very helpful with understanding life in Italy as a Black person. It’s a lot to think about.

Very good video! I'd like to see it in Italian (or with Italian subtitles) for Italians who still don't speak English well, because more people should be aware of that situation. p.s.: nice new look, Tia!

I have live in Italy for nearly 8 years, and i can agree with all this lady said in this video. It could be a nightmare to integrate sometimes in Italy. And wait 10 years to ask the citizen is a lot of time if you compare with Germany or Spain. Good video.

I’m not listening to hear what “ I “ want to hear. I’m listening to hear YOUR opinion of YOUR experience.

Can you talk about your job? How did you get it? What do you do in Italy? What did you study at Bocconi? I’m moving there in a month for fashion school.

Very good video. We Italians have a complicated relation with racism. Often we are tempted to say it does not exist. It all comes from the very deep belief that we are "brava gente", maybe poor, a bit loud and excessive but good in the end. That's really nice and comforting thought but also a dangerous one: for example we are not very aware in the mainstream culture about the crimes our ancestors made in Africa with the colonies, and even the crimes of the fascists are denied or ignored by a worring number of 'normal italian people' meaning non only the crazy rightwing guys. The comments on the Italian Blacks are tragically correct. There are infinite examples, we as a society are like mentally stuck in the Nineties on this issue. Back then I was a kid, and the vast majority of the immigrant families from Africa were here since less than 5-10 years. They were 'il bambino ghanese' or simply 'africano'. But Now 30 years later for too many people they are still african. Not italian. Probably the most famous example is Mario Balotelli. Born in Italy, raised in my city of Brescia, he has a stronger 'accento bresciano' than me. He became a successful football player, even successful in the National Football Team, but to a lot of people he's sadly not italian.

Hai proprio centrato il punto. Sono nera con due genitori di due paesi africani completamente diversi ma sono nata e cresciuta in Italia. Ho vissuto per 18 anni in una bolla costruita dai miei genitori che mi hanno fatto frequentare le scuole migliore e gli ambienti migliori e non ho mai concretamente affrontato il razzismo, eppure lo sentivo, sentivo come la gente parlava di quelli che erano neri come me. Poi il fatto della cittadinanza è sempre stato un problema; avendo genitori di nazionalità diverse non sapevo come identificarmi: non era italiana perché gli italiani non potevano essere neri, così si dice. Poi la cultura dei miei genitori l’avevo solo conosciuta e mai assimilata del tutto. Ora vivo e studio in Olanda perché preferisco essere considerata straniera in un altro paese piuttosto che esserlo a casa mia. L’Italia non mi manca, mi manca la famiglia, gli amici e tantissimo la mia città, che per me rimane la città migliore del mondo. Ogni tanto penso a quando e se tornerò, ma ho paura, perché quella bolla in cui sono cresciuta potrebbe non esistere più.

It's the stares for me being black. A lot of Italians will just stare at you

I loooooove ur new hair style.

Your experience is your own and I'm happy that you're doing well and are not experiencing racism However I would be careful saying you are speaking for "blacks" in general. You are financially stable, a westerner, and live in Milan which as you said is diverse

Totally agree with you on your parents not recognizing what racism is. My parents are Nigerian but I was raised in the US. My dad literally is a trump supporter and thinks racism is normal. I literally had to tell him that people feel unsafe and scared in their own country and he should stop sharing his political beliefs with him.

