Capital of the Caribbean by Jason Parker
When looking at history in general it is very common for large events to grab our focus and for smaller events to become completely overlooked. For most people the important part is to get the gist of the time period and learn the information that is generally known. After reading Blood Relations and Capital of the Caribbean I was amazed by the significance of Harlem’s history and what happened in this neighborhood. Something that I struggled with after reading the book and this journal was that even though there were so many important organizations and characters, men and women, that this history did not have enough significance to be included in the general history that most people learn.
Despite history being one of my worst subjects, I was able to connect my previous knowledge of history and make connections with some of the information that was addressed in the journal. During the 1920s and 1930s a majority of the world was struggling economically and when countries are so focused on trying to bring their country out of depression, the colonies get neglected which caused many to leave to the United States. Even though the United States was also struggling economically there were still more job opportunities available to immigrants than back home, and also with WWII, more jobs were created. The significance of WWII creating jobs for immigrants is addressed in Brown Girl, Brownstones when Seline’s mother finds steady work at the defense factory, making bullets and working with the machines.
How the United States got involved with the Caribbean politics was very interesting. Because the Caribbean presence in the United States was quite large and its influence was even larger the U.S. was kind of forced into paying attention to what was happening in the islands. Black voters were becoming important to the Democratic Party and thus the government had to act on it. One of my favorite Latin phrases is defendit numerous, which means “strength in numbers”, Harlem became the capital of the Caribbean because it was a place for people to gather and they were free from colonial rule to speak about the problems in the Caribbean. Previously I mentioned my confusion with why Harlem’s history was not more widely known and I think one of the problems was that the force was simply not strong enough. On page 113 it was mentioned that the native African American groups and immigrant West Indian groups were very separate from one another; they were fighting for two very different causes. Had they combined forces somehow, to address both their issues, I think they could have become included in general history.
Brown Girl, Brown Stones by Paule Marshall
I am very interested in the mother daughter relationship in Brown Girl, Brown Stones. One of the scenes that really stood out to me was when Beryl talked to Selina about getting her period. This scene reminded me of a scene in The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison when a character Pecola gets her period and the narrator freaks out. Afterwards she feels left out as getting your period is considered a significant moment for a girl. Selina came away from her talk with Beryl angry at her mother for calling her womanly and yet withholding crucial information that would mark her as a true woman. I thought one of the reasons why her mother withholds such information from her is because Silla really cares for her daughter. Silla speaks with so much hatred against the act of sex and love that she does not want Selina to become a woman and be so much closer to the possibility of sex and love. While withholding that information from her daughter will do nothing to stop her from getting her period, her unwillingness to divulge that information shows possible fear on Silla’s part, of losing her daughter who is pure and strong despite how annoying she is.
