West Indian Migration to New York further explores the concept of transnationalism, specifically in relation to West Indians, whose migration to New York in recent years has been quite substantial: so substantial that more West Indians immigrate to New York State than any other group. Their movement here has aroused much discussion of how they fit in socially, racially, and economically.
What I found most interesting was the relationship between African Americans and West Indian blacks. When West Indian blacks move here, they are automatically placed into the same racial category as African Americans, but this is not really fair. Back in the Caribbean, West Indians are not really used to the sort of treatment that African Americans receive here; when they eventually move here, they are greeted with racism and “lumped together” with African Americans. As a result of this, hate crimes have been committed against West Indians in the past few decades. Also, the author notes that the living arrangements of West Indians are also heavy affected by none other than the color of their skin. When more West Indians move into a certain area, it causes white people to leave and more African American blacks to move in as well, leading to completely segregated neighborhoods. I feel like it is pretty disheartening that, if this truly is a legitimate phenomenon, people would be willing to go through the arduous process of moving for the reason that people of different skin color move next to them.
One thing that I found a bit strange about this section was the following sentence: “It is not unusual for whites to cross the street or clutch their handbags when they see a young black man approach—and they do not stop to wonder whether the man is West Indian or African American.” Well by that logic, they don’t stop to wonder whether he is West Indian, African American, African, or even Brazilian. I’m just not sure of the point the author is trying to make here. Is she trying to say that African Americans pose more of a threat? If so, that’s simply an unfair connection. The most reliable contributor to an increase in the crime rate is increased poverty.
In New York as a Locality in a Global Family Network, I was really fascinated by how the author was able to tell the story of the three families and tie in their stories in a way that truly showed their Caribbean pride and heritage. In the interview with Bill, the author asks him whether or not he was disappointed with his experience of the United States. His response indicated that he was happy that he had lived in the U.S. because, essentially, it opened him up to all sorts of people, allowing him to go to other parts of the world with more ease. I find that to be a bit of a contrast to my experience. I think this is largely due to the fact that he was, in the first place, a foreigner in the United States. For him, the United States was just a medium through which to open up cultural doors; for me, or more so for other “stereotypical” Americans, I have the culture but I’m seen through an “American” lens by people whom with I interact with overseas. Foreigners in America, at least in my experience, are . This negatively affects the way I am able to experience certain countries.
In Trust Networks in New York, the intricacies of trust networks are examined and rationalized. Trust networks play a very large role in both sending and receiving countries both economically and socially. The author clearly defines trust networks by the quality that individuals in such networks are not only part of a network between them and their immediate family and friends, but that members of such networks are expected to be part of a community of people who must help each other. For something to be a trust network, “members of trust networks … place major valued collective enterprises such as the preservation of their faith, placement of their children, provisions for their old age, and protection of personal secrets at risk” to other group members’ untrustworthy qualities. Without trust networks, and a sense of transnationalism amongst immigrants, the major sending countries would inevitably witness their own demise as their population dwindles, and economic activity is not sufficient. The reading describes that transnational immigrants remain loyal to their home countries and active in supporting the economic and political stability of their countries as well, as members of trust networks are also often voters in their homelands.
Economically speaking, immigrants are not only involved in sending over remittances, they are basically expected to. One example given in the passage, a Mexican village called Ticuani is examined. In Ticuani, it turns out that more people born there are currently living abroad, mostly in New York, than those who are there currently. This loss of home population has transformed the community and its economy, giving rise to an economy that survives on the donations and remittances sent by those abroad. As a small village, there had to be work obligations that constituents had to meet, otherwise things wouldn’t get done. Since so many were living abroad, these members made up their obligations through the process of sending direct financial help. At one point, as the town was in need of a new water system, a Committee threatened households whom it deemed were able to pay a $300 tax, and who did not pay, with no water in their Ticuani homes. Not surprisingly, almost everyone paid. Whether this displays true loyalty to their homeland or simply submitting to the demands of some powerful political body, it does show that the group pressure in trust network allows such demands to be made. No individual wants to be untrustworthy. If individuals do show signs of untrustworthiness, they are immediately excised from said network. People in these trust networks can be ostracized simply for giving more attention to new American friends.
What I am amazed by is the ability for these people who have uprooted their lives in their home country, who came from modest means, and can now contribute financially to other people. But as the author says in the end of the passage, the benefits of trust networks are dwindling for members. The immense pressure and apparent lack of economic mobility that comes along with being a member makes it seem unlikely that these networks will survive unless they adapt.
