Religion played a major role in the lives of Caribbean immigrants and native African Americans. Churches became a social center for immigrants and natives alike. Due to this, a second generation Caribbean is more likely to marry a native born African American. What’s interesting is that when this occurs the native would modify the traditions of the Caribbean immigrant. Therefore, places that bring immigrants and natives together accelerates the process of assimilation. There are also many churches in Harlem, one in particular is the Black American Church. This church challenged and modified the culture of Caribbean immigrants. Black churches, however, were also viewed as a business rather than a place of worship. This is contributed to the fact that when compared to Caribbean churches it is far more dominant economically and politically.
Churches were not the only institution that had an impact in the Harlem community. Harlem’s fraternal and benevolent associations which consisted of mainly members from the Caribbean and black American communities also played a role in Harlem. These institutions “provided mutual aid and also helped establish an individual’s social position and identity.” One particular association is called The Society of the Sons of New York. They recruited men in society that possessed the most respectable traits. For example, politicians, real estate speculators, and professionals. Benevolent associations provided members with health and death benefits. Fraternal orders are similar to benevolent associations because they “de-emphasize one’s ethnic background while promoting racial solidarity, self-help, and self-reliance.” Churches, benevolent associations, lodges and fraternal orders assisted Caribbean immigrants and southern migrants by familiarizing them with the community.
As more immigrants started to settle in Harlem a man by the name of Marcus Garvey appeared to spread his radical ideals. Garvey was born in Jamaica and founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in Jamaica in 1912. UNIA was created to create a black nation in Africa by convincing African Americans to return to Africa. In 1916, Garvey settled in New York and created a UNIA chapter in Harlem. This chapter promoted the ideals of social, political, and economical freedom for blacks. In 1918, Garvey published a newspaper called Negro World to convey his message. This posed a threat to nativists because the press was transmitting radical ideas. African Americans also disliked Garvey because he was considered radical and they didn’t want to be grouped with him. In 1919, Garvey and UNIA launched the Black Star Line which was a shipping company that established trade between Africans in America, the Caribbean, South and Central America, Canada and Africa. The Black Star Line lead Garvey to be jailed due to mail fraud in 1923. In 1927 he was released and deported back to Jamaica. Garvey became the inspiration for black nationalism and he inspired other leaders such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
Other than religious institutions and political figures, there was another side of Harlem. Harlem was being overrun by numbers. These numbers or the “Number Playing Game,” became Harlem’s economy. The number operation consisted of a banker, collectors, controllers, and a legal staff. This was a planned out team because each role is in charge of a part of the operation. For instance, the collector is the ones who take the bets from customers, the controllers are the ones who gathered money and turned it in to the bank, and finally the legal staff is there to ensure the safety of all employees. The banker is the head of the operation because he arranges all political affiliations and pays all fines imposed on his employees. In order for a banker to be successful, he or she must have a good reputation. This means that the banker has to deal fairly and give back to the community. To play the numbers game, a player would pick a set of digits between 000 and 999. If they chose correctly they would win, if not then they lose. It is similar to the lottery we have today. The numbers game wasn’t limited to only African Americans. There are also white New Yorkers who play and give their money to a colored collector. This is interesting because when it comes to a game blacks and whites are treated equally, however, in reality whites come out superior. Race is more of a social implementation rather than a biological one.
