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playscoverings
Member
| Joined: | Thu Dec 7th, 2006 |
| Location: | USA |
| Posts: | 7 |
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Posted: Tue Feb 6th, 2007 04:35 am |
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Fellow " WEST INDIANS '' ,
I have wrestled with this for sometime now ( at that I'm only 33 yrs old, lol ) anyway,I have researched/studied on history/economics and noticed that " West Indians " have fallen off for a lack of better words. Or if I may be politically correct , I would say that " we are not accounted for or almost Invisible in the U.S.A. and therefore will NEVER be truly ACREDITED for ALL our CONTRIBUTIONS in this country.
Yes carnival in Brooklyn is BIG and have become a regional event, but is that all we want to be known for , fetting and having a good time ? Carnival draws two or three million revelers and spectators. These spectacular public events, which generate " millions of dollars in revenue ", are the clearest expression of the development of strong Caribbean communities and a defined Afro-Caribbean identity.
We need to MAKE OUR MARK in U.S. society and be respectively reffered to as " WEST INDIAN COMMUNITY " We have websites such as WESTINDIAN.COM , IZATRINI.COM & others that try to promote our " west indian " culture & who we are ( as we are a very-diversed/cosmopolitan people )
Here are a few links http://www.inmotionaame.org/print.cfm?migration=10&bhcp=1 as well as http://bolt.lakeheadu.ca/~sojourners/diaspora/guide.html
They talk about our " WEST INDIAN " contributions in the U.S.A. ( even though they focus mainly on " Afro-Caribbeans " & Hispanic-Caribbeans I still found it as a wealth of knowledge and it shows how we contributed to the country ( U.S.) and " WERE " ( notice I said were )acknowledges as " WEST INDIANS then , what happened ????
Why are we included ( OR PUT IN I SHOULD SAY ) in a group where some of us will fit in as Black i.e. Race = African American on a form where this doesn't apply to all especially when we are not from America, some of us may have African descendants, but again it doesn't include ALL of us as WEST INDIANS.
Hispanics have their category ( Puerto Ricans had back in the days until it was done away with & replaced with Hispanic or Latino ).
The Asians have their category, the Pacific Islanders as well, whites off course, and who ever else thats out there. Where do we fit in ? Ok you are of Indian descent and from the WEST INDIES does Asian apply to you, or of Hispanic descent do you check Hispanic/Latino, or of African descent are you African American or black ? I guess the latter would apply.
I would like to hear from everyone that would really take the time & opportunity to read this TOPIC and take a vote and send feedback on it. Does it really matter ?
Well I don't know about you, but I'm sure if you have filled out any forms lately ( and it doesn't have to be government issuedm whether it be federal, state or city ) just a simple survey now a days asks " what are you ? " I'll leave you with that, I know this " may not be a concern " for WEST INDIANS of soley ONE RACE. If thats you then again this doesn't apply however for those whom it applies respond please and those of MIXED RACES please VOICE YOUR OPINION and be heard. If you can't tell yet I am A TRINI of MIXED RACES being of African, Spanish ( Venezuelan ), Carib Indian & East Indian descent .
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unprose
Member
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Posted: Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 07:26 pm |
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playscoverings wrote: Fellow " WEST INDIANS '' ,
I have wrestled with this for sometime now ( at that I'm only 33 yrs old, lol ) anyway,I have researched/studied on history/economics and noticed that " West Indians " have fallen off for a lack of better words. Or if I may be politically correct , I would say that " we are not accounted for or almost Invisible in the U.S.A. and therefore will NEVER be truly ACREDITED for ALL our CONTRIBUTIONS in this country.
Yes carnival in Brooklyn is BIG and have become a regional event, but is that all we want to be known for , fetting and having a good time ? Carnival draws two or three million revelers and spectators. These spectacular public events, which generate " millions of dollars in revenue ", are the clearest expression of the development of strong Caribbean communities and a defined Afro-Caribbean identity.
We need to MAKE OUR MARK in U.S. society and be respectively reffered to as " WEST INDIAN COMMUNITY " We have websites such as WESTINDIAN.COM , IZATRINI.COM & others that try to promote our " west indian " culture & who we are ( as we are a very-diversed/cosmopolitan people )
Here are a few links http://www.inmotionaame.org/print.cfm?migration=10&bhcp=1 as well as http://bolt.lakeheadu.ca/~sojourners/diaspora/guide.html
They talk about our " WEST INDIAN " contributions in the U.S.A. ( even though they focus mainly on " Afro-Caribbeans " & Hispanic-Caribbeans I still found it as a wealth of knowledge and it shows how we contributed to the country ( U.S.) and " WERE " ( notice I said were )acknowledges as " WEST INDIANS then , what happened ????
Why are we included ( OR PUT IN I SHOULD SAY ) in a group where some of us will fit in as Black i.e. Race = African American on a form where this doesn't apply to all especially when we are not from America, some of us may have African descendants, but again it doesn't include ALL of us as WEST INDIANS.
Hispanics have their category ( Puerto Ricans had back in the days until it was done away with & replaced with Hispanic or Latino ).
The Asians have their category, the Pacific Islanders as well, whites off course, and who ever else thats out there. Where do we fit in ? Ok you are of Indian descent and from the WEST INDIES does Asian apply to you, or of Hispanic descent do you check Hispanic/Latino, or of African descent are you African American or black ? I guess the latter would apply.
I would like to hear from everyone that would really take the time & opportunity to read this TOPIC and take a vote and send feedback on it. Does it really matter ?
Well I don't know about you, but I'm sure if you have filled out any forms lately ( and it doesn't have to be government issuedm whether it be federal, state or city ) just a simple survey now a days asks " what are you ? " I'll leave you with that, I know this " may not be a concern " for WEST INDIANS of soley ONE RACE. If thats you then again this doesn't apply however for those whom it applies respond please and those of MIXED RACES please VOICE YOUR OPINION and be heard. If you can't tell yet I am A TRINI of MIXED RACES being of African, Spanish ( Venezuelan ), Carib Indian & East Indian descent .
I am surprised you have not had more response to your topic. I married an East Indian from the West Indies - Trinidad - and we have a son who is half his father's genetics, East Indian, and half mine - I am a white woman of Mediterranean/European descent. As early as enrolling our child in school, forms were asking his race-color-heritage and at that time the only options were white, black, hispanic or Native American. I always made my own little box and wrote "other" to the side of it. As we lived in the midwestern US for his young childhood, our son's skin pigment never deveoped fully, and to all outward appearances he was a Mediterranean skinned white child. He moved to TT for his later schooling and when he returned to the US, he was nicely browned from the sun. He decided to join the US Navy, and he told me that the recruiter just looked at him and asked his background. My son laughed at the man, asked, "What do you need for me to be?" referring to the "quota" the recruiter needed to fill to show his superiors. "Well," the recruiter told him, "I could use more Latinos..." And from that point on, my son has fit in wherever he's gone because he could be pretty much what people expected him to be.
I have read that recently there has been some change in forms that ask these questions. I understand there is often an "other" choice, with a blank where it can be filled in. Of course, that is in the US -- I have no idea what TT is doing on the matter. You are not the only one to raise this question, I am sure. It just needs to be raised in a louder voice, and probably more often!
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playscoverings
Member
| Joined: | Thu Dec 7th, 2006 |
| Location: | USA |
| Posts: | 7 |
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Posted: Wed Apr 16th, 2008 11:50 pm |
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Hello there thank you for taking the time to respond, I have not been on this site for quite some time. I too would have expected alot more responses, oh well people have more important topics I guess to talk about.
I laughed at your son's response, all the best to you and your family!
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