Category Archives: Caribbean

Caribbean, Immigration Narrative

Caribbean Roots

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 off that I am either Black or Hispanic. It made me confused – was I supposed to fit in one of the categories? Does anyone know who I am, and more importantly, do I?

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Caribbean, Immigrant Interviews

Chrystelle Lanou’s Interview as told to Victoria Manna

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 the big move.

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Caribbean, Immigration Narrative

Dominican-Raised, Brooklyn-Born Woman

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 the Dominican Republic, she had ten children, eight daughters and two sons, all of which are living in the US today. Most of these children, my grandmother, and most of my great-aunts and great-uncles, got married and had children. Some of them back in DR, some of them here. Continue reading Dominican-Raised, Brooklyn-Born Woman →

Caribbean, Immigration Narrative

Coming from the Dominican Republic…

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 person to come to the US. Continue reading Coming from the Dominican Republic… →