Aubry's Caribbean

  Caribbean people make up a significant segment of the population in England and Canada. In the US, they number over 22 million (Strategy Research Corporation). In New York City, they make up almost 25% of the population. Within the tri-state area - New York, New Jersey and Connecticut - they number close to five million. In the United States, Caribbean people are more socio-economically mobile than African-Americans and Hispanics (New York's Newsday Newspaper Survey). Their penchant for entrepreneurship is quite evident in many parts of New York City (Richmond Hill, Flatbush, Hillside Avenue, South Bronx, Washington Heights, Crown Heights and other areas) as well as in other states such as Florida, Washington, Texas, California and elsewhere. Thus, they represent not only very significant spending power (over one billion dollars annually), but they also generate jobs and contribute to the economic development of areas where they choose to reside - usually depressed and/or inner city areas.

     The Caribbean impact in politics is quite evident in the tri-state area and other parts of the US, in the numbers of state and city legislators of Caribbean heritage, the increasing representation in Capitol Hill and the rush to court voters of Caribbean heritage during national elections. Note that the first African-American woman to sit in Congress and to run for the presidency was a Caribbean - Shirley Chisolm. The first non-white chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State  was a Caribbean  - Colin Powell. The first Black to make it big in Hollywood was Caribbean - Sidney Poitier. Caribbean people have been in the forefront of the civil rights movement - Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Stokley Carmichael, and the controversial Louis Farrakhan among others. (Source Caribbean Voice Newspaper - New York)