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After 1838, [[Europe]]an colonies in the Caribbean with expanding [[sugar]] industries imported large numbers of immigrants to meet their acute labor shortage. Large numbers of Jamaicans were recruited to work in [[Panama]] and [[Costa Rica]] in the 1850s. After slavery was [[Abolitionism|abolished]] in the United States in 1865, American planters imported temporary workers, called "swallow migrants," to harvest crops on an annual basis. These workers, many of them Jamaicans, returned to their countries after harvest. Between 1881 and the beginning of [[World War I]], the United States recruited over 250,000 workers from the Caribbean, 90,000 of whom were Jamaicans, to work on the [[Panama Canal]]. During both world wars, the United States again recruited Jamaican men for service on various American bases in the region.
After 1838, [[Europe]]an colonies in the Caribbean with expanding [[sugar]] industries imported large numbers of immigrants to meet their acute labor shortage. Large numbers of Jamaicans were recruited to work in [[Panama]] and [[Costa Rica]] in the 1850s. After slavery was [[Abolitionism|abolished]] in the United States in 1865, American planters imported temporary workers, called "swallow migrants," to harvest crops on an annual basis. These workers, many of them Jamaicans, returned to their countries after harvest. Between 1881 and the beginning of [[World War I]], the United States recruited over 250,000 workers from the Caribbean, 90,000 of whom were Jamaicans, to work on the [[Panama Canal]]. During both world wars, the United States again recruited Jamaican men for service on various American bases in the region.


==Significant Immigration Waves==
==Significant immigration waves==
Since the turn of the twentieth century, three distinct waves of [[Caribbean]] immigration into the [[United States]] have taken place, with most of these [[immigrant]]s coming from Jamaica. The first wave, between 1900 and the 1920s, brought a modest number of Caribbean migrants. Official black immigration increased from 412 in 1899 to 12,245 in 1924, although the actual figurre is twice as high. By 1930, a documented 178,000 first-generation blacks and their children lived in the United States. About 100,000 were from the [[British West Indies]], including Jamaica. The second and weakest immigration wave occurred between the 1930s and the new immigration policy of the mid-1960s. The McCarran-Walter Act reaffirmed and upheld the quota bill, which discriminated against black immigrants and allowed only 100 Jamaicans into the United States annually. During this period, because of the immigration restrictions, larger numbers of Jamaicans migrated to [[United Kingdom|Britain]] rather than to the United States.


Apart from Canada, the US houses the majority of Jamaican émigrés in the world. Jamaican immigration to the US increased during the 1960s civil rights era. As many other sources of Caribbean immigration, the geographical nearness of Jamaica to the US increased the likelihood of migration. The economic attractiveness, as well as general Jamaican perceptions of the US as a land of opportunity, explains continued migration flows despite economic downturn in America. Traditionally, America has experienced increased migration through means of family preference, in which US citizens sponsor their immediate family. Through this category a substantial amount of Jamaican immigrants were able to enter mainly urban cities within the U.S that provided blue-collar work opportunities. Jamaican immigrants utilized employment opportunities despite the discriminatory policies that affected some Caribbean émigrés.<ref>Jones, Terry-Ann. ''Jamaican Immigrants in the United States and Canada: Race, Transnationalism, and Social Capital''. New York, NY: LFB Scholarly Piblishing LLC, 2008. 2-3;160-3. Print.</ref>
Apart from Canada, the US houses the majority of Jamaican émigrés in the world. Jamaican immigration to the US increased during the 1960s civil rights era. As many other sources of Caribbean immigration, the geographical nearness of Jamaica to the US increased the likelihood of migration. The economic attractiveness, as well as general Jamaican perceptions of the US as a land of opportunity, explains continued migration flows despite economic downturn in America. Traditionally, America has experienced increased migration through means of family preference, in which US citizens sponsor their immediate family. Through this category a substantial amount of Jamaican immigrants were able to enter mainly urban cities within the U.S that provided blue-collar work opportunities. Jamaican immigrants utilized employment opportunities despite the discriminatory policies that affected some Caribbean émigrés.<ref>Jones, Terry-Ann. ''Jamaican Immigrants in the United States and Canada: Race, Transnationalism, and Social Capital''. New York, NY: LFB Scholarly Piblishing LLC, 2008. 2-3;160-3. Print.</ref>


