"There’s One Country You Cannot Pay Me To Visit Again.": This Black Travel Creator Went Viral For Sharing The Country Where She's Experienced The Most Racism
Getting out of America for a bit sounds like a dream right now. However, for people of color, there's one thing we never forget to pack, but some other countries still have in abundant supply: racism.
One travel creator went viral for sharing the country she said you couldn't pay her to visit again for that reason.
Nicole Phillip, known as @ncolphillip on TikTok, is a 32-year-old travel content creator from Orlando, Florida. A video of her sharing her experiences traveling through Italy recently went viral with more than 6 million views. "There’s one country you cannot pay me to visit again, and it has the worst culture of racism that I have ever experienced in my time abroad," she said.
TikTok: @ncolphillip / Via tiktok.com
"My first time traveling to Italy was through the NYU Study Abroad Program, and when I made this decision, the only thing on my mind was the pizza, the Vespas, the romance; basically The Lizzie McGuire Movie because this is what they showed us on TV," she said.
"But one thing I didn’t realize at the time was that all of these examples of this romanticized image of Italy was told through the lens of white people."
"I had beer thrown at me, and then I was called a 'disgusting black woman' by this man right here," she pointed. "Well, obviously, you did something," she said sarcastically.
![<div> <p>"He was unsuccessfully flirting with some white girls in our group, and when he got upset, he started hurling insults at them. Then a black woman went up [to him] and was like, ‘Hey, don’t talk to women that way!' And everyone on the beach just stood there as he manhandled her. So when I went up to defend her [and] punched him in his arm so he would let her go, he threw beer on us and called us 'disgusting black women,' even though we had nothing to do with why he was rejected."</p> </div><span> TikTok: @ncolphillip / Via <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ncolphillip/video/7330747758715931934?_r=1&_t=ZT-8tpx551drp4" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:tiktok.com;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">tiktok.com</a></span>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/mlDwVXxKc3ookq2xcnTpBA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE1MzM-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/buzzfeed_articles_778/18205b76603d824789b5d959318ada31)
"He was unsuccessfully flirting with some white girls in our group, and when he got upset, he started hurling insults at them. Then a black woman went up [to him] and was like, ‘Hey, don’t talk to women that way!' And everyone on the beach just stood there as he manhandled her. So when I went up to defend her [and] punched him in his arm so he would let her go, he threw beer on us and called us 'disgusting black women,' even though we had nothing to do with why he was rejected."
"And I have traveled all up and down that country, and it's not even an isolated incident. Their feelings of disgust are palpable," she said.
"I've been dramatically avoided on the street, looked down upon as if I'm begging for money instead of asking for directions, [and] ignored by whole adults to the point where I’ve had to ask children for directions cause adults wouldn’t even bother to look my way."
"And yes, ‘Lo Parlo Italiano,'" she said. Which translates to, "I speak Italian." She continued, "Italy's got good food and interesting history, and yes, some Black people go, and they just love it. It's great for people who are interested in the arts and beautiful architecture. But based on my own far too common experience, Italy gets a 1 out of 10 from me."
In the comments, many people related to her experience. "Especially in Rome and a few cities south of Naples. I cried for days," this person shared.
"The craziest place for me and my friends were the Vatican....sheesh," this person said.
"we almost had to fight on the train," this person said.
And many people from Italy said they weren't surprised. "I'm Italian and I unfortunately knew right away, you're so right and I am so very sorry," this person said.
On the other hand, many Black people said they had the opposite experience. "I was in Rome last year didn't experience any of that even made friends," this person shared.
"thankfully I had an AMAZING time with no issues," this person said.
Finally, A LOT of people named other countries where they've experienced racism, like France.
And Australia.
Even Spain.
In an interview with BuzzFeed, Nicole shared how she coped with racist incidents throughout her three months in Italy. "During the various encounters and the general feeling of being unwelcome, I was often shocked and unsure how to respond. It was my first time experiencing such overt racism, and it hit me hard."
"My self-esteem took a major hit, and I felt low and self-conscious for much of my time. My school didn’t have the tools to help me navigate it, so I had nowhere to turn except my friends."
"During my time in Italy, two major things happened: I gained a real, unfiltered understanding of the global state of race relations. [And] I fell in love with travel... I started visiting places I never imagined I’d see, often traveling solo, and I got hooked," she said.
"Now, I travel with a realistic mindset. I go in prepared for what I might encounter, which makes it a lot less jarring when it [a racist incident] happens. If a place treats me terribly, I call it out, whether in person, online, or both. And if it’s bad enough, I simply won’t go back. But at the end of the day, I can say: I’ve seen it, I’ve done it, moving on," she said.
"I don’t share my experiences to discourage anyone, just to keep people aware. Awareness and preparation are key. In my experience, the good almost always outweighs the bad (except in Italy)... And when it comes to responding to racism abroad, remember: You’re in a foreign country," she said.
"You can’t always react the way you might want to, and the US government can’t just get you out of jail. Sometimes, you have to take the 'L' in the moment and use other methods, like social media, to call out injustice later."
Nicole shared some resources she uses to research a country's culture and social dynamics before booking a trip. They are Green Book Global, the ABC Travel Network, and reputable United Nations news resources.
What do you think? Did her experience taking place in Italy surprise you? Let us know in the comments.
