Mini Carnival at City College campus.
The week of May 1st to May 4th was Caribbean Week at City College and The CCNY Caribbean Student Association was hosting Carnival in the NAC Plaza on May 4th. This is a video that I took during the event, which was my first taste and experience of the Caribbean Carnival. Everybody dressed in traditional bright color clothing and held flags of various Caribbean countries in their hands. The music was loud, the dancing was nonstop and the crowd just kept getting larger and larger as if they were dancing in one, fun spirit. This was such an exceptional experience and it reflects the importance and significance of culture in maintaining and reinforcing Caribbean identity in New York. It is especially significant for second and third generation immigrants who are not familiar with their cultures. Although they are far from home, West Indians still hold on to their culture which expresses their pride and honor for their heritage and identity. Winston Huggins (1996) compares the European and Caribbean immigration and highlights that the key difference is that Caribbean immigrants maintain transnational ties because of the strength of their identity, which is evident in celebrations as the ones described.