At present, Jamaicans are the largest group of American immigrants from the English-speaking Caribbean. However, it is difficult to verify the exact number of Jamaican Americans in this country because most of them assimilate into the wider [[African-American]] communities. The 1990 census placed the total number of documented Jamaican Americans at 435,025.
Jamaican migration became so large that it caused a national crisis in Jamaica. The exodus has resulted in a serious "brain drain" and an acute shortage of professionals, such as skilled workers, technicians, doctors, lawyers, and managers, in essential services in Jamaica. During the 1970s and early 1980s about 15 percent of the population left the country. In the early 1990s the government began offering incentives to persons with technical, business, and managerial skills to return to Jamaica for short periods of time to aid in management and technical skills training.

At present, Jamaicans are the largest group of American immigrants from the English-speaking Caribbean. However, it is difficult to verify the exact number of Jamaican Americans in this country because most of them assimilate into the wider [[African-American]] communities. The 1990 census placed the total number of documented Jamaican Americans at 435,025; however, the high number of Jamaican "illegal aliens" and the Jamaican attitude toward census response may increase that number to between 800,000 and 1,000,000 Jamaicans living in the United States. The largest Jamaican community is the [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]], mainly in [[New York]].

==Reasons for emigrating==
[[Jamaica]]ns emigrate to the [[United States]] for many socio-economic reasons. Since the nineteenth century Jamaica has had a very poor land distribution track record. The uneven allotment of arable crown lands and old plantations left farmers without a sufficient plot for subsistence or cash crop farming, which contributed to high unemployment statistics and economic hardship. During the 1970s the standard of living declined due to economic inflation and low salaries. When companies and corporations lost confidence in [[Michael Manley]]'s democratic socialist government and his [[anti-American]] rhetoric and close business ties to [[Cuba]], the flight of capital from Jamaica and the shift in U.S. capital investments worsened the situation. Jamaica's huge foreign debt and the [[International Monetary Fund]]'s (IMF) restructuring of the economy further exacerbated the island's economic woes in the 1980s and 1990s. An increase in crime, fueled by [[unemployment]] and aggravated by the exporting of criminals from the United States back to Jamaica, forced thousands of Jamaicans to flee the island for safety.

This began when the United States imported Jamaicans to work on various projects in the 1800s and early twentieth century. Before long, Jamaicans saw emigration as an attractive solution to the harsh social and [[economic]] conditions on [[island]]. In addition, many Jamaican students and trainees study at American institutions. Not all return to Jamaica upon completion of their studies. Many stay because of the lack of job opportunities back in Jamaica.


==Settlement==
==Settlement==
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===Music===
===Music===
[[Image:Harry Belafonte singing 1954.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Belafonte in John Murray Anderson's ''Almanac'' on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], photographed by [[Carl Van Vechten]], 1954]]
[[Image:Harry Belafonte singing 1954.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Belafonte in John Murray Anderson's ''Almanac'' on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], photographed by [[Carl Van Vechten]], 1954]]
Many [[Jamaica]]n festivals celebrate Jamaica's rich musical tradition. In the 1960s, Count Ossie merged native [[Jamaican]], Afro-Caribbean, and Afro-American musical rhythms with rock and other influences to create a distinctively black music called "reggae." This music, which the [[Rastafari]]ans and [[Bob Marley]] popularized, is a plea for liberation and a journey into black consciousness and African pride. Like [[Calypso music|calypso]], [[reggae]] began as a working-class [[Artisitic medium|medium]] of expression and social commentary. [[Reggae]] is the first distinctly [[Caribbean music]] to become global in scope. Each August, Jamaica stages its internationally acclaimed music [[festival]] at the Jamworld Center in Portmore. Over the five-day period, the premier music festival of the Caribbean attracts over 200,000 visitors. Each year it features top reggae stars like Ziggy Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Third World, and Stevie Wonder. This is followed immediately by the [[Reggae]] [[Sunfest]] at the Bob Marley Performing Center in Montego Bay. In the post Lenten period, the streets of Kingston come alive to the pulsating sounds of calypso and soca music. For nine emotionally charged days, local and international artists treat revelers to the best of reggae, soca and calypso "under the tents." During this time, thousands of glittering costumed celebrants revel and dance through the streets in a festive mood. The National Mento Yard is kicked off in Manchester in October with a potpourri of traditional and cultural folk forms which have contributed to Jamaica's rich cultural heritage. Many of these cultural events are observed by Jamaican Americans in local public celebrations or in the privacy of their homes.


