As a Caribbean immigrant living in the US, I’ve dealt with many false narratives about my people – mainly that Caribbean immigrants think they’re better than African-Americans. It’s a longstanding stereotype that won’t go away no matter how many times we try to dispel it.
I don’t know where this stereotype originated, but I assume it started, where most stereotypes start, from a few bad incidents.
Perhaps an African-American had a negative encounter with someone from the Caribbean who either truly acted superior or flat out told them that they were somehow better than them.
If that were in fact, the case, and I’m only postulating here, I can assure you that is not the norm. I’m not saying that it doesn’t happen, it’s just not the norm.
With so many Caribbean immigrants in the US, there’s bound to be some friction with the African-American community. I’ll explain why in a minute.
But, first, I think it’s important to understand how the numbers stack up between the two groupings.
According to a report from Migration Policy Institute on Caribbean immigrants, 4.5 million Caribbean immigrants lived in the US in 2019 – that’s 10 percent of the US’ 44.9 million foreign-born population.
Jamaica and Haiti are the two largest origin countries for black Caribbean immigrants, according to the report.
The number of Caribbean immigrants pales in comparison to the African-American population in this country.
In 2019, 46.8 million people in the US identified their race as black, either alone or as part of a multiracial or ethnic background, according to the Pew Research Center. So, basically, Caribbean immigrants represent less than a tenth of their African American counterparts.
Caribbean immigrants don’t think they’re better
Statistics aside, Caribbean immigrants simply don’t go around lording their birthright over anyone, just like African-Americans don’t lord their birthright over anyone else.
I think there is an unspoken rule that Caribbean immigrants adhere to in America – that you mind your manners in someone else’s country. By and large, Caribbean immigrants get along well with their African-American counterparts. But, it doesn’t stop the stereotypical tropes from persisting.
I recently did a YouTube video along with a friend and former journalism colleague of mine, Vanessa Clarke, about the bitter feud between Caribbean immigrants and African-Americans. During our conversation we tried to dissect the genesis of this sibling rivalry. I say sibling rivalry because we’re both children of slavery who simply went on divergent paths.
But, I think people who believe Caribbean immigrants act like they’re better are very mistaken.
I think the friction between the two groups occurs because of misunderstandings over each group’s culture and mannerisms.
Confidence is often confused with arrogance. Caribbean immigrants are proud people who know who they are, and what they stand for.
While they realise that they are in someone else’s country and want to assimilate, they will not do so at the expense of their culture, roots and ideals – the very things that shape who they are.
I think the problem that comes into play is that some people expect Caribbean immigrants to be docile, and when they don’t encounter that, or they encounter someone who will go toe-to-toe with them, it becomes a problem.
I find Caribbean people to be very respectful, but they don’t bow and they don’t back down easily.
Other stereotypes Caribbean immigrants deal with
Beyond being called haughty, Caribbean immigrants are often accused of disliking African-Americans while kissing up to white people.
I think what some African-Americans fail to understand is that the racial tensions that exist in America don’t exist in the same form in the Caribbean.
Is that to say that Caribbean people don’t deal with racism? No. Of course they do. But, it’s nothing like what occurs in the US. The relationship between whites and blacks in the Caribbean islands is different from the relationship those two races have in the US.
I have found that what separates people in the Caribbean is socioeconomic status.
In The Bahamas, where I’m from, the country is mostly divided by class. Not race. We interact very well with white Bahamians and white expats.
However, I hasten to add that there are a lot of white European and American expats who live in The Bahamas, and while many are respectful and assimilate easily (particularly on the islands outside of New Providence/Nassau), there are some who are bring a superiority complex with them to the islands, and Bahamians don’t tolerate that at all. They’re also not shy about speaking up and out.
Black Bahamians stand up to white Bahamians and expats with regularity, so this trope about kissing up to white people is inaccurate.
I think that stereotype originates from the fact that most Caribbean countries have service-based economies. They’re tourism-dependent countries. So, if they want to ensure their survival, they have to treat tourists i.e. North Americans well.
The Caribbean as a whole is predominantly black. So, black people are the majority, even though we have people of European and South Asian descent. Our elected officials are mostly black, the wealthy individuals are black,
As a Caribbean immigrant living in the US, I’ve had to contend with many false narratives about my people – mainly that Caribbean immigrants think they’re better than African-Americans. It’s a longstanding stereotype that won’t go away no matter how many times we try to dispel it.
