By Danielle Paquette<\/p>\n
Kimberly Reese has never visited Ghana, but she is already designing her dream home there. The Ohio mother of five says she doesn\u2019t feel safe in the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of us are tired,\u201d said Reese, 54. \u201cSome of us just want to be in an environment where we don\u2019t have to look over our shoulders. Where we don\u2019t have to worry about our sons getting pulled over.\u201d<\/p>\n
She\u2019d rather focus on floor plans some 6,000 miles away.<\/p>\n
As the United States again confronts its history of racism, as outrage again erupts over police killings, leaders in Ghana say they\u2019re rolling out the welcome mat for black Americans who want to get away from the turmoil.<\/p>\n
The government has negotiated with local chiefs to earmark 500 acres of land near the nation\u2019s center for newcomers, carving out enough space for about 1,500 families. Survey and registration fees are waived for members of the African diaspora.<\/p>\n
The effort grew out of a public campaign called the Year of Return, which attracted a record number of tourists to the West African country last year \u2014 four centuries after the first slave ship reached Virginia \u2014 and aims to convert visitors to residents with special land deals, expatriate guides and easier paths to citizenship.<\/p>\n