Impacts

JAMAICA In The USA

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For over four centuries, Jamaica and Jamaicans have been constructively contributing to the fabric of the American society.

During the Colonial times, many of mainland American produced goods were sold in Jamaica including wheat and various manufactured goods. African and Caribbean born slaves were sold to American merchants and traders from1660 until the outbreak of American Civil War.

Between the late 1660’s and the mid 1850’s American colonists in North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York frequently purchased enslaved Africans from Jamaica and other Caribbean colonies.

During the mid 1860’s American sea captains began to cargoes of coconuts and bunches of bananas to north-eastern cities and within a decade, a steady trade in Jamaican bananas took off led by Lorenzo Dow Bake, operating the United Fruit Company.

Between 1907 and 1914, almost 75% of the laborers amounting to over 200,000 working to build the Panama Canal, by first the French and later an American Company were Jamaicans.

From 1914 to 1924,Jamaica’s Marcus Garvey’s U.N.I.A. movement had over 700 small units in most major cities from New York City to Los Angeles as well as in 38 states.

John Brown Russwurm, (1799-1851) born in Jamaica, graduated with a college degree in 1826 from Bowdoin College, in Maine and was the first person of color to obtain a college degree in the USA, later was co-editor of the first Black newspaper published in the U.S.A., called the Freedom Journal. .

Robert Brown Elliott,(1842-1884) born in Liverpool, England of Jamaican parents migrated to South Carolina in 1867 quickly became an American citizen began to speak and write about bright future of African Americans and was the first dark skin person to be elected to the US Congress in the 42 nd session of the U.S. Congress, 1871-1873.

During the twentieth century, larger numbers of Jamaicans and first generation Jamaicans continued to make even more positive wide spread social, educational, cultural and financial contributions to the American society. From coming to America to work as domestics in homes to cane cutters and some of their children attended the best schools and universities in the USA including all the Ivory League institutions of higher learning as did the children other Caribbean immigrants.

Among the best known are

Claude McKay (1890-1944),was one of the major literary figures in the Harlem Renaissance, publishing numerous novels, and poems including a masterpiece entitled, “If We Must Die.” Wilfred A. Domingo (1889-1968), was one of the prominent sociologist and journalist in the African American community for over fifty years. He was the first editor of Marcus Garvey’s The Negro World, 1915-1919.His writings appear in Alain Lock’s The New Negro; An Interpretation (1925).

Walter A. Roberts,(1886-1962),novelist, poet, historian, journalist and leading Black activist, helping to establish the Jamaican Progressive League in 1938.For decades, he was a leading voice for racial equality in America, Jamaica and wherever people of African ancestry resided. Joel A. Rogers,(1880-1966 ) Leading researcher, historian, activist and author of One Hundred Amazing Facts about the Negro , (1934 and 1957). Born in Negril, Jamaica he arrived in Chicago and afterwards New York City. His best known book was World’s Great Men of Color,first published in 1940 and many later editions.

During most of the twentieth century numerous first and second generation Jamaicans like other Caribbean immigrants made outstanding and far reaching contributions to the flourishing and progress of American society where they lived, were educated, and found their place within the American Civilization of the past and the present.

The following is a list of Some of the best known folk of Jamaican ancestry in the USA in various fields of endeavor over the last fifty years.

Some Academics

Some Actors and Activists

Some Business and Finance Experts.

Some contributing in present and recent American Politics.

Some Musicians

Some of the most successful athletes in American Sports

The Might of the Pen

Marcus Mosiah Garvey (1887-1940). Writer and newspaper publisher, Well-known activist. Published the newspaper Negro World and formed the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). Was internationally influential through his writings and his speeches.
Claude McKay (1889-1948). Renowned poet, a part of the Harlem Renaissance with Langston Hughes and others. His poetry is in U.S. textbooks.
Lorna Goodison (1947- ). Outstanding professor emeritus of English at the University of Michigan. A poet who has won numerous awards for her books of poetry, her memoir Harvey River, set in Jamaica, is a major literary contribution
Marlon James (1970- ). Enjoying great popularity at present. Won the Booker Prize--first Jamaican to do so. His most famous book is A Brief History of Seven Killings.He has taught at U.S.colleges, including McAlester College in St. Paul Minnesota.

We thank Dr. Glenn O. Phillips, and Dr. Judith Nembhard for their contributions in profiling the impact of Jamaicans in the United States.

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