There’s a new docuseries that showcases what life is like for a Black American expat family of 4 living abroad. An expat is defined as a person temporarily or permanently living in another country other than their native country.
The Expats: International Ingrams is a 20 episodic series that follows the Ingram Family. It shows the highlights and struggles of navigating new cultures, schooling, health scares, Black Lives Matter abroad, and even COVID-19 as experienced in Taiwan.
“The goal is to provide positive images of black people globally, encouraging inclusion and fair treatment of minority people in international settings, advocating for diversity in all settings, and educating audiences on expat experiences to inspire travel and living aboard,” Juanita Ingram, the matriarch of the family told Travel Noire. “This is the “first-ever” docuseries highlighting a Black family abroad.”
From Carmel, Indiana to London, England to Taipei, Taiwan, the Ingram family has taken part in many adventures over the last few years.
In an interview with us, she explains more about her inspiration and vision behind the docuseries.
Travel Noire: What inspired you to document your expat experience?
Ingram: The vision for the show came to me 5 years ago when we were living in London. I was part of a group of African-Americans that would get together for a “Soul Food Sunday” pot luck. One day, while attending this event, I observed more than 30 Black corporate relocation families with kids enjoying life, living internationally, supporting one another, sharing international experiences, and succeeding in life. We were having a cookout, listening to Frankie Beverly and Maze, Sade, and Beyoncé while hanging in the garden, and then I looked up and there was Windsor Castle. I knew then that this was a show, and it would provide the type of positive imagery that the world needed to see.
For Black expats and Black people in general, it demystifies what it looks like to study, travel, and live abroad. It is our hope that audiences identify with a common theme of navigating change and that it will help others who face similar circumstances.
Travel Noire: Why do you feel this is important for the Black expat community?
Ingram: It is vital that we put forth our narrative and our experiences to encourage other Black people to travel and consider living abroad. It is equally important to the Black expat community because it helps to normalize positive images of Black men, women and children in global settings.
In the world in which we are currently living, where Black people are being harmed at alarming numbers, shows like this normalize our humanity to the world and influence the dismantling of harmful stereotypes that threaten Black people’s safety domestically and globally.
Travel Noire: What’s your goal with the docuseries?
Ingram: We consider this show a form of ministry, and it is developed and produced under the faith-based division of our charitable production company, Purpose Productions Inc. This is not a “for-profit” undertaking with twenty-five percent of the streaming proceeds going to assist Dress for Success Greater London and Dress for Success Chattanooga charities that empower women and combat poverty.
We hope to franchise this series and highlight the experiences of other families in other countries in the future. We want to encourage traveling and living abroad, and most importantly to normalize positive content that is both educational and entertaining.
You can follow more from the Ingram family on Instagram.