Kimberly McIntosh joins GLAMOUR as a Guest Editor for Black History Month. Over the course of the month, Kimberly has been spotlighting and celebrating Black women's stories across the digital, cultural, and physical landscape. For the fourth (and final) instalment in her series, she commissioned Natalie Morris, author of Mixed/Other, to interview Black women who travelled to their countries of heritage in search of belonging.
I first set foot in Jamaica in 2021. As I pushed my toes into the white sand and gazed out at a sea as still as glass, I felt an unexpected surge of emotion. The heat of the sun and the warmth carried in the breeze felt familiar, like a hug from someone I hadn’t seen in many years. The feeling was unmistakable: belonging.
My dad’s parents were born in Jamaica. They travelled to the UK in the 1960s as part of the Windrush generation. We didn’t grow up with close ties to them, and as a result, it took me more than 30 years to finally visit the country that holds half of my heritage.
When I returned home, there was a kind of pull, a force tugging at my heart, compelling me to go back. Now that I have experienced the beauty of Jamaica – the joy of being around faces and bodies that look like mine, the food, the music, and the vibrant energy threaded into the fabric of the island – I know I need a regular fix. Being there feels like plugging myself into a central energy source, charging up to get through the rest of the year in the UK.
I’m not alone in feeling this way. Over the last few years, heritage travel has been predicted to be one of the world’s fastest-growing sectors, and in 2021, the global heritage tourism market size was valued at $556.96 billion.
For Black Brits in both the Caribbean and African diasporas, visits to the birthplaces of parents and grandparents can be vital experiences that connect you to your history in a deeper way than stories or photographs ever could. Whether it’s about building relationships with family members, uncovering hidden narratives, or simply immersing yourself in a culture that speaks to your heart, these trips hold immense power.
You can’t ‘magic’ your way into fair treatment or justice.
Kim Rix, a travel author and photographer who lives in the UK, recently visited Tanzania for the first time on a mission to track down long-lost relatives: “My natural mother had four siblings, and I was told they could still be living in Tanzania. If they had children, they would be around my age,” she tells us.
Kim’s adoption papers revealed that her mother was an Ismaili Muslim, so she decided to visit two of the local Ismaili Mosques with the hope of connecting with this community.
“I met some incredible people. After explaining about my heritage research, I was taken to the East Ismaili Muslim Community office where a woman searched my mother’s family surname – Suleman – on her database,” says Kim.
The search bore fruit, and she was put in touch with a woman in the Tanzanian city of Arusha. The woman recognised Kim from a photo and was certain she had known her mother back in the early 1960s.
“I made the nine-hour coach journey to Arusha to meet her. I sadly didn’t track down any relatives, but the trip has spurred me on to continue my research. I wouldn’t have had any of these experiences if I hadn’t chosen to explore my ancestry in this way.”
She adds: “Heritage trips like this give us a real sense of home. It makes us feel more connected to the present when we understand the past.”
Khadisha Thomas grew up in London, but her household always had a strong Trinidadian identity.
“My parents played soca and calypso, and parang at Christmas time,” the 25-year-old tells GLAMOUR. “They were embedded in a Trinidadian community in London and had regular get-togethers or ‘limes’. They cooked lots of Trinidadian food. I grew up eating curry chicken, fried rice and callaloo, stew chicken, roti.”
Her early visits to Trinidad as a child are foggy. She has a vague memory of sitting on her grandmother’s lap as she combed and plaited her hair. She remembers being bathed with her siblings in an outdoor tub, and being chased by the neighbourhood stray dogs. Then, when she was 15, she moved there with her family, and Trinidad became her home.
“Growing up, I knew that one day I would be moving to Trinidad. I was excited because of how appealing my parents made it sound. The sun, the sea, and people who looked like me. I overheard my parents' conversations; they always spoke of going back, saving their money in England and building a house in Trinidad.”
At times, Khadisha felt alienated at school. Her classmates made fun of her for her “stuck up” British accent. But overall, Khadisha appreciates the benefits of being educated in a Black-majority country and felt empowered by what she learned there.
“In England, during a lesson on the slave trade, a teacher said: ‘Khadisha's surname is Thomas because her ancestors were slaves.’ I was the only Black girl, and the whole class full of white kids stared at me like I was some alien,” she explains. “In Trinidad, history lessons were the opposite. I didn't feel outcast. I felt enlightened to a rich history I would have never been taught in England. I felt like I finally understood where I came from, and I felt more confident in who I was.
“Living in Trinidad made me feel empowered as a Black British Caribbean woman, it made me more appreciative of the sacrifices my family made and the experiences of immigrants in the UK. It made me feel complete.”
Khadisha returned to the UK to study journalism, she also believes she has a better chance of getting a job here than in Trinidad. However, she would consider moving back permanently at a different stage in her life. It’s a consideration weighing on the minds of many Black Brits.
According to recent polling by Black British Voices, more than a third of Black Britons do not see Britain as their permanent home and desire to live elsewhere in the future, with many looking to build a new life ‘back home’ in the Caribbean or Africa. Many survey respondents cited racism and hostility in the UK as a reason for wanting to leave.
“It is becoming overwhelmingly clear that Black Brits are not respected in the UK,” says Khadisha. “We are frequently abused and villainised. We want to go to countries where we are not being treated this way. We want to live in countries where we will benefit.”
Moving permanently to her family’s heritage country of Jamaica is something Donna Noble has thought about as well. Born and raised in London, Donna dreams about escaping the UK for the winter months at some point in the future. The yoga instructor has visited Jamaica on three occasions, including a two-year stint when she was just nine years old. The experience left a lasting impression.
“I travelled to Jamaica by ship,” Donna recalls. “When we docked, it was raining. The porters wouldn’t work during the rain, so they didn’t remove our luggage – this was so alien to me as it would never have happened in England. I remember having no TV. My Grandfather and I would dance around the living room as we listened to the evening play on the radio.
“What I remember most was the freedom to play in the continuous sunshine, and walking outside barefoot. It was like a great adventure exploring a new country and way of living. I was told that I soon lost my British accent and was speaking like a Jamaican. I remember feeling a deep sense of belonging and fitting in with the other children easily.”
During her visits to Jamaica, Donna learnt about the country’s rich history and gained a deeper cultural connection, she says this helped her further understand her family's roots, and ultimately, herself.
“Jamaicans are proud of their heritage, and this is something that has been instilled in me,” says Donna. “I believe the time spent in Jamaica during those formative years has played a part in my personal growth and self-discovery.”
Natalie is the author of Mixed/Other and a digital, print and broadcast journalist – specialising in lifestyle, race, inequality, relationships and mental health. She’s been published in the Guardian, Independent, Telegraph, Stylist, gal-dem, and Cosmopolitan. Previously, she was the deputy lifestyle editor at Metro and a broadcast journalist at ITV News.
“It's so liberating to see Black women feel free and expressive in their makeup.”
