Category Archives: Caribbean

Caribbean Roots

May 13, 2014 Sabeena Ramnanan

I have finally decided to identify myself as being West Indian/Caribbean. For a long time I tried ignoring the question of what I identify with, but it was an impossible feat. When surveys or college applications came along, I never knew what box to check off; I would usually eliminate choices and end up marking … Continue Reading ››

Caribbean, Immigrant Interviews

Chrystelle Lanou’s Interview as told to Victoria Manna

May 13, 2014 vmanna

Chrystelle’s Interview as told to Victoria Chrystelle Lanou’s family was living in Port-au-Prince, Haiti until 1999, when Chrystelle’s mother decided that moving to the United States could give her children a life Haiti could not offer. Thought it was a grueling journey, Chrystelle and her family could not be more content with their decision to make … Continue Reading ››

Caribbean, Immigration Narrative

Dominican-Raised, Brooklyn-Born Woman

March 11, 2014 Chelsea Batista

My family is very large in total, but the vast majority of it is on my mother’s side. And the vast majority of that consists of women. The oldest relative I have ever known is my great-grandmother from my mother’s side, the matriarch of our family. In a small campo outside of the capital of … Continue Reading ››

Caribbean, Immigration Narrative

Coming from the Dominican Republic…

March 4, 2014 selena3vargas

My extended family had already settled in the United States in the 1970’s prior to my parents immigrating. Many of my aunts and uncles had come with their families to either build businesses or to get a better education; basically the opportunities that most people come to America for. My father was the first … Continue Reading ››

Caribbean, Immigration Narrative

Immigration, Accents, and Rebirths

February 23, 2014 Kwan Holloway

Marjorie Holloway, better knows as Muma(pronounced muh-muh) is where this tale begins. Muma is a short, vibrant, hysterical lady who speaks her mind with little remorse and a thick accent. Born in Barbados and raised there, she grew up with 2 sisters who later died before having children. Muma went to school and worked in … Continue Reading ››