Many Jamaican Americans have also been very influential and successful in [[rap music]]. Famous rappers and DJ's such as [[DJ Kool Herc]], [[Busta Rhymes]], [[Notorious B.I.G.]], [[Canibus]], [[Slick Rick]], and [[KRS-ONE]] are all of Jamaican heritage.
Many cultural events in Jamaica are also observed by Jamaican Americans in local public celebrations or in the privacy of their homes.
Many Jamaican Americans have also been very influential and successful in [[rap music]]. Famous rappers and DJ's such as [[DJ Kool Herc]], [[Busta Rhymes]], [[Notorious B.I.G.]], [[Canibus]], [[Slick Rick]], and [[KRS-ONE]] are all of Jamaican heritage.


===Dances and songs===
===Dances and songs===
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{{main|Jamaican cuisine}}
{{main|Jamaican cuisine}}
[[File:Jerk chicken plate.jpg|Right|thumb|A plate of [[Jerk chicken]].]]
[[File:Jerk chicken plate.jpg|Right|thumb|A plate of [[Jerk chicken]].]]
The [[national dish]] in Jamaica is [[ackee]] and [[saltfish]] (codfish), but [[curried goat]] and rice, and fried fish and [[bammy]] (a flat, baked cassava bread) are just as popular and delicious. There are a large variety of dishes that are known for their spicy nature. Patties, which can either be mild or hot and spicy, turtle soup, Jerk chicken, and pepper pot may contain meats such as pork and beef, as well as greens such as okra and kale. Spices such as pimento or allspice, ginger, and peppers are used commonly in a number of dishes. Other Jamaican foods are: plantain, rice and peas, cow-foot, goat head, [[jerk chicken]], [[pork]], [[oxtail]] [[soup]], [[stew peas]] and rice, mackerel rundown, liver and green bananas, [[calaloo]] and dumplings, mannish water (also known as goat head soup), cow cod soup, and hard dough bread and pastries.


Dessert is usually fruit or a dish containing fruit. An example is matrimony, which is a mixture of orange sections, star apples, or guavas in coconut cream with guava cheese melted over it. Other desserts are cornmeal pudding, sweet potato pudding, totoes, plantain tarts, and many other "sweet-tooth" favorites. Coffee and tea are popular nonalcoholic beverages, as are carrot juice, roots, and Irish or sea moss, white rum, [[Red Stripe]] Beer, Dragon and [[Guinness]] stouts are the national alcoholic beverages. In Miami and Brooklyn, especially in the neighborhood of [[Flatbush, Brooklyn|Flatbush]] along Flatbush, Nostrand, Utica, and Church Avenues, one sees groceries filled with a variety of Caribbean cuisines, including sugar cane, [[Gelatin dessert|jelly]] [[coconut]], and [[Yam (vegetable)|yams]].
In Miami and Brooklyn, especially in the neighborhood of [[Flatbush, Brooklyn|Flatbush]] along Flatbush, Nostrand, Utica, and Church Avenues, one sees groceries filled with a variety of Caribbean cuisines, including sugar cane, [[Gelatin dessert|jelly]] [[coconut]], and [[Yam (vegetable)|yams]].


