Some Twitter users have expressed hope that accounts of racism were coming from ignorance rather than hatred.

I hope it’s a matter of ignorance in what words they use versus purposefully being racist – I’ve seen this by Russians

‘It Does Not Justify It’: Peace Corps Guidance for Black Volunteers In Ukraine Causes a Stir After Being Exposed on Twitter https://t.co/s7r6D9BIw4 via @Yahoo

— Calibos the Void Writing Kraken (@Calibos420) April 6, 2022

Last month, Fox 2 Detroit reported on the story of M. Dujon Johnson, a 62-year-old doctor and Army veteran who had served in the Peace Corps in Ukraine and was now returning. Johnson, who helped train university professors and NATO troops in Ukraine between 2018 and 2020, said that “I feel like I was called” to return and participate in the fight against Russian troops. Although the Black doctor does not directly speak about racism in Ukraine, his willingness to go back and fight for the country implies solidarity that has survived any racist encounters he may have had.

Journalist Terrell Jermaine Starr is another Black former Peace Corps volunteer who has been heavily involved in Ukraine since the war began. Starr, an expert on the former Soviet Union who extensively covered the early weeks of the war from Ukraine, has in the past spoken and written about the racism that he and other Black people have experienced in Ukraine. But he also elected to stay in Ukraine as the Russian attack was about to begin, determined to both report on the war and assist civilians attempting to escape or survive. “I will not leave Ukraine or my friends,” Starr tweeted in late February.

FYI: *If* Russia attacks, I will stay in Kyiv. I will report on what’s happening. But, if needed, I will also help civilians in need. I will not leave Ukraine or my friends.

Don’t ask me to leave because I won’t.

Pray for me and send well-wishes.

— Terrell Jermaine Starr (@terrelljstarr) February 21, 2022

Overall, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has emerged as a divisive issue for Black people in the U.S. and around the world. The accounts of racism detailed by the Peace Corps have added to the hesitancy of some Black people to join pro-Ukrainian efforts, while the experiences of people like Johnson and Starr speak to enduring solidarity from some Black people who have volunteered in the country. With no signs that the war will end in the immediate future, the debates over Ukraine, anti-Black racism and the proper response to the growing humanitarian tragedy will continue.

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