I don’t know where this stereotype originated, but I assume it started, where most stereotypes start, from a few bad incidents.
Perhaps an African-American had a negative encounter with someone from the Caribbean who either truly acted superior or flat out told them that they were somehow better than them.
If that were in fact, the case, and I’m only postulating here, I can assure you that is not the norm. I’m not saying that it doesn’t happen, it’s just not the norm.
With so many Caribbean immigrants in the US, there’s bound to be some friction with the African-American community. I’ll explain why in a minute.
But, first, I think it’s important to understand how the numbers stack up between the two groupings.
According to a report from Migration Policy Institute on Caribbean immigrants, 4.5 million Caribbean immigrants lived in the US in 2019 – that’s 10 percent of the US’ 44.9 million foreign-born population.
Jamaica and Haiti are the two largest origin countries for black Caribbean immigrants, according to the report.
The number of Caribbean immigrants pales in comparison to the African-American population in this country.
In 2019, 46.8 million people in the US identified their race as black, either alone or as part of a multiracial or ethnic background, according to the Pew Research Center. So, basically, Caribbean immigrants represent less than a tenth of their African American counterparts.
Caribbean immigrants don’t think they’re better
Statistics aside, Caribbean immigrants simply don’t go around lording their birthright over anyone, just like African-Americans don’t lord their birthright over anyone else.
I think there is an outspoken rule that Caribbean immigrants adhere to in America – that you watch your manners in someone else’s country. By and large, Caribbean immigrants get along well with their African-American counterparts. But, it doesn’t stop the stereotypical tropes from persisting.
I recently did a YouTube video along with a friend of mine, Vanessa Clarke, about the bitter feud between Caribbean immigrants and African-Americans. During our conversation we tried to dissect the genesis of this sibling rivalry, and I say sibling rivalry because we’re both children of slavery who simply went on divergent paths.
But, I think people who believe Caribbean immigrants act like they’re better are very mistaken.
I think the friction between the two groups occurs because of misunderstandings over each group’s culture and mannerisms.
Confidence is often confused with arrogance. Caribbean immigrants are proud people who know who they are, and what they stand for.
While they realise that they are in someone else’s country and want to assimilate, they will not do so at the expense of their culture, roots and ideals – the very things that shape who they are.
I think the problem that comes into play is that some people expect Caribbean immigrants to be docile, and when they don’t encounter that, or they encounter someone who will go toe-to-toe with them, it becomes a problem.
I find Caribbean people to be very respectful, but they don’t bow and they don’t back down easily.
Other stereotypes Caribbean immigrants deal with
Beyond being called haughty, Caribbean immigrants are often accused of disliking African-Americans while kissing up to white people.
I think what some African-Americans fail to understand is that the racial tensions that exist in America don’t exist in the same form in the Caribbean.
Is that to say that Caribbean people don’t deal with racism? No. Of course they do. But, it’s nothing like what occurs in the US. The relationship between whites and blacks in the Caribbean islands is different from the relationship those two races have in the US.
I have found that what separates people in the Caribbean is socioeconomic status.
In The Bahamas, where I’m from, the country is mostly divided by class. Not race. We interact very well with white Bahamians and white expats.
However, I hasten to add that there are a lot of white European and American expats who live in The Bahamas, and while many are respectful and assimilate easily (particularly on the islands outside of New Providence/Nassau), there are some who also bring a superiority complex with them to the islands, and Bahamians don’t tolerate that at all. They’re also not shy about speaking up and out.
Black Bahamians stand up to white Bahamians and expats with regularity, so this trope about kissing up to white people is both hurtful and inaccurate.
I think that stereotype originates from the fact that most Caribbean countries have service-based economies. They’re tourism-dependent countries. So, if they want to ensure their survival, they have to treat tourists i.e. North Americans well.
The Caribbean as a whole is predominantly black, even though we have people of European and South Asian descent. Our elected officials are mostly black, the wealthy individuals are black. So, we’re accustomed to seeing people who look like us in higher roles.
I think there are tons of misunderstandings between the two sides. But, just how African-Americans don’t want to be told that they’re loud, lazy or always crying racism, Caribbean people don’t want to be told that they think they’re better.
To watch my video on this topic, click below.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject. Feel free to drop comments down below.
XOXO,
This Bahamian Gyal