===Traditional costumes===
===Traditional costumes===

Jamaica's traditional folk costume for women is a bandana skirt worn with a white blouse with a ruffled neck and sleeves, adorned with embroidery depicting various Jamaican images. A head tie made of the same bandana material is also worn (see [[Quadrille dress]]). Men wear a shirt that is also made of the same fabric. The colors of the national flag are black, green, and gold. However, because of the popularity of the clothes and colors of [[Rastafari]], many people mistake Rastas' colors (red, green, and gold) as Jamaica's national colors. Jamaicans wear their costumes on Independence Day, National Heroes Day, and other national celebrations. In New York City Jamaican Americans participate in the Caribbean Labor day parade in Brooklyn annually and dress in lavish and colorful costumes during the Brooklyn celebration along Eastern Parkway.
In New York City, Jamaican Americans participate in the Caribbean Labor day parade in Brooklyn annually and dress in lavish and colorful costumes during the Brooklyn celebration along Eastern Parkway.


===Sports===
===Sports===
A number of Jamaicans and Jamaican Americans have excelled in international competition and carried home many trophies. Sir Herbert McDonald was an Olympian; Donald Quarrie won the 200 and the 4×100 meters relay Olympic Gold Medal; Merlene Ottey won the 200 and the 4×100 meters relay; Some of the world's most outstanding cricketers were Jamaicans; they include: O. J. Collier Smith, Alfred Valentine,Darren Powell, Roy Gilcrist, Michael Holding, Easton McMorris, [[Franze Alexander]], and [[George Headley]], who was born in [[Panama]] in 1909, transported to Cuba, grew up in Jamaica and lived in the [[United States]].


A number of Jamaican Americans have excelled in international competition and carried home many trophies. Donald Quarrie won the 200 and the 4×100 meters relay Olympic Gold Medal. Merlene Ottey won the 200 and the 4×100 meters relay. [[George Headley]], who was born in [[Panama]] in 1909, transported to Cuba, grew up in Jamaica. and lived in the [[United States]].
Several Jamaican Americans, including [[Jeff Cunningham]], [[Robin Fraser]] and [[Mark Chung]], have played for the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States national soccer team]].


Several Jamaican Americans, including [[Jeff Cunningham]], [[Robin Fraser]] and [[Mark Chung]], have played for the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States national soccer team]].
===Health issues===
There are no documented medical problems that are unique to Jamaicans. In the 1950s and 1960s, polio appeared in some communities but was later contained by medical treatment. Since the 1980s, drug abuse and [[alcoholism]] have also plagued Jamaicans. Crime and economic hardship have taken a heavy toll on the health and life expectancy in Jamaica during the last two decades.

In 1994, the government of Jamaica admitted that most [[violent]] [[crime]]s committed in the country are drug related.


==List of notable Jamaican-Americans==
==List of notable Jamaican-Americans==
Line 152: Line 141:
===Acting===
===Acting===
* [[Shari Belafonte]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Shari Belafonte]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Michael Bentt]]
* [[Corbin Bleu]] (1989) film/television actor (''[[High School Musical]]'')<ref>'''Bleu''' - [http://www.corbinbleu.com/journal.html] "I'm a spicy blend of Jamaican (my dad) and Italian (my mom)."</ref>
* [[Corbin Bleu]] (1989) film/television actor (''[[High School Musical]]'')<ref>'''Bleu''' - [http://www.corbinbleu.com/journal.html] "I'm a spicy blend of Jamaican (my dad) and Italian (my mom)."</ref>
* [[David Reivers]]
* [[Kim Fields]]
* [[Dulé Hill]]
* [[Camille McDonald]]
* [[Grace Jones]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Grace Jones]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Delroy Lindo]]<ref name=autogenerated1>[http://www.jamaicanpride.com/Celebrities/index.htm]</ref>
* [[Delroy Lindo]]<ref name=autogenerated1>[http://www.jamaicanpride.com/Celebrities/index.htm]</ref>
* [[Carl Lumbly]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Carl Lumbly]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Wentworth Miller]]
* [[Sheryl Lee Ralph]]<ref>[http://www.jamaicans.com/culture/jamican-hall-of-fame-actr.shtml Jamaican Hall Of Fame: Actress, Sheryl Lee Ralph (Jamaica)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* [[Sheryl Lee Ralph]]<ref>[http://www.jamaicans.com/culture/jamican-hall-of-fame-actr.shtml Jamaican Hall Of Fame: Actress, Sheryl Lee Ralph (Jamaica)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* [[Madge Sinclair]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Madge Sinclair]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Chris Spencer (actor)|Chris Spencer]]
* [[Kerry Washington]]
* [[Peter Williams (actor)|Peter Williams]]
* [[Steven Williams]]
* [[Robert Wisdom]]