Italian expat here. I'm ideologically light years away from the Lega average voter. In the political spectrum, I am really far from conservatives, and I think that changing is a crucial fact to development. However, I feel the strong need to bring up a point that many often seem to overlook: developing towards the integration of new ethnicities should not necessarily mean changing the Italian culture. Our tradition is not just something old that we like to revive here and there with local sagre di paese, it's our identity and the most precious thing we have to offer to the market!! I am saying this because so many Italian hipsters refuse the Italian culture and want Italy to look and act as the USA or as Scandinavian nations. But that completely misses a big point: we are not northeners!! We are people of the Mediterranean, we are passionate, we spend years of our lives cooking for our families, and most importantly, we value relax and godersi la vita. The path that many suggest is to become a pragmatic, northener-like country, when in fact that would just annihilate our culture making us become just one among many other countries in the world, and that is marketing and economically wise stupid. The solution is to integrate newcomers and their children to the Italian culture, making them learn local languages like Sicilian and Venetian and watching them grow as Italians, Italians who love Italy and who for that reason will make Italy grow to its full potentials. In this view, Ius Culturae and Ius Soli are great ideas. So in conclusion, we should not "adapt Italy to the modern times" but we should adapt modern times to Italy.

I thought Italians would have some affinity with some South Americans. Most Argentineans are of Italian ancestry and so are many from Uruguay and Brazil

Thank you for making this video. I'm going on almost 2 years in Italy and I'm in the "western black" category. I've done it all - lived in my bubble, learned the language, integrated, etc. I've experienced racism in each category. It was tough. Yes, racism is everywhere. But this video isn't about "every country" - it's about Italy. I now tend to slip back into the bubble sometimes or just spend my time inside studying.

As always you covered the issue beautifully, deeply and with intelligence. I'd like to add one thing, if you travel enough and integrate enough in other societies you realize that every country has some form of racism, like North Africans can be racist towards black Africans, black Africans are racists towards other black Africans of other regions/countries, or they can be racist towards asians, or towards white Europeans. Germans and British can be racist towards Italians, and so on. Anyway, to me, what your parents though is true, those were a..holes, because basically that's what a racist is ;)

Hi Tia, thank you. It takes an external, neutral but knowledgeable and experienced eye like yours to analyse this. I grew up in Italy, but I would have not been able to put it quite like this. I live in the UK and Brexit proved me I live in a bubble. My bubble is made of social status. I have a good job, cultured people around me, probably some degree of self imposed blindness of what is out there but is too hard to face. And never would I ever have imagined that the average Brit wants us all out... I have kids and what you say about black Italians touched a cord. They have dual nationality, with both parents being Italian. I cannot imagine how hard must feel to be denied your national identity, it feels much similar to the LGBT+ struggles.

Da persona nata, cresciuta e che tutt’ora vive in Emilia Romagna ( precisamente a Reggio Emilia, città tra l’altro molto multiculturale) posso dire che nella MIA esperienza ( quindi si tratta della mia opinione, e non é universale) il razzismo, o comunque una forma ben radicata di xenofobia, in Italia, esiste eccome. In particolar modo nei confronti di certe etnie rispetto ad altre. Lo posso constatare tutti i giorni da frasi e atteggiamenti, sia da parte di persone anziane sia da giovani purtroppo. Ho sentito trentenni giudicare più o meno bene una certa città, per il numero di immigrati che aveva ( “Reggio Emilia non é una bella città”, alludendo al fatto che ci vivono tanti “stranieri”). Una ragazza che conosco che mi ha consigliato di non prendere il treno regionale perché “Non c’è gente della nostra “razza” (vabbè, questa é forse una delle più agghiaccianti 😱🤮) Io fin dalle elementari ho avuto compagni di classe di varie nazionalità, diversi amici, tra cui una delle mie più care amiche, che vengono da altri paesi, un ex moroso del Ghana. Per me la multiculturalità é la norma, eppure mi trovo spesso a discutere con persone, anche della mia stessa età (29 anni) sul tema razzismo.. Lo stesso succede coi miei genitori. Niente da fare: la maggior parte delle volte é come parlare ad un muro. Molti sono cresciuti in famiglie dove si parlava degli “stranieri” in un det. modo, si facevano distinzioni tra “noi” e “loro” ecc ...e la loro idea é rimasta quella. Poi magari sta gente va all’estero e si stupisce che qualcun altro lo tratti da “straniero”... e non sia mai che si tiri fuori il discorso del razzismo, o che gli si faccia notare che i loro discorsi sono un pelino razzisti o perlomeno xenofobi, si offendono e negano l’evidenza! Ma dai, un po’ di coerenza... Io credo che la pensino in un certo modo, perché non hanno mai conosciuto (veramente e in maniera approfondita) persone provenienti dall’Africa, dall’Asia o dall’America Latina, se non il ragazzo nigeriano che chiede l’elemosina davanti al supermercato o il cameriere cinese del ristorante di sushi. O che non abbiamo mai letto o si siano informati sulla storia dei Paesi extra europei, e quindi giudichino senza sapere. Dall’altro lato poi, conosco anche tanti italiani che hanno amici, fidanzat* e conoscenti di varie nazionalità e che sono aperti di mente ecc... Ma devo dire che forse conosco più persone del primo gruppo.

