The three articles that we had to read for this week were very interesting and relatable to my experience as a 1.5-generation immigrant from an immigrant Ecuadorian family. I see my family’s immigrant experience reflected in the discussions that we have in class about transnationalism and how immigrants maintain connections and networks with people in their homeland to help ease their transition to the United States and also as a way to feel a sense of belonging. Also, when we talk about remittances, I cannot help but think about people in my church who send remittances to their families in their homeland and parents from foreign countries who send money to their children here in New York City to help them (as much as possible) to pay for a post-secondary education and living expenses. One personal example that I always think of is my Aunt Patricia. She immigrated to New York City in the mid 1990’s and left behind her firstborn son under the care of her older sister. She sends remittances to her sister every single week to help pay for my cousin’s expenses. As extended family, we can only imagine the pain it must be to have a son so far away and not be able to go back and visit because of her current situation in the United States. The perception that the United States is a place full of opportunities is so true and common amongst immigrants. Even when they arrive and see that the situation here is bad because of racism, inability to adapt and different ideologies, as well as economic situations, immigrants still tend to think that they are better off than they would be in their homelands. This may be true for certain cases but not for others. I guess that it depends on the person’s experience in this nation. It is interesting to me how two people can go through similar situations and based on a person’s background, personality and way of thinking, the two people can have two completely different outcomes. Some immigrants end up establishing a life in the United States and form a dual identity where they become loyal to both their native country’s culture and New York City’s culture. Others feel that it is too much of a burden to deal with the problems that come with being an immigrant in New York and eventually decide to move back. However, even in those cases we see that first that person procreates or establishes a network that would look after them once they move back to their homeland.

In “West Indian Migration in New York: An Overview,” Nancy Foner discusses West Indian immigration to the United States. She talks about different aspects of this immigration and explores the effects of Caribbean immigration both in New York City and in their homelands. She starts out her text by stating that more than 40% of New York City’s black population can trace their origins back to the West Indies. This came as a shocker to me because I had always thought that the black population in New York City consisted mostly of descendants of black southerners. Then she proceeds to talk about how this group of people highlights transnationalism. What surprised me the most is that despite the fact that these people are present in New York in huge numbers; they have been ignored in immigration debates. You would think that people would converse about this group of people the most. I think that Foner is very accurate when she mentions that the main reasons why many West Indians abandon their homelands and immigrate elsewhere are because of scarce resources, overpopulation, high unemployment, limited opportunities for advancement and inflation. I agree with her when she says that small island economies cannot fulfill the needs of all the people. This brings up the idea of whether or not Caribbean islands are truly independent. Even though they say they are, they often depend on bigger countries and remittances from the black diaspora abroad to aid them. Immigrants are usually brought to the U.S. by family members or members of transnational networks. It is interesting to see how technological advancements have made the establishment and maintenance of transnational networks an actual thing. Nowadays, Facebook, facetime, email, telephone, and Skype have made immediate communication between family members in two different parts of the world possible. Better technology has even shaped people’s expectations of how New York is before they migrate.

Foner also brings up the idea of racism and discrimination based on skin color in her text. I find it interesting how two different groups of people can be combined into one huge group of people based solely on skin color. It just shows me that some people can be very ignorant and superficial. Although physical appearance is often the main quality that we stereotypically associate with a race, there is more than just skin color. Culture, political ideas, religion all form the identity of a group of people. Many times educated West Indian immigrants would want to move to white neighborhoods to disassociate themselves from the native black community, however, white people did not think that the immigrants were any better so they would move away. It is like Naomi said in class, people leaving the cafeteria table when the weird kid arrives. This experience must have been terrible because it basically showed the immigrants that there were clear social barriers based on race and everyone had their pre-established place. No one was allowed to move up the social ladder. This racism and discrimination were the reasons why many Caribbean immigrants began to establish transnational networks. They needed to feel a sense of belonging and pride. Otherwise all they had was suffering because of racism, segregation and imposed inferiority. However, because white people would move out when West Indian immigrants moved into their neighborhoods and black people would move in, West Indians became part of the broader African American community.

