As Madrid becomes increasingly multicultural, especially in areas such as Lavapiés, visitors and residents of all nationalities are naturally accepted by what is in effect a fairly open-minded society. A person of a different race or skin color rarely draws more than a second glance, unlike a few decades back, when a dark face was a rarity in a 99% castizo city.
That said, instances of racial conflict are not unknown, though these tend to involve African, Arabic, and Latin American locals rather than multinational visitors.
For general views on travel for African-Americans, check out the following: Black Travel Online (www.blacktravelonline.com) posts news on upcoming events and includes links to articles and travel-booking sites. Agencies and organizations that provide resources for black travelers include Rodgers Travel (tel. 800/825-1775; www.rodgerstravel.com); the African American Association of Innkeepers International (tel. 877/422-5777; www.africanamericaninns.com); and Henderson Travel & Tours (tel. 800/327-2309 or 301/650-5700; www.hendersontravel.com), which has specialized in trips to Africa since 1957. For more information, check out the following collections and guides: Go Girl: The Black Woman's Guide to Travel & Adventure (Eighth Mountain Press), a compilation of travel essays by writers including Jill Nelson and Audre Lorde; The African American Travel Guide by Wayne Robinson (Hunter Publishing; www.hunterpublishing.com); Steppin' Out by Carla Labat (Avalon); Travel and Enjoy Magazine (tel. 866/266-6211; www.travelandenjoy.com); and Pathfinders Magazine (tel. 877/977-PATH; www.pathfinderstravel.com), which includes articles on everything from Rio de Janeiro to Ghana as well as information on upcoming ski, diving, golf, and tennis trips.