I'm a white Brazilian that lived in Italy for three years, at the begging I didn't knowed Italian and I was communicating in English, and I was thereated so well. Than I started to learn and speak Italian and also to work in less paid jobs, like babysitting, the treatment was huge different! As a South American, I felt that some Italians are ignorant about my culture and even being white I've felt xenophobia sometimes, for having an accent, for being from a not developed country.

Thank you for the update of the black experience in Italy. Please be safe out there and definitely do what's in your best interest.

In Italia piu` che razzismo il problema e la xenofobia, non penso che la stragrande maggioranza della popolazione ritenga inferiore o provi repulsione per una determinata etnia, quanto invece il fatto che vi sia una combinazione fra crisi economica, immigrazione clandestina e diminuzione dell'istruzione pubblica; tutti e tre questi fattori, uniti ad una pessima politica dove la sinistra ha sempre utilizzato il tema migranti a scopo elettorale come la destra con Salvini che sfrutta tale situazione incrementando tale odio. Il razzismo anzi, a mio modo di vedere e molto piu` presente in altre zone del mondo specie dove vi e` un nazionalismo esasperato, e` onnipresente in tutti i continenti poiche` vi e` sempre una tendenza nel difendere la propria identità, son concorde sul fatto che vi sia una correlazione fra stato economico/sociale e discriminazione.

“Diversity and multiculturalism goes hand in hand with development.” PREACH 🙌

I'm noticing many black women go to other European countries and cry about them people not kissing their ass or accepting them the way they accept their own people. Most of these women are black Americans. When you go to other countries need to be respectful and not demanding. Things do happen though because people are people

Have you ever had a question but didn't know who to ask it in order to get an answer that satisfied you fully? This video was it❤ Thank you so much, if only you knew what a tremendous help this was for me❤❤

As a Muslim whenever I say we face this issue some black ppl think I’m trying to compete with them or say hey pay attention to us more and that’s not the case so thank you saying that , even though there’s so many light skin ones it’s head wrap that’s the issue

I love that you're keeping making video on social issues, I love to hear your point of view 👌👍👍👍

Great video, but you're wrong about Americans being given opportunities in Italian universities and Africans not, I got admitted to universities in Pisa, Rome and Milan based on merit and even in interviews, I could tell they were more impressed by my grades and didn't question that my previous university was African.

12:10 so true , I had to wait 18 years to get the italian citizenship despite being born in Italy even if I have it I don't fell like I belong to Italy at all, I've never really felt to be treated like an italian and at this point I don't even care, I don't care about italians anymore.

First of all, I love your new hair style 🥰🥰 I always wanted to cut my hair but was too scared and seeing how good it makes you motivate me. You live and learn, in the previous video you saw Italy as an American immigrant and that’s very different from being an African immigrant. I have a love/hate relationship with Italy so I know a little bit about their culture and they’re generally very xenophobic. Xenophobia is more prevalent than racism so it’s easy to miss it if you’re from a country they love. They hated on their own people (Sicilians) and treated them as second class citizens so they hate foreigners. Politicians tied it to race and religion and suddenly all groups feel the pressure of not being 💯 Italian. My American teacher told us how when she visited Italy they told her to go back to Africa but then once she spoke English they apologized and said they thought she was African. She was very upset and said that she was African Americans so if they hate black Africans they hate her too.

