“Careful there, mind the cars.”
“Hey, are you lost, looking for a location?”

In a predominantly white society, I always feel my blackness when I’m in Stockholm. There’s always something or someone that reminds me that I’m different. Whether it’s people pronouncing my name wrong, not being able to find nude plasters in my skin tone or people staring when I walk into a restaurant, I’m constantly made aware of what makes me different. This wasn’t the case in Brooklyn, New York.

Being from Stockholm, I had some prejudices that Brooklyn, being a bigger city, would be more stressful and impersonal than we are in Stockholm. Man, was I wrong! Up until my visit a few weeks ago, I had yet to meet people so eager to look out for one another. Biking through the streets in BedStuy, Brooklyn, the cool evening breeze blew so many neighborly comments my way. Just random friendly strangers cautioning me to “bike safely” or “mind the cars”. Some even asking if I needed help finding a location and then sending me off in the right direction.

The people in Brooklyn actually talk to each other. Random people will butt into each other’s conversations on the bus, in the park, and across stoops. Being in Brooklyn has taught me that a smile goes a mile and that just because we’re strangers, doesn’t mean we can’t strike up a conversation with each other. These friendly conversations have taught me so much about the people around me. How else would I have known that it took you three hours to braid your hair? Or that you come here every Saturday morning, not for the excellent coffee but because the barista, who only works the early shift, plays good classical music? I wish we Swedes would follow Brooklyn’s example and realize that you can have diversity but still feel unity as one people. We can still talk to each other even though we might have different backgrounds and life experiences.

It was very refreshing to be surrounded by people of different colors, sexualities and sexual identities. I am almost 27 years old, and my first time hanging out with black transsexuals was three weeks ago, in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Of course Stockholm has black transsexuals, but they aren’t represented enough in our society. They’re a part of the “exaggerated minority” where not everyone feels comfortable to show themselves as they are. I know from experience that it takes a lot of courage to be yourself and ignore the stares and side eyes.

Although blacks are still a minority in Brooklyn, I really felt a sense of belonging there. Somehow, it felt so much more like home that I didn’t want to come back to my real home in Stockholm. I knew that I was going to miss not being the only black person at any random café I walk into. I was going to miss not having to look twice every time I walk past another black person or miss sitting at a bar by myself and ending up making friends with another black girl at the bar. I was going to miss the people of Brooklyn, the lively conversations and the smiles.

Thank you Brooklyn for showing me that unity in the midst of diversity is possible and for giving me a sense of community so far away from home.

words FATOU CAMARA

images ROBIN DOWLING