Thursday, 15 June 2006: Caribbean Immigrants: Minorities or Immigrants?

Web highlight: Donny Leveston  

In developing this web highlight, the assignment was twofold, that is, it required gaining an understanding of the course’s Objective Three, (Immigrant or Minority, American Dream or Freddy Kruger), and perusing through various past modal assignments, focusing on midterms and finals.  Then, once the modal assignments for Objective Three were found, a closer reading of the primary texts ensued, which incorporated various aspects of Objective Three in relation to the primary texts.

This student’s midterm focuses on the idea of Afro-Caribbeans falling into the category of minorities, specifically, African American minorities and their quest for “freedom”.  This assumption is true to a certain degree, but there are other factors to consider.  “Finally, we return to a narrative from an Afro-Caribbean writer that echoes some common minority themes.  In ‘Children of the Sea’ by Edwidge Danticant, the main male character exemplifies the American Dream story and the American Nightmare story simultaneously.  He is striving to attain the most important America ideal – freedom...”Freedom from what or whom?  “Although the goal he is trying to achieve echoes the American dream, the themes of the entire story focus on oppression and violence.  He is fleeing death at the hands of soldiers in his native country, and it is implied that he does not make it to America, but dies in his struggle to reach it.” [EI, Midterm ‘04] How does this story “echoes” the “American Dream?”  This writer’s essay pointed out a couple of key points from Objective Three within the story, but failed to amply support the essay with more textual evidence that relates to Objectives Three and Four, and Objective Five.   

Here is a very strong excerpt from the 2004 finals focusing on Afro-Caribbeans and their dilemma in being categorized into the African American.  This excerpt presents several points from Objective Three that are clearly represented in the primary text.  “Afro-Caribbeans are another group of immigrants who are considered a minority in America.  Although not forcefully migrated to America, they often face the same types of discrimination as the Afro-Americans.  Why?  Paule Marshall, author of ‘The Making of a Writer:  From the Poets in the Kitchen,’ was born in Barbados and grew up in Brooklyn.  In this narrative, she recalls that the people who most influenced her writing were the ‘group of women around the table…They taught me my first lessons in the narrative art.’  She mentions that the women around the table, her mother and her friends, ‘suffered a triple invisibility, being black, female and foreigners.’  They not only faced the ridicule of being black, they also endured the discrimination of being from another country.  Although not African-American, they are often seen as being a part of the black minority.” [KM, Finals ‘04]  Therefore, Afro-Caribbeans are “damned if they do, and damned if they don’t!”  One could argue that because Afro-Caribbeans skin look like African Americans, it follows that they are, in part, a part of the African American minority.  Subsequently, this view can be declassified based on the Afro-Caribbean vernacular, in stark contrast to the African American vernacular. 

How might African Americans view Afro-Caribbeans, and vice versa?

How might the dominant group view Afro-Caribbeans?    

This person’s final focused on Afro-Caribbean minorities/immigrants too, but, as one can see, little was said or shown in this essay.  “In, ‘The Making of a Writer: From the Poets in the Kitchen,’” we see another young girl ashamed of herself, and she even feels shame to ask the librarian for help to find black authors. [AO, Final ‘01] Why was the young girl ashamed of herself, and why does it seems like she is shame to ask the librarian for help to find black authors?   

Some of the essays present valid arguments to support their positions on Afro-Caribbean status in America, while others lack focus to fully develop their thesis.  Regardless of how Afro-Caribbeans are categorized, minorities or immigrants, the fact remains that they share a common biological distinction that is unique among people of African descent: “The Color Code.”  Simply by the color of their skin, many people categorize Afro-Caribbeans into the African American minority group.  However, this claim may be withdrawn based on other factors like language, and culture.