Do First and Second Generation West Indians Assimilate into the AA Community? (New York: home, to buy)
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another interesting point is the assimilation of black Panamanian-Americans into Afro-Caribbean culture and Indo-Guyanese into Indian-American
Not really most Black Panamanians are descendants of Jamaicans that went to Panama to build the canal. Many have English sir names. Indo-Guyanese are descendants of Indians that went to Guyana as indentured servants. The ones that are most accepted by Indian-Americans still practice Hinduism. However Indians usually make a point of mentioning their differences.
Urban Contemporary and Urban Adult Contemporary radio in the last decade. One reason is because NY's Black community is increasingly West Indian and Hatian versus African American, and music preferences are different.
I don't think that has anything to do with it. WPGC 95.5 in Washington, DC has seen declining ratings for several years despite the fact that nearly 90-95% of the Black population is descended from American slaves.
Internet radio probably has more to do with it than anything.
The days of sitting by the radio with your thumb on "Record" have been over. That was the only way to hear the latest music when I was growing up (that and buying mixtapes off the street). When kids want fresh music nowadays, they go on YouTube, Slacker, Spotify, MOG, etc.
I see what you're saying. I agree for the most part.
I consider myself both. But then again, I have one parent who's Black American. My wife has a Jamaican father and a Trinidadian mother. She also considers herself to be both. At the end of the day, though, I think it's all semantics. It's hard to deny an African American identity when you talk like every other Black American, listen primarily to R&B, join a black fraternity/sorority and other campus organizations, etc. To fight about whether the label "African American" applies or not is elevating form over substance, imo.
To the immigrant generation you are an AA, though if you achieve well they will claim you. If you dont then you are just another AA.
Very good points. I've met my share of people who had one West Indian and one AA, parent, or one Latin parent and one AA parent, etc.
I've know a lot of Caribbean, Latin, and African people who are very proud of their cultural identities and I enjoy talking to them. I'm someone who likes studying languages and religions. I speak Spanish well.
Many AAs, second/third generation Afro and even Indo Caribbeans, together with Latino Caribbeans socialize in the same space. Meet one of them and their identity is assumed by phenotype. I have seen many black Dominicans who one would think are AA until they suddenly code switch to Spanish. Ditto many 2/3 generation Afro Caribs who suddenly inject a Caribbean slang.
It is for this reason that I do not know that one can say across the board that a black Dominican has more in common with a white Argentine than they might with a black Haitian. Might be true for the first generation who are Spanish exclusive, with poor English. But is it true for a 2/3 generation black Dominican growing up in a neighborhood with many AfroCaribs. They all have adapted more or less an AA style.
Also many WI and African immigrants that were educated for any length of time in their own countries are usually further ahead in mathematics and science. There is also the advantage of seeing more Black people in your everyday lives in leadership and professional positions.
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What you are saying speaks to those kids from middle class AfroCarib/African families. And yes mathematics/science is poorly taiught in the USA, and this topic comes up a lot with middle class immigrant parents. So their kids benefit from having parents who put more emphasis on these topics then most US parents, regardless of race, do.
I wonder though, how well are those from Mali/Senegal/Guiness homes doing? I dont se emuch evidence that they are entering the tertiary level educational suystem in large numbers. Remember most Nigerians and even Ghanians are highly educated people, even if they arent able to find jobs equivalent to their credentials. Not so for the Mulsim Francophones, many who might even be illiterate, even in French.
The issue with the kids from poorer Afro Carib/African families is that their parents work long hours, many of these kids are latch key, and many parents arent exposed to the dangers that their unsuprevised kids can face.....or too often make the assumption that their kids are immune because "only AA/PR kids behave like that"....that is until a cop arrives, or their son is shot, or their daughter is pregnant.
Might be merely a generational divide. The reality is that educated blacks who came of age after 1990 have a very different experience than those who came of age before. And especially those who came of age in the Civil or pre civil rights eras.
So it is wropng to project your perspectives on him and then attack him because he thinks differently. We are all a product of our loife experiences and there are many class, ethnic and generational differences among blacks.
Even you must admit that a bright black kid graduating from a top level collge in 2013 has a better shot than they did in 1980. I pick two years when jobs were hard to find.
The problems of the black poor are increasingly relatied to CLASS and not race. Increasing problems among the white poor should educate you of this fact.
Also, I could be wrong about this, but the majority of immigrants from Jamaica and other islands tend to be poor or working class..
Well you are wrong. Upwards of 80% of the college educated people have left the Caribbean, the vast majority from the USA. It is also true that up to 40% of all Caribbean immigrants have not completed high school.
So it is really hard to generalize about Caribbean people and when one tries to trouble results. So yes there is a high degreee of indices of success among Afro Anglo Caribbean immigrants. Does that mean that all succeeed? No. The jails are full with the male off springs of those caught in poverty.
But the fcat remains that Caribbean uimmigrant households are more likely to own homes, be self emplyed and have people in the middle class. This being because migration is a selective process with the most motivated and best skilled most likely to leave, because the prospects of success are higher. This point being most illustrated by immigrants from Nigeria and Ghana who rank among the most educated immigrants to the USA, despite the high levels of illiteracy in their homelands....especially Nigeria.
What you are saying speaks to those kids from middle class AfroCarib/African families. And yes mathematics/science is poorly taiught in the USA, and this topic comes up a lot with middle class immigrant parents. So their kids benefit from having parents who put more emphasis on these topics then most US parents, regardless of race, do.
I wonder though, how well are those from Mali/Senegal/Guiness homes doing? I dont se emuch evidence that they are entering the tertiary level educational suystem in large numbers. Remember most Nigerians and even Ghanians are highly educated people, even if they arent able to find jobs equivalent to their credentials. Not so for the Mulsim Francophones, many who might even be illiterate, even in French..
This is true of many Brown/Black people that were colonized under France and Spain. France and Spain did not educate their Black/Brown people for the most part. England did provide education for her colonies. So today you still see the effect of this.
The 3 groups you mention tend to do OK because they have close knit families and some members will own a business, like hair braiding, mechanic shop, taxi, etc. Then others will provide a service or support business such as beauty supply, baby sitting/after school, restaurants/food delivery to the businesses etc. As the children go to school they are able to teach the parents more English.
98.7 Kiss-FM was the # 1 rated music station in NY many during many surveys. There were lots of theories about its downfall, greed and business strategy included. Demographics are a big part too.
Urban Contemporary and Urban Adult Contemporary radio in NY has seen big ratings decline in the last decade. One reason is because NY's Black community is increasingly West Indian and Hatian versus African American, and music preferences are different.
You ought to know that AfroCaribbean people love R&B, gospel, and hiphop (the younger ones). Go to any Caribbean party and the music switches between reggae, and soca to R&B/urban/slow jams. Maybe even some zouk/Haitian and merengue thrown in, depending on the crowd.
The decline is because f the change in how the data is collected. Blacks switch stations more ofeten, so this "depresses" the listenership of those stations. Also these days many younger people download their music, so dont listen to radio. Populations which are skewed to being younger (bloacks nd Hispanics" will therefore be less included in radio listenership.
WLIB no longer exists and its format on Fri/Sat was Caribbean.
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If you dont then you are just another AA.
