I have heard of Britain and other European countries pulling out of some of their colonies during World War II, but strangely, I had very little perception of what this meant. I have not thought about the transition of powers and the people involved, both of the colonizers and the colonized. The Europeans present would not have just given up their power and probably would have been unused and unadapted to the typical European life to be expected to return.  They still owned the majority of the land, regardless if the home government withdrew, right? Anyway, these questions are too finely pointed for this article- Capital of the Caribbean, which is ironic because the article frequently states that it focuses on an overlooked micro aspect of a macro subject – not micro enough. It describes the larger political situation of the Caribbean during World War I and discusses key figures, all with Harlem acting as the nexus/ capital of the Caribbean. Before World War II, during the Depression, there were many labor riots and radical/reform groups in the Caribbean and the larger black population in America because times were rough and these groups were already just scrapping by. Then, Italy invaded Ethiopia- the one notoriously uncolonized, independent African state, a symbol of black pride; this event rallied blacks together, protesting that other countries should defend Ethiopia’s freedom, which lead to the Allied powers intervening. As previously mentioned, during World War II, European countries had to leave some of their colonies because they were too involved in the war to worry about over sea territories. President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted strategic military bases in the Caribbean, but he did not want to oppose the inhabitants of the island and he did not want to anger the growing Caribbean population of America, particularly in Harlem. So he sent Taussig, a white man with good relations with the black community, and Walter White, member of the NAACP, to discuss a relationship between America and the Caribbean among the common Caribbean people. Through the understanding of this mission, the Anglo-American Caribbean Commission was born, which was like an advising committee of Afro-Caribbean people. Harlem was so deeply connected that campaigns there that it determined a representative of the AACC. However, some people still viewed American politicians as another imperialist power.

Brown Girl, Brownstones is about a second generation Barbados girl, named Selina, her family (mother- Silla, father- Deighton, Ina- sister), and various neighbors in Brooklyn. First chapter, the author, a woman of with a similar background story, analyzes the feeling of being an outsider within a home built for distinguished white families, feeling their ghosts roam about her. Her description of the homes are of stark, aloof, twisted agitators that effect her life and family, while being distant and unconcerned. She highlights the burning contrasts of the white walls to her family’s dark skin, like the contrast between the former inhabitant of the house and her life. Meanwhile, the remaining white residents of the neighbor are Miss Mary and her daughter who are poor, rejects and they fight between moving on and living in the past with the ghosts of the illustrious past inhabitants. Other white neighbors are described as locked up in their homes, as to refuse the change within their neighborhood. The sun and heat are also prevalent motifs, which represent the climate and features of the Caribbean, while acting as almost as a symbol for oppression and struggle. One major conflict is land- Deighton has a romanticized view of his past in the Caribbean and does not want to sell the land he inherited on the island, while his wife does not glorify her past and homeland, and wants to settle and buy a house in New York. Further martial conflicts results from their dead baby boy that the mother cannot get over. She views Selina as the reason why her son died and resents her for it, while Selina tries to pardon her love. Overall, Selina is caught in the middle, of an awkward phase and her parents’ relationship. Her father has a lover and he has dreams of working a higher wage “white” job that he will probably never receive, and her mother has a major chip on a shoulder against the world. In general, sex is a major component of this book. Snuggie uses sex as empowerment and comfort, before she has to work and be alone for a weak. Sex effects everyone, as everyone can heard when Snuggie has it, and even the children are growing up and coming to terms with their sexual identities. This is apparent as Selina and Beryl discuss being a woman in terms of getting your period and growing shapely. Ina, the prettier sibling who has gotten her period and the beloved child, was supposedly going outside to flirt with boys. Breasts seem to be noteworthy to Selina because it represents womanhood. Again, this class reads a book with a heavily keen interest in women within Caribbean communities.