Guyanese Americans

Guyanese Americans

Total population
214,529 people
Regions with significant populations
Found in New York · New Jersey
Languages
American English
Religion
Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Obeah.

Guyanese Americans are citizens and residents of the United States who can trace their ancestry back to the South American and Caribbean nation of Guyana, or a Guyanese who emigrated to the United States but has American citizenship.

History

After the independence of Guyana from Great Britain, in 1966, Guyanese immigration to the United States increased dramatically. Political and economic uncertainty, and the internal strife two years earlier prompted many Guyanese who could make the move to seek opportunities abroad.

Many of the first Guyanese emigrants to the United States were of African descent. They were women who were recruited as domestic workers or nursing assistants. Prior to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 Guyanese of Asian descent faced immigration restrictions because of US Immigration policy that was more pro-European. However, many Guyanese who had studied in the US in the mid 20th century or earlier stayed on the US; some, like Cheddi Jagan returned to Guyana. Shirley Chisholm's father represents one of the earliest of Guyanese immigrants to the US during the 20th century; emigration from Guyana at that time was mostly to Caribbean or Commonwealth countries.

Since the 1960's, the majority of Guyanese immigrants to the U.S. have been women. In 1980, the U.S. Census Bureau registered a total of 48,608 people of Guyanese descent living in the United States, which exceeded half women, as these were already 26,046 people. In 1990, approximately 81,665 people Guyanese were already living in this country.

Demographics

The United States has the highest number of Guyanese people outside of Guyana. As of 1990, 80 percent of Guyanese Americans lived in the Northeast. A large concentration of them can be found in the neighborhoods of Richmond Hill, New York, Irvington, New Jersey, Orange, New Jersey, East Orange, New Jersey, Flatbush, Brooklyn, East Flatbush, Brooklyn, Rockland County, New York. There are also important Guyanese communities in Miami, Florida.