===Aviation===
* [[Barrington Irving]]

===Literature===
* [[Malcolm Gladwell]]
* [[Thomas Glave]]
* [[June Jordan]]
* [[Claude McKay]]
* [[Jody-Anne Maxwell]]
* [[Joel Augustus Rogers]]
* [[Amy Jacques Garvey]]


===Modelling===
===Modelling===
* [[Tyson Beckford]]<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/ilove/jamaica/superstars.shtml BBC - Cult - I Love Jamaica - Superstars<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* [[Tyson Beckford]]<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/ilove/jamaica/superstars.shtml BBC - Cult - I Love Jamaica - Superstars<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* [[Naomi Campbell]]
* [[Karin Taylor]]
* [[Carla Campbell]]
* [[Lisa Hanna]]
*[[Daisi Pollard]]


===Music===
===Music===
* [[Afrika Bambaataa]] <ref>[http://www.djhistory.com/interviews/afrika-bambaataa Afrika Bambaataa: "djhistory Interview" <!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* [[Afrika Bambaataa]] <ref>[http://www.djhistory.com/interviews/afrika-bambaataa Afrika Bambaataa: "djhistory Interview" <!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* [[A-Plus (rapper)]]
* [[Bei Maejor]]
* [[Busta Rhymes]] <ref>[[Busta Rhymes]]</ref>
* [[Boi1da]]
* [[Brick & Lace]]
* [[Bushwick Bill]]
* [[DJ Drama]]
* [[Gil Scott-Heron]] <ref>[[Gil Scott-Heron]]</ref>
* [[Harry Belafonte]]
* [[Thom Bell]]
* [[Canibus]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Canibus]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Chubb Rock]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Chubb Rock]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Chrystina Sayers]]
* [[Chrisette Michelle]]
* [[Christopher "Kid" Reid]]
* [[Chris Blackwell]]
* [[Maestro]]
* [[Luther Campbell]]<ref>[http://www.nndb.com/people/241/000088974/ Jamaican Ancestry <!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* [[Luther Campbell]]<ref>[http://www.nndb.com/people/241/000088974/ Jamaican Ancestry <!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* [[Sandra Denton]]
* [[Travie McCoy]]
* [[Tyga]]
* [[Tami Chynn]]
* [[Tessanne Chin]]
* [[Dean (rapper)]]
* [[Winston Grennan]]
* [[Heavy D]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Heavy D]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Grace Jones]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Grace Jones]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Ill Will]]
* [[Sean Kingston]]
* [[Kool DJ Herc]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Kool DJ Herc]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[KRS-One]]
* [[Shaggy (musician)|Shaggy]]
* [[Stephen Marley (musician)|Stephen Marley]]
* [[Mims (rapper)]]
* [[Renee Neufville]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Renee Neufville]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Busta Rhymes]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Busta Rhymes]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[The Notorious B.I.G.]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[The Notorious B.I.G.]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Slick Rick]]
* [[Vado]]
* [[Missy Elliott]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[Missy Elliott]]<ref name=autogenerated1 />
* [[50 Cent]]
* [[Wynton Kelly]]
* [[Joey Bada$$]]
* [[MeLo-X]]

