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Who Are West Indians?
When using the term West Indian, one must understand the scope and diversity this title encompasses. West Indians are people that have roots in Africa but come from areas of the Caribbean, which may include, but is not limited to, people from Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Dominica and Haiti. Today in New York City, these immigrants make up a large community in the Bronx, from 211th Street to 241st Street and Gun Hill Road. There are also West Indian communities in Brooklyn, in the neighborhoods of Flatbush and Prospect Heights, as seen in the colorful and lively annual parade that takes place in the borough. The parade can easily be called New York's Mardi Gras, due to its festivities and all its floats, dancers, musicians, and entertainers. It also clearly displays the pride and diversity of West Indian New York.
No matter from where these West Indians emigrated, one fact links them all- when they land on these shores, they are almost always called "black," regardless of the fact that at home they were not classified as so. Because they have some African origins, they are labeled black and looked upon as "one drop of black makes one all black." They therefore have to deal with racism that never touched them before. The long-standing and deep-rooted African-American communities in New York City also conflict with the "new" West Indian immigrants. While the two align in some ways, they also resent each other in others.
