Israel is German and arrived in the UK in 2007. He is a double migrant as he was born in Nigeria and migrated to Germany where he later naturalised. 

However, he did not feel at home in Germany. He recalls a situation from his childhood when he and another boy who was from Bulgaria wanted to join a youth club, but only the other boy was allowed in and Israel was sent away. He was hurt and couldn’t understand why and the only reason he could think of was his skin colour. It hit really deep. Now he knows that the reason had nothing to do with him. It was the other person's racism.  

He thought the UK was more open minded and offered the educational opportunities in social work that he wanted to pursue. Both he and his wife, who happens to be Russian/German, were drawn to the UK and wanted to study here to complete their masters and PhD. 

They arrived in Northern Ireland in 2007 and settled as EU citizens enjoying the Free Movement. The beginnings were hard with limited English and having to navigate a different reality than what they expected with its segregated and suspicious community.  The lack of diversity in Northern Ireland at the time came as a shock to them.  

Israel’s business plan did not work out and he worked in a care home to support his family. He did not know that as EU citizens they were eligible for any help and nobody mentioned that because, Israel suspected, he is Black and therefore associated with different migration pathways. In fact, on one occasion a co-worker reported him to HR as an ‘illegal immigrant’  when Israel could not produce a work permit, which as a German citizen he did not require. Now he laughs it off and says the joke was on them as he received full pay while the managers examined his German passport with disbelief and investigated his right to work. 

Since then much has changed and Israel turned his experiences into dedication to support others. He established Diverse Youths, an inclusive youth organisation which is a safe and welcoming space for young people from all backgrounds. It is a collective initiative developed to bring young people together and promote inclusion, leadership, self-awareness, and diversification tolerance. “Youth are the leaders of tomorrow, we strongly believe, and in fact, very confident that being aware of diversity and the need for cultural tolerance will help shape a better future with absolute inclusion.”

Israel also works with the City of Sanctuary in Belfast and strives to make sure that everyone new to Belfast feels they belong. The intention of this group is to make Belfast a welcoming environment for refugees, asylum-seekers and new communities. “Wherever refugees go in our neighbourhoods we want them to feel safe and to find people who welcome them, support them, include them in their activities, recognise and celebrate what they can contribute. We want to build that same culture of welcome in our schools, workplaces, entertainment centres, places of worship and all public spaces. We hope to work with all those in public services, both at policy level and on the frontline, to ensure that an ethos of civility and welcome pervades at all times.”

Brexit saddened  and worried him because freedom of movement was the reason he could settle in the UK and also because having worked with refugees and people seeking asylum, he knew that EU citizens would now face the same hostile environment and what impact it could have. Unlike many others he found applying to the EU Settlement Scheme quite straightforward. Ironically, he felt it was harder for him to prove his rights in the UK before he got his settled status because people and service providers questioned or double checked his German citizenship. 

When asked about his identity and  if he feels European, German, British or Irish he smiles and says ‘In Northern Ireland identity is complicated, especially for migrants. And anyway, I’m Black first, everything else comes after’