Is Madrid Racist? My Honest Experience as a Black Aux in Spain

When I decided to move to Madrid to teach English, I was really excited to have the opportunity to immerse myself in another country and culture that was different from my own. In fact, as someone who has lived in other countries like Germany, Italy, and South Africa, I've always been passionate about cultural exchange, learning a new language, and living abroad.

However, as a Black woman, whenever I travel, I always have to keep in mind the possibility of experiencing racism and microaggressions while living abroad. In Madrid specifically, there have been some moments that, when I look back on them, show how prevalent racism and microaggressions can be in the city. At first, these moments took me by surprise because they're often subtle, but they still shape how I navigate the city and interact with the people around me. 

So, if you're a Black woman who is interested in becoming a language assistant in Madrid, keep reading. In this post, I will share some of the racism and microaggressions I've encountered in Madrid while living here, along with some advice to help you navigate similar situations abroad.

What Racism Looks Like in Madrid

Racism in Madrid looks very different from what one might be used to in the U.S. For example, in the U.S., racism is talked about more openly and can sometimes appear in direct or explicit ways, like calling someone the "N word" or "negro/a" to address a Black person. In Spain, however, the topic of racism is usually avoided or not openly discussed. When racism does occur, it's usually subtle or indirect. So, instead of the obvious racial slur, as a Black person, you might get stared at in public, or you may be asked repeated questions about where you're from.

These interactions can also involve assumptions about your nationality or identity. For example, as a Black person, some Spaniards or Madrileños may automatically assume that you're from Africa. That is, unfortunately, their default for some of them, but when you tell them you're American, they'll treat you differently. They may also assume you're not a native English speaker, which can be disheartening. While these moments may seem small at first, over time they can add up and affect your emotional well-being. Subtle behaviors like being ignored, getting judgmental looks, or being treated differently in public spaces can shape how someone navigates daily life in the city.

Microaggressions I Experienced in Madrid

Here are some microaggressions I have experienced while living in Madrid. Some of them happened in the city center, while others occurred at my school and in Coslada, the town where I reside.

El Corte Inglés Security Guard Harassment

To paint the scene, I was at the El Corte Inglés in Sol because I was looking to buy some Olaplex products at Sephora. The Sephora that I went to in El Corte Inglés, unfortunately, didn't have the product I needed. So, I asked the cashier if she knew of other places where I could get it. She told me Primor has what I am looking for, but I've never been to that store before. So, after speaking to the cashier, I stepped away from Sephora and stood by a pillar to look up the closest location of Primor on my phone. Luckily, there was one two minutes away, but as I was looking at my phone, a security guard from El Corte Inglés came up to me. She started speaking to me in Spanish, insinuating that I should leave. I was very confused as this was happening since I had done nothing wrong. Until it occurred to me, the pillar I was standing by was next to a bunch of expensive watches that were being showcased in a display case. I guess she didn't want me standing too close to their expensive merchandise...

Regardless, it made me wonder: if I were any other race, would the security guard have felt so threatened by me simply standing there? I didn't even think I was that close to the display case since I was on my phone, trying to find directions to another store. Luckily, though, as she was insinuating for me to leave, I just started speaking to her in English, and she walked away. 

Who knew not being fluent in Spanish would save me in situations like this? :)

Mean Stare From a Salon Owner During Package Pick-Up

To paint this scene, where my apartment is located isn’t necessarily the best place to have packages delivered. Our building’s front door has a lot of foot traffic, so if I order something online, it’s safer to have it delivered to a nearby business where I can pick it up later. In this case, I ordered haircare products from a Spanish Shopify store and had the package delivered to a salon about five minutes' walking distance from my apartment.

However, when I walked into the salon to pick up my package, I was immediately met with stares that felt full of animosity. For about five seconds, no one said anything as they stared at me before the salon owner finally addressed me. I told her I was there to pick up a package, but when she spoke to me in Spanish, I couldn’t understand what she was saying. I even tried using my DeepL translator to help bridge the language barrier, but that seemed to irritate her even more. After several attempts at guessing what she meant, I was eventually able to get my package and leave. But looking back, the way I was stared at when I first walked in made it clear that I wasn’t being welcomed into that space.