===Sports===
* [[Gary Voce]]
* [[Wayne Sappleton]]
* [[Ian Mahinmi]]
* [[Jeff Cunningham]]
* [[Don Quarrie]]
* [[Chili Davis]]
* [[Simone Edwards]]
* [[Debbie Dunn]]
* [[Robin Fraser]]
* [[Sandra Farmer-Patrick]]
* [[Patrick Ewing]]
* [[Patrick Ewing, Jr.]]
* [[Dwight Freeney]]
* [[Ben Gordon (basketball)|Ben Gordon]]
* [[Uriah Hall]]
* [[Natasha Hastings]]
* [[Jerome Jordan]]
* [[Errol Kerr]]
* [[Inger Miller]]
* [[Sanya Richards-Ross]]
* [[Rumeal Robinson]]
* [[Rolando Roomes]]
* [[Samardo Samuels]]
* [[Ndamukong Suh]]
* [[Devon White (baseball)|Devon White]]
* [[Jerome Williams (basketball)|Jerome Williams]]
* [[Carl Lewis]]
* [[Justin Masterson]]
* [[Roy Hibbert]]
* [[Andre Drummond]]

===Public service===
* [[Anthony G. Brown]]
* [[Yvette Clarke]]
* [[Kamala Harris]]
* [[Colin Powell]]
* [[David Paterson]]
* [[Hazelle P. Rogers]]
* [[Edward Seaga]]
* [[John Brown Russwurm]]
* [[Susan Rice]]
* [[Kenneth Reeves]]
* [[James S. Watson]]

===Religion===
* [[Louis Farrakhan]]
* [[Raphael Morgan]]
* [[Noel Jones (Pentecostal bishop)]]


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}


==External links==
* [http://www.najaa.org najaa]
* [http://jamaicanamericanassoc.com jamaicanamericanassoc]


{{Jamaican diaspora}}
{{Jamaican diaspora}}

Revision as of 05:19, 5 August 2013

Jamaican American
Regions with significant populations
New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Florida, and California
Languages
American English, Jamaican English, Jamaican Creole
Religion
Predominantly Protestantism. Some adherents of Catholicism, Islam, and other faiths.
Related ethnic groups
Jamaican British, Jamaican Canadians, Chinese Jamaicans, Jamaicans of African ancestry, Indo-Jamaicans, Jamaican Australian, Afro Americans

Jamaican Americans are Americans of Jamaican heritage or Jamaican-born people who live in the United States of America. American citizenship is not a prerequisite of being a Jamaican American as permanent residents are also given this title. The largest proportion of Jamaicans live in New York City which has various of other Caribbean cultural elements such as food and music. There is also a community of Jamaican Americans residing in Philadelphia, Boston, South Florida, Los Angeles, Orlando, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Cleveland, Western New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey.

After 1838, European colonies in the Caribbean with expanding sugar industries imported large numbers of immigrants to meet their acute labor shortage. Large numbers of Jamaicans were recruited to work in Panama and Costa Rica in the 1850s. After slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865, American planters imported temporary workers, called "swallow migrants," to harvest crops on an annual basis. These workers, many of them Jamaicans, returned to their countries after harvest. Between 1881 and the beginning of World War I, the United States recruited over 250,000 workers from the Caribbean, 90,000 of whom were Jamaicans, to work on the Panama Canal. During both world wars, the United States again recruited Jamaican men for service on various American bases in the region.

Significant immigration waves

Apart from Canada, the US houses the majority of Jamaican émigrés in the world. Jamaican immigration to the US increased during the 1960s civil rights era. As many other sources of Caribbean immigration, the geographical nearness of Jamaica to the US increased the likelihood of migration. The economic attractiveness, as well as general Jamaican perceptions of the US as a land of opportunity, explains continued migration flows despite economic downturn in America. Traditionally, America has experienced increased migration through means of family preference, in which US citizens sponsor their immediate family. Through this category a substantial amount of Jamaican immigrants were able to enter mainly urban cities within the U.S that provided blue-collar work opportunities. Jamaican immigrants utilized employment opportunities despite the discriminatory policies that affected some Caribbean émigrés.[3]

At present, Jamaicans are the largest group of American immigrants from the English-speaking Caribbean. However, it is difficult to verify the exact number of Jamaican Americans in this country because most of them assimilate into the wider African-American communities. The 1990 census placed the total number of documented Jamaican Americans at 435,025.