Da italiano che ha lavorato come dipendente agricolo nei paesi scandinavi posso dire che alcune cose che dici le ho provate sulla mia pelle.. forse non é neppure una questione di colore, ma di distanza da casa. Ecco perché se un nero italiano parla con l'accento dialetto napoletano, romano ecc ecc non ci poniamo neppure il problema di capire chi é e da dove viene .

I really hate the world "expat". it is just a way to differentiate rich (usually white) people living abroad. the right word is "immigrant". when you arrive in the airport there is only the immigrant gate, not the immigrant and the expat gates. (and I say that as an Italian immigrant)

Italians are close to South America. Argentina is 62% Italian and Uraguay, Brazil, etc. have large Italian populations.

Hello Tia, Thank you for posting such a balanced, well presented video on such an important topic. I know that it is now three years since you posted it...but I have only just seen it because I have just started to investigate the subject of racism in Italy. Almost all of what you say is transferable to other so-called developed Western countries and is still relevant today, and with the chance that some issues have worsened. I am an older person, retired, who was born in the caribbean but have lived in "developed" Western countries. I have lived as a member of the different "groups" you mentioned throughout my working life and experienced the gamut of racist treatment you outlined, which is why I acknowledge how well thought out and balanced your presentation is. I am that person fortunate enough to be able to "choose" how and when to step out of my insulating bubble, if I should so choose. I am retired, so no work situation to deal with. I have sufficient finances to live in an area that I choose...within some reason...to use public transport when I choose to, etc. I now live in Canada, via the UK, but have my eye on moving back to Europe. This is early in my research but your take on racism in Italy has been very informative and helpfull towards my journey. Your video was very engaging to watch! Thank you.

Il razzismo è un argomento molto delicato e non facile da catalogare. È una cosa molto individuale e ha varie sfumature. Nello specifico del black racism, è un razzismo più dovuto dalla classe sociale e dal fenomeno immigratorio degli ultimi anni che dal colore della pelle in sé. Mi piace molto come hai affrontato il tema, il più grosso problema italiano è la mancanza di afro italiani e western black perché essendo meno emarginati rispetto ai african black potrebbero parlare e discutere di più di questo tema con gli amici italiani che poi parlerebbero con altri amici e così via. Io in prima persona avrei piacere ad avere amici di colore per parlare di temi di cui io ho poca conoscenza ma la realtà è che nella nostra società sono pochi (1% da quello che ho visto nel video) è un po' un cane che si morde la coda. Cmq Tia continua così è un piacere seguirti

I agree with you 100% and particularly with what you said in the latter half of the video. I am a 3rd GENERATION Italian-American, yet I often get treated more like an Italian than Italian-born people of color. I could cite multiple examples of this. I’ve had many conversations with my Italian counterparts about this and it’s either met with substantial resistance or “well, racism in America is different than in Italy”. And they’re right, it is. But like you said, things are changing and quickly. These challenges are something I’m hoping Italians can meet with the same grace they often do other social circumstances

i also hate how the Italians suddenly forget the history of antiblackness in Italy with fascism and colonialism

Thank you so much for this video. I've been subscribed to your channel for a while and I'm so inspired to try moving abroad again. A lot of what you said was true for me too, except I was living in France in my early 20s. I lived in Paris though so it was kind of different but when I went to the country or smaller cities in France people would give funny looks until they realized that I'm American. My Afro French and Muslim French friends had very different experiences but the racism was still present.

