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When we think of the Caribbean, we think of the white sand beaches of Bahamas. We see ourselves scuba diving in St.Croix and swimming in the clear waters of the picture-perfect Turks and Caicos. On the isles of Antigua Barbuda, we could try a different beach for each day of the year. In Trinidad and Tobago, we can dip our toes in the Nylon pool while having curry crab and dumplings. We make the dream of attending the Chocolate festival on the spice isle of Grenada come true. Listening to the sweet songs of Bob Marley to some delicious jerk chicken on the island of Jamaica could be checked of your bucket list. In Curacao the capital city looks like a slice of Amsterdam giving you a fusion of Europe and the Caribbean. The US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico makes an easy escape for US passport holders and to seal the deal shopping in the Dutch island of Aruba. Interestingly, we see such a mix of the world in the Caribbean. Caribbean culture is a melting pot of artists, music, culinary and literature that are all historically influenced by the Europeans namely the Spanish, French and the British. The socio-cultural development of the Caribbean has also been molded due to the flow of migration during the 17th and 18th centuries. Multiculturalism and diversity are the norm as we know it with languages such as English, Spanish, French, Haitian, Patois and Creole to name a few. A place so pure to the untrained eye, harbors a heavy and even dark history which makes it such a fascinating study. Slavery is engrained in our DNA; it is a part of who we are as a Caribbean people and although it has been long gone in time it exists in all that we do. Our multicultural identity is attributed to the migration of Africans, Indians, Chinese, Portuguese and Europeans that took place for the economic and political gain of Europe. Birthed from this the issues of racism, classism, shadeism, wage differences, poverty, racial inequality, stereotyping, intellectual inadequacy, limited access to communal assistance, helplessness and diaspora. These are just a few of the repercussions of the slave trade which has followed us through to the 21st Century. Countering these issues of inferiority and injustices have been many collective liberations, activists, unions and even rebellions as far back to the Haitian slave revolt in 1804 to the present Black lives Matter Movement of 2013. Along the way others such as Marcus Garvey, Franz Fanon, Walter Rodney, Sonia Pierre, José Marti, have heavily contributed to the movements against inequality and Eurocentrism in the Caribbean.

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The concept of implicit bias results from unconsciously holding attitudes towards others or associating them with a certain stereotype. This bias tends to be deeply rooted in our subconscious brain stemming from our upbringing, something we’ve experienced, the country you’re from or where you grew up. The danger in implicit bias is often times than not, we are unaware of it. Implicit biases can affect our perception and as a result our decision making. Studies have shown that teachers can form perceptions based on race, judging black students to consistently portray negative behaviors while negative behaviors of white student are seen as an isolated event. Another study done by Harvard showed that identical resumes with white sounding names get twice as many calls than those with black sounding names. In Trinidad, I can say based on experienced I’ve had a friend ask if she can use my address for her resume, simply because companies would quicker look at employing a black person from a non-crime area of the country. Aside from education and job recruitment, there are other areas where implicit biases affect our societies, for example in health care, the workplace and law enforcement. Dr.Michelle Van Ryn of Mayo Clinic describes the role unconscious bias in physicians, she states that before even knowing the patient profile their unconscious processes have already formed a stereotype of the person in front them. By nature, people tend to feel aligned or comfortable with people that look like them.  Implicit bias in the workplace can affect work delegation, it can influence employee turnover, damage reputations and cause unnecessary tension. This deeply rooted bias has also plagued law enforcement. Recent examples of police killings due to implicit bias are teenager Trayvon Martin of Florida, Eric Garner of Staten Island, teenager Michael Brown Jr of St.Louis and  Joel Jacob of Trinidad. The death of Trayvon Martin fueled the hashtag Black Lives Matter and birthed the movement. Although the number of fatalities due to this bias is significantly lower in the Caribbean islands, the issue of unconscious bias still sits deeply in islanders. This bias is even seen among those of the same race in my country of Trinidad. Law enforcers are quicker to reprimand and form judgment on a dark coloured person over a lighter coloured or Caucasian person. Another implicit bias experienced among blacks of the Caribbean closely relates to classism, a hierarchy based on colour and wealth that can be stemmed back to the abolition of slavery and the introduction of the East Indians.  Based on my understanding a link can be drawn from Eurocentrism of the 16th-19th century to discrimination and as a result implicit bias. The Europeans embarking on the Caribbean developed biases on the natives, the Africans of the slave trade and later on with the indentured lndian-labourers; all being perceived as not wanting or needing more than eating, sleeping and working. The Black lives Matter Movement voices the need for change against the negative affects of implicit bias, currently facilitating a 12-part series on how companies can change their policies to help bring awareness, education on diversity, anti-discrimination and eventual change within the workplace. The connection of implicit bias in the US and the Caribbean can be seen both currently and in our history.

