How one South African built a vibrant community for expats across the USA

For South Africans living in the United States, staying connected to their roots has become easier thanks to the efforts of Emmanuel Thanos, founder of the Bay Area South Africans Club and the Facebook group South Africans in the United States.Thanos, who moved to the US in March 1983 after completing his studies in South Africa, always dreamed of living in America. “As a child, I had a big American flag above my bed,” he says.His journey to the US was also a family legacy, as his grandfather had immigrated to the US in the 1920s, before returning to Greece and later settling in Southern Africa.Once in Oakland, California, Thanos ran a pizza restaurant and occasionally met fellow South Africans. Inspired by these encounters, his vision was to create a social club where South Africans in the Bay Area could meet, host br...