Since the 19th century, Caribbean immigrants have played a significant role in Black American society, shaping its culture, leadership, and institutions, according to Tyesha Maddox.
“Holding positions as religious leaders, educators, politicians, and entrepreneurs, they have contributed their unique cultural experiences to help shape American identity,” said Maddox.
Maddox, an associate professor of African and African American Studies at Fordham University, delivered a lecture sponsored by the African and African Diaspora Studies program’s New Directions Lecture Series on Thursday.
Maddox shared insight from her book, A Home Away From Home: Early 20th Century Caribbean Immigration to the United States.
In her talk, Maddox explained how Caribbean immigrants found community in Northeastern cities, especially New York, through mutual aid societies—community-based networks inspired by “friendly societies” common in the Caribbean at the time.
“Many people were coming as young, single people without many familial networks, and so these [mutual aid societies] served as networks to help migrants acclimate themselves to feel comfortable in the U.S.,” said Maddox. “They provide job opportunities, and they helped settle them into New York society.”
Despite their skills and professional backgrounds, Caribbean immigrants have frequently encountered challenges like racism, according to Maddox.
“Many Caribbean immigrants that came to the United States were often skilled and professional workers,” she said. “However, due to racist hiring practices that would not allow for Black people to break into certain fields, many of these immigrants were not able to secure positions in their trained professions.”
According to Maddox, the military offered a pathway for Caribbean immigrants, including her great-great-grandfather, to settle in the U.S.
“How our family was able to gain citizenship in the U.S is that he worked at a military base in St. Croix in the U.S Virgin Islands,” she said. “And so through his work, he was able to obtain citizenship that would allow my grandmother to come to the U.S, my mother to also come later.”
Homeownership was a key priority for Caribbean immigrants upon arriving in the U.S., Maddox said.
“If anyone knows anything about Caribbean people, home ownership is very important,” she said. “It’s a cornerstone. And so many of these immigrants were looking for opportunities to own land for a building or something in the United States.”
Caribbean immigrants established communities in Brooklyn neighborhoods such as Flatbush and East Flatbush, forming an ethnic enclave, Maddox explained.
“This is the first ‘Little Caribbean’ that we have anywhere in the States,” she said.
Maddox pointed out that the impact of Caribbean immigrants on American culture is evident in events like the annual New York West Indian Day Parade and the prevalence of Caribbean food in casual and upscale restaurants.
“Caribbean people have made lasting contributions to the fabric of American society [and] history, changing the political, economic, and social landscape of Black life in the U.S. and, in doing so, have left their mark on American history,” Maddox said.
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