It also made me think: what if I had actually wanted to get my hair done there? Is that how you would greet a potential client who wants to spend money at your business? Probably not.

I’ll admit that when I placed another order from that same Shopify store and had it delivered to the salon again, I thought the experience might be different. Maybe the salon owner was just having a bad day, and I had misread the situation.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

When I went back to pick up another package, the hostility was still there. Her Spanish was still difficult for me to understand, and when I tried using my DeepL translator again, she became visibly irritated. At one point, she even said “Madre mía” in front of her colleagues and clients. After several guesses, I finally figured out what she was trying to tell me and was able to get my package. But as I walked out, I knew that would be the last time I ever set foot in that salon again.

Not Being Addressed While Standing in Line at the Apple Store

When this happened, I immediately felt like it was intentional. I had made an appointment with the Genius Bar at the Apple Store in Sol because the glass on the back of my phone had cracked. Since the crack was near the camera area, I wasn’t sure if it could affect my iPhone’s camera, so I scheduled an appointment for an Apple technician to take a look at it.

When I arrived at the store, an employee told me to go to the first floor for my appointment. Once I got upstairs, there was a line. There was an older white man standing in front of me, and while we waited, he tried to make small talk. I told him I was from New York City and that I was still learning Spanish, which he seemed happy to hear.

Eventually, the line started moving. The older man in front of me was called up and helped first, and I remained next in line waiting for the next employee to become available. After a few moments, another Apple employee came out to assist the next customer.

That customer should have been me.

Instead, the employee completely ignored me and went directly to the person standing behind me in line. I was honestly in shock. Luckily, the older man I had been speaking with earlier noticed what happened and spoke up. He told the employee, “She was next in line.”

Only after he said that did the Apple employee acknowledge me and ask how he could help.

I appreciated the older man for speaking up for me, but the situation still left a bad taste in my mouth after I left the Apple Store.

A Teacher Calling Me “Jenny” Even Though That’s Not My Name

This is a microaggression that has happened multiple times, so many times that now I try to avoid this teacher whenever possible. To give some context, I work with Infantil students at my school, but only three of the Infantil teachers speak English. The teacher who calls me “Jenny” isn’t one of them. The first time she said it, I assumed I might have misheard her because of her Spanish accent, so I didn’t say anything. It wasn’t until I started doing storytime sessions with her students in her classroom that I realized she was actually calling me “Jenny” because that’s what her students were calling me as well. Since I thought it was just a misunderstanding, I corrected her the next time she said it and also gently corrected the students.

Unfortunately, the correction didn’t stick with the kids. Because they are only three years old, I understood that it would take time and repetition for them to remember my actual name. Still, it was frustrating because they were only calling me “Jenny” in the first place because that’s what their teacher had been calling me. What surprised me more, though, was that the correction didn’t seem to stick with the teacher either. To this day, she still calls me “Jenny,” even after I’ve corrected her. At a certain point, it begins to feel disrespectful. As a Black woman, it makes me wonder: Is my name really that hard to remember, or do you just not respect me enough to learn it? Thankfully, I don’t have to work directly with this teacher very often, but if she’s nearby, I tend to keep my distance.

A Madrileño Pretending Not to See Me in Line

This happened when I was waiting in line to seek legal advice at the Servicios de Orientación Jurídica (SOJ) in Alcalá de Henares. I arrived early and was the first person standing in line. However, when another man arrived and saw me there, instead of standing behind me like most people would, he walked up and tried to stand in front of me as if he were next in line.

I was honestly shocked. How can you clearly see someone already waiting in line and then proceed to stand in front of them? It made me wonder: if I were a different race, would he have done the same thing? The wait to receive legal advice was fairly long, and eventually, he got tired of waiting and left. But the moment still stuck with me. Being treated as if you are invisible can be incredibly hurtful.

A Kitchen Staff Member Hesitated to Let Me Into the School

This happened on a Tuesday, when I usually don’t have to arrive at school until 9:45 a.m., unlike most days when school starts at 9:00 a.m. I don’t have a key to the front door, so I have to buzz in to be let inside. That morning, however, when I tried buzzing the door, no one opened it. I tried several times but still got no response, so I decided to just wait outside and hope someone would eventually come.