I am glad you've resealed this video. When I watched your first video, I felt disappointed actually, because you were (unconsciously) portraying a very small reality of Italy. Belonging to the "half Italian" group, I am glad you've come to realise the reality that myself and so many of the people close to me have experienced in their lives. Having lived abroad now for 5 years, I always feel it again every time I got back home to my small hometown in Italy and also from other Italians in the country where I currently live. I know so many half/black Italians who have moved abroad. Italy is missing out on a lot of things, from an economic and cultural point of view. I am saddened to hear that you don't feel comfortable anymore about having a family in Italy, I hope things get better and wish you all the happiness in your future

grazie per la chiarezza e l'accuratezza della tua analisi. ci sono tanti aspetti da approfondire, ma il quadro che dipingi mi pare molto realistico. ed è faticoso pensare che gli esseri umani, dopo aver categorizzato, non possano fare a meno di ingaggiare in comportamenti super difensivi, aggressivi e di potere nei confronti di altri esseri umani...

What u talking about……Well Oprah received horrible treatment in a Louis Vuitton store and she’s very rich!

Well than why ex -Italian national team player Mario Ballotelli had to deal with so much hate or black famous football players in seria A dealing with racism !!! And they make WAYYY more money like the black women in the video !! I am from Germany 🇩🇪 I was born there …but my parents ancestors are from cameroon 🇨🇲 my german ID card and german language …didnt stop me from experiencing racism in Milan were I was twice in my life ? each time 2 week …..

Italians can be mean to each other strictly for being from a different town or region. What makes you think a foreigner aint getting some of that heat? If you basically arn't Italian or not from some sort of sister Mediterranean culture you gonna get treated like a square. This girl probably lives more privileged a life than most ethnic Italians south of Tuscany.

I might be late but I love, love, LOVE the hair Tia!!!!

Tia outside of America the top 10. economies aren't big on diversity ...China....japan ...India ....France and Italy...countries are not inclusive in law...they have. immigrants living there but no lawmakers or heads of the state some countries it's not even possible ...

OK people, get over it, I am white from New York, Nordic descent, and I have met people from around the world - and the ones that stand out are the very few that act hostile toward me, of every race, creed and color, but most of the people in the world will be nice to you. Class dismissed.

Excellent and thoughtful analysis. Sounds like Spain except a very light skinned half black/half Spanish person born & raised here would probably be a bit more accepted here than in Italy. But generally here in Spain, the microaggressions, racism in the workplace, incorrect assumptions also take place here.

I totally agree with you, you have the same thing in countries or cities like Dubai, they dont care about the fact you are black, but you will be treated worst or well as per the country you are coming from, if you are black from a developped or western country you will be treated much better than coming from a poor country. How silly is our world!!! God Helps Us!!

I like the fact that you don't feed the machine, aka fuel the fire, and just present a calm, fair and intelligent perspective.