Settlement

According to the text of Immigrant America (p. 69), there were 554,897 Jamaican-born people living in the US in 2000. This represents 61% of the approximate 911,000 Americans of Jamaican ancestry. Many Jamaicans are second, third and descend from even older generations as there have been Jamaicans in the US as early as the early twentieth Century. The regional composition is as follows: 59 percent live in the Northeast mainly in New York; 4.8 percent in the Midwest; 30.6 percent in the Southern United States, particularly South Florida; and 5.6 percent on the West. The New York metropolitan area and South Florida have the largest number of Jamaican immigrants in the United States and Florida are home to the highest number of illegal Jamaicans whereas most Legal immigrants tend to reside in Brooklyn. Jamaicans refer to Miami metropolitan area and Brooklyn colloquially as "Kingston 21" and "Little Jamaica" respectively. Large communities of Jamaican immigrants have formed in New York City and the New York Metro Area, which includes Long Island and much of New Jersey and Connecticut, along with South Florida (centered in and around Miami and Fort Lauderdale) and Philadelphia, which has the second largest Jamaican community in the US. In recent years, many Jamaicans have left New York City for its suburbs, and large Jamaican communities have also formed in Atlanta, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Boston, Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester, New York, Los Angeles, and Providence, Rhode Island.

US communities with high percentages of people of Jamaican ancestry

The top 25 US communities with the highest percentage of people claiming Jamaican ancestry are:[4]

  1. Blue Hills, Connecticut (neighborhood) 23.9%
  2. Lauderdale Lakes, Florida 18.8%
  3. Lauderhill, Florida 17.6%
  4. South Floral Park, New York 15.5%
  5. Miramar, Florida 15.40%
  6. Bloomfield, Connecticut and Mount Vernon, New York 12.9%
  7. Lakeview, New York 12.7%
  8. North Lauderdale, Florida 11.1%
  9. Uniondale, New York 11.0%
  10. El Portal, Florida 8.5%
  11. Roosevelt, New York 8.2%
  12. Pembroke Park, Florida 8.0%
  13. North Valley Stream, New York and Hartford, Connecticut 7.90%
  14. Sunrise, Florida 7.60%
  15. Miami Gardens, Florida 6.3%
  16. North Amityville, New York 6.1%
  17. South Miami Heights, Florida 6.0%
  18. Hempstead, New York and Elmont, New York 5.9%
  19. Lake Park, Florida and Carol City, Florida 5.8%
  20. East Orange, New Jersey, Gordon Heights, New York, Ives Estates, Florida, and Golden Glades, Florida 5.7%
  21. North Miami Beach, Florida 5.5%
  22. New Cassel, New York 5.30%
  23. Bronx, New York and Chillum, Maryland 5.2%
  24. Pembroke Pines, Florida and Wheatley Heights, New York 5.1%
  25. Bridgeport, Connecticut 4.5%
  26. Brooklyn, New York 3.8%

U.S. communities with the most residents born in Jamaica

Top 50 U.S. communities with the most residents born in Jamaica are:[5]

  1. Melrose Park, FL 19.6%
  2. Norland, FL 18.5%
  3. Blue Hills, CT 18.3%
  4. Lauderdale Lakes, FL 16.9%
  5. Andover, FL 15.0%
  6. Lauderhill, FL 14.8%
  7. Utopia, FL 13.1%
  8. Palmetto Estates, FL 12.6%
  9. Miramar, FL 12.5%
  10. Scott Lake, FL 12.3%
  11. South Floral Park, NY 12.1%
  12. Mount Vernon, NY 11.2%
  13. Bloomfield, CT 11.1%
  14. North Lauderdale, FL 9.7%
  15. Fort Devens, MA 9.3%
  16. Northwest Dade, FL 8.5%
  17. Uniondale, NY 8.2%
  18. St. George, FL 8.1%
  19. East Garden City, NY 7.7%
  20. El Portal, FL 7.5%
  21. Silver Springs Shores, FL 7.5%
  22. Washington Park, FL 7.2%
  23. North Valley Stream, NY 6.7%
  24. Sunrise, FL 6.6%
  25. Harlem, FL 6.4%
  26. Lakeview, NY 6.2%
  27. Opa-locka North, FL 6.1%
  28. Hartford, CT 6.0%
  29. Roosevelt, NY 5.9%
  30. Westview, FL 5.7%
  31. Tangelo Park, FL 5.5%
  32. Miami Gardens, Broward County, FL 5.5%
  33. Pembroke Park, FL 5.3%
  34. Lake Park, FL 5.2%
  35. Ives Estates, FL 5.1%
  36. North Amityville, NY 5.1%
  37. Canal Point, FL 5.1%
  38. Rock Island, FL 5.1%
  39. Boulevard Gardens, FL 5.0%
  40. North Miami Beach, FL 5.0%
  41. Lake Lucerne, FL 4.9%
  42. Golden Glades, FL 4.9%
  43. Broadview-Pompano Park, FL 4.8%
  44. Carol City, FL 4.7%
  45. East Orange, NJ 4.7%
  46. Pembroke Pines, FL 4.4%
  47. Stacey Street, FL 4.3%
  48. Mangonia Park, FL 4.3%
  49. Three Lakes, FL 4.2%
  50. Elmont, NY 4.2%

