Some Thoughts on Growing Up Black & Caribbean in the US

The initial title for this post was “To Be Doubly Dispersed.” I finally decided against it thinking that it might be too esoteric of an allusion to the African diasporas – dispersions – of which I am a part. My grandmother, Shirley, and my mother, Patricia immigrated to the US in 1968 and 1970, respectively from Trinidad & Tobago. My older brother, Alex, and I are the first US-born generation in our family. Much of my worldview, including how I think about and experience my blackness, continues to be shaped by the distinct ways that African culture was distilled in these communities.

After living and working abroad, I have come to realize how beneficial of an experience it has been to occupy these three distinct but often converging roles: that of being a US citizen in the world, of being a black man in the US, and of coming from foreign roots in a black American population that largely traces its roots to the southern states. I am aware of the power that I wield when I travel around developing countries with a US passport. Coming from a traditionally oppressed group in the US I find that viscerally I am sympathetic to populations on the unfortunate end of some of our foreign policy decisions. That is, I understand myself in relation to those people in a way that I imagine is different from many of my compatriots. The majority of my family, on their small, oil-rich island nation, is, after all, subject to US foreign policy.

Despite the rewards of this diversity, I have lived with a persistent – but not ever-present – sense of dislocation. This may be a shared experience among first generation Americans, but I have never been able to fully escape the feeling of being neither American enough, nor Caribbean enough to not feel as though one or the other part of me was not setting me apart from whichever group I was trying to blend in to. After all, my grandmother still calls me “Yankee boy,” and my friends always seem to catch the slight change in my accent when I talk to someone from the English-speaking Caribbean.

There is a limit to what we can absorb during our most formative years. When one is drawing upon several traditions – each one diverse in its own right – one is bound to miss many bits of cultural knowledge and experience. In my case, these lost opportunities can manifest themselves in minor, at times comical, confessions. To my black American friends, I might note that I still cannot play spades, and that it took me 19 years of life on this planet before I ate a single fiber of collard greens. (Have a black friend explain.) On the other hand, I am terrible at all the Trinidadian card games that my grandmother taught me growing up – and my cousins enjoy reminding me of that. Individually, this sort of thing is not devastating, but taken together with similar occurrences, I quickly began to realize growing up that my blackness was taking on a slightly different flavor than the groups by which I had been influenced.

Dwayne David Paul, Asst. Director of Campus Ministry, G.O. coordinator

My Experience of Ethnic Difference

As humans beings we are all the same and even our DNA is similar, but some of the human beings do not want to be considered part of the same or one large group of people.  In actuality, most of the humans do share some form of similarities, but end up leading to social issues based on race, color, class, gender, sexuality and colonial history that clashes with various groups of people for being different. However, I was not exposed to the social issues brought on by just being different until I moved to United States from Pakistan at the age of seven.  At first I felt out of place and tried to fit in by not losing my true identity and traditions.  The main reason for us moving to the U.S. was for my parents to raise their children in a better environment, receive good educations and to have a brighter future; however, I was shocked to see social issues caused by people judging each other for being different. 

Every human being is a human being—who is unique and different form everyone around them (also including myself).  I was not born in the U.S. but was born in Pakistan and moved to the U.S. when I was about seven years old. Most of the people in are not originally from here, but have been living here since their ancestors came across the ocean on crowded boats or the recent ones who came on an airplane. As a newcomer in a strange landscape, I felt like I did not belong here and people would judge me for being different. I did not let my difference bother me when I came to live in an area that does not welcome newcomers.

I had lived in Pennsylvania for two years, in a small town, an hour drive away from Philadelphia.  The community and school district were not diverse at all. The majority of the people were Caucasian; it was an eyeopening experience. Conversely, Jersey City is a multicultural community, and cannot go anywhere without seeing or meeting people of different backgrounds.  Whenever you go for a walk or run an errand you might end up meeting people from Ghana, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Egypt, Dominican Republic, Ireland, Greece and Haiti, among others. 

Most the people might think racial or social issues to be old news, but the problem still exists today, and thrives in parts of the world.  One of the places around the world where racial and ethnic differences still exist is the Dominican Republic. GO Team: Dominican Republic will visit small towns or villages where people from Haiti have settled and mixed themselves with the Dominicans, thereby adopting two identities. I hope to get to know their views in order to understand the causes of the racial and ethnic issues with which they are dealing.

