6 iconic African Americans who left the U.S. for Europe to escape racism and segregation

Nina Simone 

Nina Simone was one of the very first Black women to go into the Jazz genre and become a global sensation. She was born in North Carolina and studied classical piano at one of the top music schools in the world – Julliard School in New York City. Despite rising to fame in the 1930s, Nina also faced serious racism and was often prevented from performing. She became an activist but later moved to Europe and finally settled in France until she died. While in Europe, she blew up as a music icon whose music is still played and continues to top charts.

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