African-American Peace Corps Volunteer Changing the Face of America Abroad

Summary

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"I've sometimes been mistaken for a Peruvian from a part of the country where there is a healthy population of African Peruvians. It's a nice and unexpected feeling," [Angela Jones] said, regarding her experience in diverse Peru, where ethnicities range from Amerindian to Black to Chinese.

As one of her secondary projects, Jones recently formed the Association of Black Volunteers along with two other Peace Corps colleagues. The association works as a support group and forum for understanding the experiences of Africans living in Peru. The group travels to villages with large Black populations, where they talk with community members about their issues and integration into mainstream Peruvian society. The group's travels have allowed them to develop a better understanding of the Peruvian culture, as well as allowed for Peruvians to get a better sense of the diverse makeup of the United States.

"We formed this group for support, but also in an attempt to understand the experience of African Peruvians," said Jones. "As we visited villages with large Black populations, we found that their experiences were similar to ours in America. And more important, we helped them learn that the U.S. is very diverse."

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Extract

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African-American Peace Corps Volunteer Changing the Face of America Abroad

African American Peace Corps volunteer Angela Jones has, to her surprise, blended in well in Peru.

"I've sometimes been mistaken for a Peruvian from a part of the country where there is a heal...

See the full content of this document

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