Shahroze Ahmad, G.O. Team: Dominican Republic

Rachel Wifall

I am a caucasian woman. While I would say that my current circle of friends and associates is quite diverse, I grew up in a predominantly white, middle to upper-middle class community. My European ancestors were farmers and blue collar workers who came to the United States well over a hundred years ago. Their ethnic traditions were not actively maintained over the years, outside of religion; if I were to choose a community with which my family closely identifies, I would say "we are Lutherans." I call myself "American," but I have always been highly interested in different cultures and therefore have traveled widely, have studied three foreign languages in school (French, German and Russian), and know quite a bit of Spanish through my frequent interactions with Spanish speakers--including my niece, whose mother hails from Ecuador.

While I am obviously part of the dominant racial and ethnic population of the U.S., I have always identified strongly with my subordinate status as a woman. I was a precocious child in the 1970's who was well aware of the Women's Rights Movement, and I tried to show at every stage of my life that I could keep up with the boys and men--especially in academics.

Professor Rachel Wifall, G.O. Team: Dominican Republic

Who I Am

Like many today, I am a child born of immigrants who migrated to North America. Both of my parents were born in Peru and came to live in a better environment. Some years ago, my mother, at 25, came to the U.S. after graduating with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in teaching. They came to the “land of opportunity” in the hopes that they would find better job opportunities; initially, did not succeed in her goal.

My mother wanted to become a teacher in North America, yet when she came to the U.S., not all her credits were transferred and so she had to finish her credits in the here in order to fulfill her goal. Unfortunately, because my mother did not know anyone except for her married brother, she could not study until she earned money for her own education. As she did not know English, she started her work as a janitor and a cleaning lady. My mother had to start from zero. My father also had to start with carrying boxes and working hard for his own benefit. He was a Peruvian marine who also wanted to stop traveling and try to make a family in the U.S. He, like my mother, did not have his parents to take care of him. He only had a few cousins who were almost in the same position as he was. They, my mother and father, both began from scratch and steadily worked to become the parents they are today.

As a result of my parents’ hard work, my little brothers and I were born in the U.S. We had the blessing of having such parents that work hard to give us an education and become something more than what they were. We were taught in Catholic schools since we were four and have been able to recognize how important it is to be united as a family and be thankful to God. 

Who am I? Well, I am the eldest of three children, who wants to repay my parent’s hard work and dedication. The only way I know how to repay them is by trying my best in school and at home. I was, am, and will be forever grateful for my parents and my family. Consequently, I have achieved academic excellence for all my four years in high school and had the honor of receiving the title of “Valedictorian of 2012” I was also blessed with having a scholarship to attend Saint Peter’s University and was a recipient of the Gold Medal for the School of Business this year. My major is accounting and I, like my mother, strive to do my best in what I can and want to become a professional accountant. I want to stand for what my parents fought for, and I am glad I can represent my country of origin, Peru.

Genesis Balarezo, G.O. Team: Dominican Republic

The Story of My Ethnicity: It's Complicated

If I had to identify who I am from an ethnic perspective, I believe my story would be very complicated and incomplete because of the lack of family that I have on my father’s side and the lack of family history on my mother’s side. If I had to identify who I am from a perspective of the American social landscape, I would describe myself as a lower middle class black man struggling to understand what that really means in America.

From an ethnic point of view, many people ask about my background because my last name is Wing, but also because my first name is Ahmed. People constantly ask me if I have Chinese in my family. My response is typically “not that I’m aware of.” I get both my first and last names from my dad, Francisco Ahmed Wing, who identifies himself as a black Puerto Rican of Indian and African descent. My dad’s mom was Puerto Rican and his father was African from the country Morocco. Apparently my grandfather was born in India and migrated to Africa. I was told “Wing” is an Asian name because India is in the continent of Asia. My paternal grandfather, Ahmed Wing, came from a Muslim faith background so I’ve inherited the Muslim name Ahmed from my grandfather to my dad to me and now to my son, although my grandfather was the only Muslim by faith out of all of us. My paternal grandmother, Jacqueline Lattore, a fair-skinned Puerto Rican, was disowned by her family because she had a child with a black man; therefore my dad did not have any relationship with his family in Puerto Rico and was raised in Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan. Both my dad’s parents died when he was young. His father died when he was five and his mother when he was 16 years old.