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Another issue linking the BLM movement’s views to Caribbean history and current reality is that of White privilege. White privilege can be defined as “having greater access to power and resources than people of colour in the same situation do" (Kendall). The term and meaning of white privilege over the years has taken up a subconscious prejudice by white persons, moving through an entitlement deemed necessary. The disparity extends and is not limited to being more likely to get the job, more likely to receive compassion, having ease moving through the employment sector, less likely to be followed by police, not being judged on financial credibility, presumed less guilty and less likely to be sentenced to death. It is a privilege created from a long line of racism, laws creating inequality of whites and American Africans, withholding voter rights and manipulation of immigrate laws limiting coloreds to US. Discounting people of colour is a tributary of the social condition of white privilege. Despite being of majority Indian decent, I have experienced the entitlement of white privilege in my country in the Caribbean, for example, my words seemingly less important than that of a white person, this is something I have experienced consistently in college, supermarkets, spas and government institutions. The imposition throughout the Caribbean can be seen in skewed white ownership of commercial and financial business structures today. Looking back on Colonialism of the Caribbean it was evident that the true meaning of white supremacy was rampant through building of new settlements at the expense of the indigenous peoples, seizing their lands, the brutality suffered upon the slaves and racial exploitation through capitalism and slavery. This exploitation contributed to social exclusion and death of people of color on the colonies. The acquisition and permanent occupation of such territories through the political and economic hand of the Whites was underwritten by white supremacy. Taking a look at the BLM movement on white supremacy, numerous articles are highlighted and countless protests have been conducted against it. Recapping a BLM’s article concerning their take on President Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen, his testimony of 2019 reveals the racist support base of the administration further exposing white supremacy, bigotry and deeply rooted bias. The topic of white supremacy and privilege illustrates its existence as far back as colonialism; today we see just one of many organisations such as the BLM movement come together to practice justice, liberate and drive change on such matters.

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Racism is prejudice, discrimination and even hatred directed at someone because of their colour, ethnicity or national origin. In the Caribbean the issue of racism isn’t that of black and white but of colourism and classism. We revert to the the 16th and 17th century where slavery became the spine of the socio-economic welfare of the haiendas as the cost of the humanity of black African people. In that, colourism was birthed, for e.g. having lighter coloured blacks working in the estate houses withholding different rights than the that of the blacks. The Caribbean holds a multifaceted people and although killings due to race isn’t dominant to our society, there are other implications that’s riddled through the islands. This deep rooted colourism and racism today has affected the people in self-esteem and inferiority complexes. Examples of this in Jamaica is the bleaching of skin for economic and social reasons, “Lighter skinned Jamaicans were commonly favoured over their darker skinned compatriots” (Tomlinson 6), darker skin people treated unfairly by police and the desire for long strait hair by putting in extensions. Another recent example, former West Indies captain Darren Sammy being a victim of a racist connotation by his former team-mates of the Sunrisers Hyderabad in India, unfortunately he had been called the term for years and was unaware of its true meaning until recently. Aside from the victimization of racism, people of the Caribbean continue to tackle the psychological effects bestowed from centuries back. Not to discount the effects on Americans, the US statistics on racist acts far surpasses that of the Caribbean. In 2018, 88% of police stops were black and latinx people, while only 10% were white in New York city. Black Americans and White Americans use drugs at similar rates but blacks are 6 times more likely to be arrested. A study showed that black men receive 19.1% longer sentences than white men convicted of the same crime and black individuals are twice as likely to be unemployed than whites. Standing against injustice and inequality; the Black Lives Matter movement can be seen as relevant to the issues of racism and colourism currently and in Caribbean history.

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The Black Lives Matter movement of the 21st C founded by A.Garcia, O.Tometi and P.Cullors focuses on campaigning against violence and systemic racism against black people in the United States. Their aim is to bring attention to the value of black Americans lives regardless of perceived sexual identity, religious beliefs, immigration status, location, gender expression or economic status. They depict inequality due to implicit biases that has stemmed from a long line of racial injustices brought about by slavery, vigilante groups, Jim crow laws, white supremacist organizations and the reconstruction. Although it may seem separate in its entity; the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM) views are interlaced with issues stemming from Caribbean history and current reality.

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US Virgin Islands

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Colourful architecture in Havana, Cuba

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Caribbean history is a huge pillar to the multiculturalism and multifaceted people of the Caribbean today. A people birthed from slavery, immigration, colonialism, racism, white supremacy, racial inequality, intellectual inadequacy, gender inequality, colourism, shadeism, poverty, wage inequality and diaspora. Many collective movements, liberations, activist and unions have fought against these injustices and continue to fight. The Black Lives Matter movement stands against the issues highlighted. They are both connected to American history and Caribbean history in their intention.