Five Days Before

I'm getting on a plane to Miami on Friday and by Saturday afternoon I will be in the Dominican Republic, God willing.

This will be my third trip to the island this calendar year, and at 6 weeks it will also be my lengthiest stay outside the United States.

So why is a 35 year old black American with limited Spanish leaving the US as a global pandemic rages?

Well, there are actually many reasons for this journey, but I'll summarize them by saying this: I'm making a conscious decision to distance myself physically and spiritually from the United States. The government, the culture, the people, the overall vibe... it's been toxic for my entire life and I'm finally taking steps towards permanently leaving. I've lived in lots of places and have come to the conclusion America is what it is and there's no changing it. I can't fix this country and its wayward people but what I can do is make a personal decision about where I spend my time on earth. So that's exactly what I'm doing.

Welcome to The Black Exodus Project documenting one man's search for a peaceful existence beyond the borders of Babylon.

I went to DR for the first time almost a year ago. At the time I was working for some real serious corporate pricks and my stress levels were absolutely through the roof. Everyone told me not to go to DR, that it was unsafe. But I went anyway. And I fell in love with it. I literally recall a point where I felt completely at peace. I attributed that moment of clarity to the absence of white supremacy. I had never felt free like that before, certainly not in AmeriKKKa. I left DR relunctantly, already thinking about returning as soon as I could.

Six days from now I'll step off that American Airlines plane in sunny Puerto Plata and walk through customs with a surgical mask on my face and a smile beneath it.