The Civil Rights Movement played a significant role in the lives of Caribbean immigrants and their families. After the Civil Rights Movement, they had access to a wider array of jobs in the mainstream economy and were often considered better and more educated than native blacks. This change in tolerance vs. intolerance of West Indian immigrants by the American public changed the perception of West Indian descendants towards the United States. It is interesting to see how second and third generations of West Indians will identify themselves. I find it highly insulting and very sad that many people believed that dark skin is associated with poverty. It is interesting to see how West Indian immigrants do better than African American because of connections and the way they portray themselves to the public as more reliable. Overall, Foner discusses the idea that Caribbean immigration to New York City has created a distinction and changed people’s perception of a monolithic blackness. Even within the Caribbean community, there is so much diversity. Many times I wondered why some people who were from Caribbean nations that I ignorantly believed were mainly Christian, identified as Hindus. It turns out that people from Southeast Asia were taken to the Caribbean as slaves. In conclusion, this article cleared up some misconceptions I had and reminded me of discussions we have had in class.

In “New York as a Locality in a Global Family Network,” Karen Fog Olwig discusses a Caribbean immigrant family’s experience in New York City. She goes really in-depth into this family’s life and goes from specifics to generalizations. Many people believe that immigrants are turned into free and upwardly mobile Americans. This is not the case. The process of incorporation is much more complex. I agree with the idea that many authors believe that transnationalism constitutes a form of resistance to being subordinated within a country like the U.S. People always look for a sense of belonging in a community. If they do not get that where they live, they will look for it in their place of origin or communities that they have had a history with. Like I mentioned before, many immigrant families see New York City as a place where their dreams can come true. Once they move to New York, they face the hardships that come with being an immigrant and thus establish kin or friend networks that will help them deal with the process of assimilation. I think of New York as a place where immigrants can transition to an American way of living. This city has so much diversity that people will not have a hard time adapting as opposed to trying to adapt to a place in the Midwest where most of the population is white.

I found it interesting how Olwig explicitly mentions the importance of familial networks. I guess since my family and my Aunt Patricia’s family are the only ones from our extended family that are currently residing in the U.S. we do not take into account the importance of familial networks. Religious networks and friend networks have been more important. But I guess that just has to do with our experience. In other cases, family plays an important role in helping people adapt and become assimilated into American society. Olwig brought up some West Indian cultural aspects that caught my attention. Proper manners are apparently very important in West Indian culture and they determine a person’s position in society (more so than skin color). Also, when the second generation does not meet their parents’ expectations, they feel really bad and are sometimes disowned. I only associated this with Chinese and Asian families. I also found it very interesting to see how the meaning and significance of New York changes from one generation to another. For the immigrants New York mean better educational, economic and social opportunities. For the immigrants’ children, New York was seen a springboard from whence they could establish a life somewhere else. It is interesting to see how according to the time they arrived to New York, their experience in schools, public places, interactions with natives and upbringing, some people fell in love with New York, some hated it and moved back and others moved to Europe.

In class, Professor said that most West Indian families were matrifocal. I never thought that women had such a high status in Caribbean culture. Also the fact that the family unit is central and important to immigration is very important. At church, I have learned the spiritual importance of families and how they are the foundations of society. But this article made me think how even in worldly things, families are important. An individual with familial support is stronger than an individual without familial support. I truly enjoyed reading Olwig’s article. The fact that she went from the micro to the macro was very unique. Articles like this one catch my attention more because I can relate my experience to the experiences described. It is an interesting and creative way to get a point across.

In “Trust Networks in Transnational Migration,” Tilly talks about the role that trust networks play in transnationalism. Family and friends on both ends have to trust each other in the sending and receiving of remittances. I was surprised when I read that remittances play a huge role in the economy of some of the receiving nations. My parents do not send remittances. They migrated to this country to work and pay off debts that they had in Ecuador. After they finished paying it, there was no reason to send remittances. Sometimes, they send money to their parents as birthday or mother/father’s day presents. However, it is not something that I see as common. But I guess that remittances are part of the lives of other people. Reading about this has awakened an interest in seeing to what extent trust networks play central parts in the organization, maintenance and transformations of long distance streams across the world. Tilly brings up the interesting idea that many people think of immigrants as one-way travelers that are desperate for work or welfare in a richer country and cut home ties as soon as possible in order to take advantage of the new country. This is not true. Many immigrants form dual identities and serve both their homeland and the country that they reside in. Both places have played a huge role in the lives of these people. However, I do agree with the idea that some immigrants may get stuck in trust networks only and this may limit the opportunities that they have. They may find themselves confined to niches that are only based on these networks, preventing them from growing as people and enjoying their lives. The emphasis of transnationalism demonstrates that the author knows 100% incorporation is impossible. Overall, I find this topic of transnationalism very interesting. This course has made me think about it in an in-depth sort of way.