Culture

Music

Belafonte in John Murray Anderson's Almanac on Broadway, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1954

Many cultural events in Jamaica are also observed by Jamaican Americans in local public celebrations or in the privacy of their homes.

Many Jamaican Americans have also been very influential and successful in rap music. Famous rappers and DJ's such as DJ Kool Herc, Busta Rhymes, Notorious B.I.G., Canibus, Slick Rick, and KRS-ONE are all of Jamaican heritage.

Dances and songs

Jamaica's most popular musical forms are Reggae and Dancehall. There is also others such as "dub poetry" or chanted verses, Ska, and Rocksteady, with its emotionally charged, celebrative beat. Jamaican Americans also listen to a great variety of other music such as: jazz, calypso, soca, ska, rap, classical music, gospel, and "high-church" choirs.

Cuisine

Main article: Jamaican cuisine
A plate of Jerk chicken.

In Miami and Brooklyn, especially in the neighborhood of Flatbush along Flatbush, Nostrand, Utica, and Church Avenues, one sees groceries filled with a variety of Caribbean cuisines, including sugar cane, jelly coconut, and yams.

Traditional costumes

In New York City, Jamaican Americans participate in the Caribbean Labor day parade in Brooklyn annually and dress in lavish and colorful costumes during the Brooklyn celebration along Eastern Parkway.

Sports

A number of Jamaican Americans have excelled in international competition and carried home many trophies. Donald Quarrie won the 200 and the 4×100 meters relay Olympic Gold Medal. Merlene Ottey won the 200 and the 4×100 meters relay. George Headley, who was born in Panama in 1909, transported to Cuba, grew up in Jamaica. and lived in the United States.

Several Jamaican Americans, including Jeff Cunningham, Robin Fraser and Mark Chung, have played for the United States national soccer team.

List of notable Jamaican-Americans

See Also: List of Jamaican Americans

Acting

Modelling

Music

References

  1. ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IPTable?_bm=y&-reg=ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201:582;ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201PR:582;ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201T:582;ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201TPR:582&-qr_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201&-qr_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201PR&-qr_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201T&-qr_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201TPR&-ds_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_&-TABLE_NAMEX=&-ci_type=A&-redoLog=false&-charIterations=454&-geo_id=01000US&-geo_id=NBSP&-format=&-_lang=en
  2. ^ "?".
  3. ^ Jones, Terry-Ann. Jamaican Immigrants in the United States and Canada: Race, Transnationalism, and Social Capital. New York, NY: LFB Scholarly Piblishing LLC, 2008. 2-3;160-3. Print.
  4. ^ "Ancestry Map of Jamaican Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  5. ^ "Top 101 cities with the most residents born in Jamaica (population 500+)". city-data.com. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n [1]
  7. ^ Bleu - [2] "I'm a spicy blend of Jamaican (my dad) and Italian (my mom)."
  8. ^ Jamaican Hall Of Fame: Actress, Sheryl Lee Ralph (Jamaica)
  9. ^ BBC - Cult - I Love Jamaica - Superstars
  10. ^ Afrika Bambaataa: "djhistory Interview"
  11. ^ Jamaican Ancestry


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