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Okay, so this is really premature, but I need to figure all this stuff out in the next few months. I'm a 30-something, single, Black professional woman, Apostolic Christian, planning to apply to a PhD program at the University of ND. I am a native New Yorker (and will always be), and I have lived in Atlanta for the most part of 11 years. I've also done short stints in Detroit, DC, Birmingham and Montgomery. I think I can pretty much be happy anywhere, though I've been happiest in Atlanta.
That said, I have checked out the numbers and realize that I will be among an extreme minority at UND and in Grand Forks, and in ND in general. I've already tried to find Black hair care supplies, Black churches, or any other places where I might run into people who look like me. I've found enough to pique my interest a little further. I've done a bit of research here, and found that there's an AF base, which usually means diversity. I've read all the posts where people say that no one notices skin color, and as long as you're a nice person, you'll be fine (everybody says that... lol).
I guess my biggest concerns are: distance (it's really far from everyone I love, and I'm sure airfares are really expensive), I absolutely HATE cold weather... but I'm thinking my drive to get the PhD will help me endure it for the 6-7 years I'll have to be there; I've never lived in a place with a small minority population and I'm not sure what that will be like. I have no problem being around people that don't look like me, but I'm concerned that being the only person of color in social groups, school, church, apartment complex, etc. could get old really quick. Not being able to find the food products or restaurants I like, etc. I'm concerned about that kinda stuff. People don't realize that it's not about the color of your skin, but there are also some pretty significant cultural differences. That's just reality. I can probably get over the slower pace, or at least long enough to endure it for 6-7 years.
Basically what I'm asking is what kind of experience do you think I'll have in Grand Forks? Do you think a person like me (single, Black, city girl, student, aversion to cold weather) can be happy there for 6-7 years? Should I eliminate UND as an option?
I have lived in Grand Forks-East Grand Forks since 1998. Now there is a Gospel Outreach ministries church located at Belmont and 4th Ave S just south of downtown GF. I drive by there a lot coming from East Grand Forks and then through 4th Ave S to get to west and southside Grand Forks. That is the only predominate black church I know of. But you are correct, that having a university and an air base does make for more ethnic diversity than one would think. There has also been in the last few years, more refugees from Africa being re-settled in Grand Forks, and there are some locally owned speciality groceries and one small restaurant tailoring to their needs.
The rest of the questions and thoughts you talk about are hard to judge, and only you can answer. If you come up and decide you dont like it, could you transfer in your PhD program? Yes it can be cold in the winter, and most just adjust. I am from Kentucky but I always wanted to live in a cold place, so it doesnt bother me. I have more issues with the heat and humidity, like this summer. But I have seen several folks through my work, who came from other areas. Some tolerate the winters quite well, others can live through a couple before wanting to move back south.
I do think you will find a bit more of your liking than you may think. But yes food wise, etc you are not going to have the same type as down south. Although that has been slowly changing too and will continue to do so slowly. Through my time in the area I have never got the fill of it being any anti-racial....and as you said it is more how you are as a person that folks look at rather than any skin color.
Would you be starting this fall? It would be helpful to visit if that was possible before starting.
Call different members of the Black Student Association on campus to get a better feel for their experiences. The Black Student Association meets periodically in the Era Bell Thompson Center. Era Bell Thompson was a former editor of Ebony magazine who grew up on a farm in North Dakota, very isolated from the black culture but became part of its core.
Grand Forks is a middle class type place, and that includes the black community. Having lived in the deep south, understand why you appreciated Atlanta from business, academic, spiritual, and entertainment angles, especially for the black community. In Grand Forks, people of all ethnic groups often go to Winnipeg (150 miles) or Minneapolis to get a taste of the the city life, but those places would often pale in comparison to what Atlanta offers.
A number of issues would be difficult: restaurants (mostly Midwestern food, with a few ethnic ), cold beyond what you have experienced, dating within your cultural group will be limited, airfares (Allegiant to Orlando is the cheapest option). Not many women in your position would take that difficult road.
One the the greatest gifts that the many Southern people, both black and white, shared with me was the depth of their spirituality. How they see everyday events as being part of the movement of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Perhaps you have a different task in Grand Forks than you expected. In North Dakota, people are generally very private and restrained about their faith and don't make the connection between daily events and prayer. Pray and I am certain you will get your answer.
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