Tori Rogers and The Story of Ebony Expats
The 2019 Black & Gold Party in Bangkok.
It was February 2017. The New England Patriots had just miraculously come back from a 28-3 deficit to ground the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime to win Super Bowl LI at Houston’s Reliant Stadium. Tori Rogers, a marketing and public relations specialist, worked at some of the media events all over her hometown leading up to the big game. She had recently worked for education technology giant Texas Instruments and wanted to take her talents elsewhere. Being in a major media market was her desire. Eyeing the next move in her career meant a change in scenery. Rogers’ ambition to work with larger companies narrowed her options down to New York or Los Angeles, but a bookmarked article saved on her browser completely altered her path. Clicking that one link started Rogers on her journey to the other side of the world and to the top of her own website--Ebony Expats.
Tori Rogers, CEO & Founder of Ebony Expats.
“A couple of years prior, I bookmarked this link with top destinations to dine at around the world and there was this cool restaurant at a Thailand resort called Soneva Kiri where your dining table is a tree pod and you’re lifted up with the trees, overlooking the water and the waiter ziplines your order to you.” Rogers talks about the bookmark with her voice echoing off the white walls in her new apartment with two large windows framing the midnight views of Asok/Nana, Bangkok’s entertainment district, behind her. “I also always wanted to live in Asia because of the global marketplace and all the different cultures. There’s so much to learn here.”
Rogers was sold on the idea of moving over 9,000 miles to a new city after researching it. Though finding work teaching English gave her employment upon arrival, her social life in this new land was another matter. This marked her first excursion outside of North America. It is common for people of color to prepare to live abroad in a country where our shade of melanin is a rare sight to fear culture shock before purchasing their flight. Thinking of all the comforts of the home she would be leaving behind, Rogers started creating a network of people and a Meetup group for black people living in Bangkok before her going away party in Houston.
“I really wanted three black friends living in Thailand who I could resonate with. People I could connect with, lean on if I needed help and have a good time with. I remember not expecting to find that many black expats. Those were my first thoughts as a professional working in corporate America thinking I’m only going to find three black friends totally not knowing that there’s a lot of black people living abroad. We are really out here killing it.”
A month after landing in Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, Rogers hosted a small rooftop mixer where she met a few people living in Thailand who gave her the rundown on Bangkok and life abroad. She was inspired by all of the stories, courage and energy from the expats who attended and those who were inspired by her newfound freedom to explore Thailand. This event marked the inception of what would become EbonyExpats two years later in late 2019.
The Meetup group ballooned into a community of Black professionals across all industries who shared info with each other about the various scenes, realities and opportunities available to people living abroad in Southeast Asia. "We are a hub for travelers and expats who are looking for either connections or different experiences," Rogers starts about some of the services Ebony Expats offers. It even addresses the pressing queries of those heading to Thailand like 'Where can I find a job?' 'Where should I live?’ and--the number one question--‘Where can I get my haircut?'
Members of Ebony Expats posing at 2018’s All White Party in Bangkok.
‘Be Your Best Self’ is the company’s new mantra, encouraging black people to expand beyond their comfort zone and be the best version of themselves. Whether you’re retiring abroad, planning a quick trip, taking a gap year or relocating--traveling gives you an opportunity to unlearn a great deal of what you know plus learn and experience new things.
"There’s so much growth that you gain when traveling or living abroad. As Black people, some of the first in our families to live abroad, I feel that we have a responsibility to share these resources with our community. I really want people to know that there’s more out here for us. We’ve got a lot to unpack and relearn and it’s not easy but it’s possible. Be you, be your best self. Follow your dreams.”
Similar to the way The Green Book sparked the collective imagination of black travel on the open roads of the United States, EbonyExpats keeps its community in the know of all exclusive social events, local services, and community resources for travelers of color and news to help them best navigate and thrive abroad. It is also a growing media platform. Podcasts, hosted by Tori Rogers, offer listeners a chance to hear the stories of expatriates flourishing while living in Thailand and other countries. Not only does this open people’s minds about living aboard, but it also helps to widen the scope of black travel as well. This is where her brand demonstrates that it's more than a website. Ebony Expats is dashing the misconceptions many have about living in Thailand and the city in which she now resides.
Tori Rogers showing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement alongside Ebony Expats’ members in Bangkok.
“Some people see Bangkok as this crazy city where everything moves so fast and there’s a lot going on, but it’s really easy to find your way around here once you get into it. What I find funny is that people think that we don’t have running water here or that we’re living in huts. In actuality, I have a much higher quality of life here than what I did back home.”
Thailand’s response to the global COVID-19 pandemic validates her point. Using her international platform during the health crisis, Rogers launched Ebony Expats News with Political Correspondent Le’Ana Freeman to share interviews, travel-related COVID-19 updates and brought their audience the stories with black expats directly serving as sources across borders. Their coverage of the aggressive quarantine measures enforced upon black expats in China provided the unfiltered truth of what was happening for those living in the region as well to the global audience listening far and wide.
This was much-needed content during the height of Thailand’s quarantine. Strict measures on social distancing began with the cancellation of all events for Songkran, the country’s new year celebration in April, after the nation’s tally of new cases peaked at 310 on March 12th. As of September 10th, the number has dwindled to seven. The six-month flattening of the curve has gotten many out of their homes and back into the nightlife awaiting them outside on the streets and the endless days on the sea and sand that keep expats in Thailand.
“On top of all of the things I have access to in this city, the beautiful part about living in Bangkok is that if I wanted to just randomly go to an island--I can,” Rogers says about her proximity to tranquility. "Back home, I'd have to plan in advance to do that. Here, I can catch a bus or get in the car and then hop on a boat to an island in no time. And it’s super affordable."
Bangkok is a two-hour drive from The Gulf of Thailand’s most northern shore. This is what makes it the perfect mix of New York’s vibrating pulse and the gold horizons of Los Angeles’ beaches. It is shared with Cambodia and Vietnam to the east and the hundreds of islands scattered over this tropically blue expanse. Its instant access to leisure adds to the culture of wellness Rogers attributes to the country’s way of life best summarized in the saying ‘Mai bpen rai’ that loosely translates into ‘Go with the flow’. A calming affirmation that helps to fuel Rogers' growing purpose to expand the narrative of international black travel via Ebony Expats. Three years after she started her journey thousands of miles east, Tori Rogers is now living in Thailand producing her own game--and she's just getting started.
"Taking the leap to move to Thailand really changed my life--living abroad gave me the space and freedom to discover and become a higher version of myself. And to know that it's only the beginning of my journey is so exciting - it's only up from here."