My mother’s side of the family seems simpler; my mom comes from Southern black parents both from a town call Santee, South Carolina. Both of my maternal grandparents have a limited amount of information on their family history because many of their ancestors did not have documented names, others were separated and relocated as a result of the slave trade. We are only able to go back about two generations beyond my grandparents. Having a Southern black heritage – with the probable mix of American Indian mix because of the high cheekbones and heavy presence of Indians in the nearby Santee – my mother’s side makes me feel like an American, for better or worse.

I say my ethnic history is incomplete because I have never seen a picture of my paternal grandparents. My dad has never seen a picture of his own father, and he hasn’t seen a picture of his mother in over 40 years. Needless to say, it is going to be hard to explain to my children about my family blood line because I only have half the story. When it comes to my mother’s side of the family, I feel my story is common. When you have ancestors who use to be considered chattel property, nameless or have adopted the name of the slave owner, generations of family history go missing and are likely unrecoverable because of the nature of the U.S. slave trade.

On a social and cultural landscape, I feel I have a better grasp on what I am as an individual. Although I’m mixed with various ethnicities, I identify myself as a black man. I identify myself as black for a few reasons. First, I am perceived as a black man, and people generally do not see the Puerto Rican or Indian in my bloodline. I have not embraced the Puerto Rican or Indian cultures through language, food or music. I have never even visited either place so I feel very disconnected from that part of my heritage. My dad seems to embrace his Puerto Rican roots through the language, music and food, but he was raised by a Puerto Rican so he has that connection that I lack. Second, my mother’s side of the family, which is very large, provided me with a means to identify with being black through the music, food, clothing and style, among other means of self-expression, which made it seem natural for me to identify as black.

I consider myself to be a lower middle class black man in America. My classification is not based on financial status but rather opportunity and education. I understand that there are some glass ceiling social limitations for blacks in America in general. I also understand with education, some of those limitations may be removed while others will remain. Being conscious of my blackness gives me great pride and power but it also makes me aware of racism and white privilege in America.

Ahmed Wing, G.O. Team: Dominican Republic

Thinking about Race & Ethnicity and Identity

The next few blog posts are from members of G.O. Team: Dominican Republic. The prompt was for them to explain their racial or ethnic background, and to say a bit about their experience occupying that social location. Of course, one does not live one's race or ethnicity in isolation from other dynamics (gender, class, disability, etc.) ; therefore, folks were encouraged to think about how those themes intersect with others in shaping their identities.

Dwayne David Paul

Dominican-American Star Gives Free Super Bowl Concert

In preparation for the Super Bowl, PepsiCo, an official sponsor, hosted three days of free concerts at Bryant Park in New York City to thank the area for hosting Sunday's game. A limited number of free tickets were distributed online prior to the performances. On Thursday, January 30th, Dominican-American bachata singer-songwriter, Prince Royce, was announced to perform.

Prince Royce, born Geoffrey Royce Rojas, was raised in the Bronx by his Dominican father, who was a taxi driver, and Dominican mother, who worked at a beauty salon. He began writing songs in his teens, and his first mainstream hit was the remake of Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" into a bilingual bachata. Although he has experimented with some English genres, he claims to concentrate on bachata due to his parents' influence, and his desire to explore his roots.

Prince Royce, who has has three studio albums, Prince Royce, Phase II and Soy El Mismo, is currently a coach on La Voz Kids, is working on his first English album, has recently partnered up with Pepsi and is preparing for a summer tour.

Prior to the concert, Prince Royce tweeted that he was giving away the last of the tickets to the first 25 people to enter the special promotional code. I took the chance thinking there was nothing to lose, and luckily I won a pair of tickets! Two hours later, I arrived in New York City and joined the line of excited fans braving the cold waiting to enter the event.

Prince Royce began the concert with his hit collaboration with Daddy Yankee, who was not present, "Ven Conmigo." He went on to sing other hits from all three of his albums including "Stand by Me," "Incodicional" and "El Amor Que Perdimos." The concert was intimate enough for him to sit down on the stage and sing; he even came down from his stage to throw roses and t-shirts at the screaming women in the audience. The concert ended with one of Prince Royce's greatest hits, "Corazon Sin Cara," which he dedicated to all the fans in the room. What a great night for all of us Hispanic bachata lovers in the room!

Nelcida L. Garcia, G.O.: Dominican Republic

Nelcida (L) & Valentina of G.O. Team 2013 (R)

Prince Royce (Photo credit: Nelcida L. Garcia)