Overall I think I agree with the picture ... I think there are even more subtle things that I don't even know how to explain exactly. This is a group description and it is fair. Stereotypically an American ( from the U.S., I really don't like that the adjective American which refers to a continent is used for a single country in English but anyway... ) is imagined as somebody who went to school, is probably Christian, goes to vote for a president and watch football games ... even a black American I think is identified as a black American in Tv series ... and American TV series have a self-narration, so also excluded pieces of society are shown as working out to self define themselves as man and women of success. So a black American can be put in a group of people who has an education ( without going into details because in details then the stereotype says that American education sucks, so into details then he/she's probably considered ignorant compared to an Italian) won't cause religious problems, considers work and having a job in a similar way... so it's a group of people that could enter the society without causing a problem. On the other hand, Muslims, immigrants from Africa... are perceived as culturally different, uneducated from the surface without going into details, of a different religion, carriers of a society that doesn't recognize the civil rights and democracy achieved here in the last 30 years. The third group is a problem because it is not clear on which side it stays. A second generation person with parents from Ethiopia is it raised: "similarly to us" ( like Americans), "like us" ( like Italians) or "like Africans" ( perceived as culturally undeveloped)? A person can't answer from the cover, this is why the population fights back the idea that the rights should be the ones of a "normal" Italian. Because they are not sure they are "like an Italian", that they are culturally Italian. This sort of changes in one-to-one relationship wherever you come from because a person "can be tested". ...." so you come from Ethiopia... mmm? no clue... do you have schools there? mmm... oh you are an Engineer who graduated with my son at the University of Rome....ooh well... you must not be that bad, cause I mean...Engineering is hard... my son studied 5 years to make it... so you made it too...so you must be smart, and educated... then..ok.I can listen to you. Then I listen to you and you come to dinner and bring your mom' s best meal which by its appearance looks odd as "food" but it tastes ok.. so your mom cooks like moms here...so you have a family..so you come from a decent place at the end....or maybe you are 1 person of the many that arrive here, that is decent". Then the mentality becomes..."In general, I am against the idea of immigration, for the specific friend of my son coming from Ethiopia I can make an exception, cause at the end of the day he seems a good person, so I can open with him". ----> And this leads to the famous sentence "I am not racist but...". Because on the direct case that this person knows directly this person becomes extremely open-minded and tolerant, but when the person goes to vote "the whole Africa cannot come here, so they die in the sea...oh what can I do? I am not racist, I am not a bad person, I am somebody who likes a society that is organized and functioning, this immigration thing is a problem for the functioning, so I give my vote to a party that promises to keep order in my backyard, even if, it's extremely far-right and threating conceptually the democratic basic ideas". So it is even more complex to me than how it is described here because the same person can come to dinner with you and be friend with you and then go voting for a party not recognizing any of your rights.

I completely agree with everything you said, some Italian are so ignorant about Africa period. Once I heard a girl who didn't know that Egypt was in Africa 🤦. They have their vision of how Africa is (poor) they don't realise that it's a huge continent. I'm from Tanzania and I still keep in touch with some parents, it happens that when I talk about them being educated and working in offices, They don't belive me.

I just found your videos by chance. I also live in Milan, went to Bocconi and know very well Marche (near Fano ;) I was quite surprised by your video. Complimenti. I happen to have a black Italian cousin (adopted) and a good friend with black Italian children (also adopted). I believe that your evaluation is very smart and, as any generalization can be, quite on point. Hopefully the many blunders of the right wing party you referred to during the lockdown have now changed things again, for the better this time. One last comment. Italy is extremely diverse for its size. As a milanese, I feel much closer (and I actually am), to Munich or Barcellona than to Naples or Catanzaro. You may want to add one layer of grey: norther half (people living in) and southern half. Better, worse, I don’t know, but surely different. Keep it up and good luck.

So true... I am Living in Italy since I am 13 yo. I studied here in high school and I finished my college here. I have never seen a black, slavic or whatever lawer or teacher in public school. I have seen foreign doctors and nurses in public hospitals thou. Same in public offices, you'll hardly come across a black or chinese employee in ''comune''. This shows how different these groups are treated.

That sounds so accurate... It breaks my heart to see that people still don't respect each other. What's more, and what's worse, is that the people who should give an example to the citizens are the first ones to behave ignorantly. About the "being poor" topic, could it be that the church imprints such an image in kids that go to church-held schools (hopefully not willingly)? Really enjoy the videos, you got a new subscriber! Cheers from Italy :)

Great video...100% the same for Brazil. When it is obvious that I am an “American” the treatment is 100% better than when I am Perceived to be African/Brazilian/Haitian. When I take the metro and interact with normal Brazilians it is a totally different dynamic than if I stay right by Copacabana beach.

I'm italian and I totally agree with you, I only want to add one more thing. In Italy first black people appeared a few dozen years ago. I really think that Italians are not racist beacause they hate black people but only because they don't know them. I really don't know anyone who knows black people that is also racist. When you don't know something you can easily be influenced by television and politicians, who unluckily nowadays are doing a huge campaign against immigration