After a few minutes, I saw a staff member walking toward the entrance with a key, which gave me hope that I’d finally be able to get inside. I don’t think we had met before, but since I’m one of the new language assistants at the school, I assumed she might at least recognize that I worked there. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

When she unlocked the door, and I tried to walk in behind her, she stopped me and began asking me several questions in Spanish. I explained that I only knew a little Spanish, so she switched to English and asked, “Who are you?” I told her that I was a teacher at the school. Even after I said that, she still seemed skeptical and hesitant to let me inside, which was honestly confusing. I had a backpack on, looked young, and it was clear I was a foreigner, so I wasn’t sure why she was so reluctant to believe me.

Eventually, she let me in, but immediately afterward, she walked straight to the principal to ask if I was actually a teacher at the school. The principal confirmed that I was one of the language assistants. The staff member then looked at me and walked away without saying anything, no apology, no acknowledgment. Ultimately, I was just left standing there wondering whether the situation would have played out differently if I had been a different race.

The Unwanted Comments I Received After Taking Out My Braids

This happened earlier this year after I took my braids out to give my natural hair a break. Not every comment I received about my hair was a microaggression, but there was one comment in particular that stood out. One teacher asked me, “Why did you do that?” referring to why I removed my braids. She then added that my hair looked so much shorter.

As a Black woman, that comment caught me off guard because I don’t think she realized that this is simply how my natural hair looks. Braids are extensions, so of course, my hair appears shorter when they are removed. And while it would be easy for me to get my hair braided again, I also started to wonder if that would just lead to more unwanted comments at school.

That moment made me reflect on whether it’s even worth constantly changing my hairstyle if I can’t control the commentary that comes with it. Should I just keep my hair the same all the time to avoid the questions and reactions?

At the end of the day, I wish Black hair didn’t have to become a topic of conversation in the workplace. If I change my hairstyle, a simple “It looks nice” would be enough. Anything beyond that can start to feel unnecessary and can make someone feel like they are being put on display.

The Emotional Impact

Overall, experiencing repeated microaggressions can slowly take a toll on your mental and emotional well-being, even when each individual moment may seem small on its own. Situations like being stared at, ignored, questioned, or treated with suspicion can create a constant sense of discomfort and hyper-awareness in everyday spaces. 

Over time, it becomes frustrating to deal with subtle forms of racism that are often easy for others to dismiss or deny because they are not as obvious as direct insults. These experiences can make you feel invisible, misunderstood, or dismissed, especially when they happen in ordinary situations like waiting in line, entering your workplace, or simply existing in public spaces. While each moment may appear minor to an outsider or someone who is not black, the cumulative effect can shape how you move through the city, how comfortable you feel in certain environments, and how much emotional energy you have to spend navigating interactions that others may never have to think about.

Advice for Black Auxes Moving to Madrid

So, if you're a Black language assistant who's planning to move to Madrid, here's some practical advice:

1. Build community with other Black auxes
   • I think it's important to surround yourself with a support system that knows exactly what you're going through and can relate.
2. Don’t internalize people’s ignorance
   • Please don't take people's lack of awareness personally. It does not define your worth or identity.
3. Set boundaries and protect your peace
   • You should never have to tolerate behavior that makes you feel disrespected. It's okay to distance yourself.
4. Seek spaces where you feel respected
   • Finding communities and environments where you feel respected and valued can make your experience in Madrid feel more positive and fulfilling.

Final Thoughts: The Reality of Being Black in Madrid

Ultimately, Madrid is a beautiful and vibrant city, but it's not without its problems when it comes to race and microaggressions. Living here as a Black woman means I have to navigate these moments of subtle racism and microaggressions from time to time, which is technically what I do in the U.S. anyway. However, since I'm abroad, I believe it's even more important to share my experiences so that it helps other Black people feel less alone. By talking openly about racism in Spain, I believe we can encourage more honest conversations and greater awareness around these issues.