The first 3 chapters of Blood Relations really opened my eyes to some of the origins of the Caribbean culture in Harlem. Its actually kind of interesting to think how the seeds of what is now a blend between American and Caribbean cultures were planted thousands of miles away throughout some of the turmoil in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Though I can’t remember exactly which chapter it was from, one of the quotes that really stuck out to me was that within the Caribbean during this time frame there were “too many dogs and not enough bones.” As kids, we’re always taught that America is the land of opportunity, so it would seem like the obvious choice for some of these Caribbeans to migrate to, but we were never really taught just how difficult it was for many people to actually get here.
Most of the Caribbeans seeking upward mobility couldn’t get it in just one step. So the building of the Panama Canal offered a huge opportunity for many, or so they thought. Though the Panama Canal was built on the sweat and blood of many of these impoverished Caribbeans, most of them ended up with a social standing barely better than they started off at. Compared to other white workers, Caribbean workers were treated terribly. No matter they’re skill level, Caribbean workers were forced into cheap small huts since housing wasn’t provided and were paid with minimal “Panama silver.” Meanwhile, even the most unskilled white workers were housed rent free “with a broad screen porch and a bath” and were also paid in much more valuable gold.
Despite these awful conditions, it brightened my heart a bit to read how the Caribbeans made the best of such terrible conditions. Caribbeans living in Panama at the time “developed their own traditions and created important social institutions as new permanent communities emerged.” Churches played an important role in this new community. Furthermore, associations arose for mutual aid helped many to save money and buy real estate. All of this shows the persistence of these people, that they wouldn’t just give up on their dreams during harsh times.
Another aspect from the chapters that I found worth writing about was the importance of women in the migration process. Often times migration was initiated by women who would be brought into America as maids for wealthy landlords. The women would then send money back home in the hopes to bring their family to America. This shows just how strong family ties really were in these communities.
One thing that I actually did not enjoy reading about in chapter 2 was the hostility between Native African Americans and immigrant Caribbeans. Immigrant blacks were often treated better by Americans because they knew multiple languages and were more willing to work harder for cheaper pay. This fostered resentment towards them from native blacks. As bad as it was for the first generation immigrants to embrace this kind of ridicule, its even sadder to it pass on to children. One immigrant, Viola Scott Thomas, recalls being ridiculed by other school children because of her accent to the point where she actually decided to deliberately lose her knowledge of spanish. As she put it “in a new country, you wanted to be what you were here.”
The first three chapters of “Blood Relations” have laid the ground-work for the development of a unique American-Caribbean culture in Harlem. I never would’ve thought that the spirit of the Harlem Renaissance would have such a humble beginning. However, I am very interested to continue reading and see how the Caribbean culture continued to develop over the years.
