Issues in the Caribbean Region

Do you think racism is rampant or apparent in the Caribbean region?

It is the popular view of many academics in this cosmopolitan, plural, diverse Caribbean society that racism is not rampant, as there is acknowledgement and acceptance of the social and cultural differences among the multiracial demographic in the Caribbean, owing to it’s colonial past. Across many Caribbean countries, individuals of various racial and ethnic backgrounds can be seen mixing and interacting in social institutions, such as schools and churches and even cohabiting as a family due to an interracial union. However, that may only apply to a certain minority. “A study by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has found that the problems of race are the most persistent in the Caribbean” (Study: Race Problems). In fact, studies have shown that though it was the most persistent, it was “hard to notice due to its subtle appearance and also the normalization of racial profiling and discrimination by Caribbean people” (Study: Race Problems). Evidently, anxiety is still present when it comes to the full acceptance of the social and cultural differences amongst Caribbean people. By that extent, it is without a doubt that the Caribbean today is characterized by grave intolerance and mistrust at all levels due to racism.

 Racism, discrimination and intolerance are often based on or justified by prejudice of people and social groups, consciously or unconsciously” (Discrimination and Intolerance.). While an individual may not overtly display racism to others, it is still possible for them to be covertly racist based on their fixed negative judgements or notions of a race. That is the case for many individuals in the Caribbean who are unaware that they harbour very distorted views and beliefs of other groups of people.

According to (IACHR) Commissioner and rapporteur on People of African Descent and Against Racial Discrimination, Prof. Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, “While we pat ourselves on the back for being diverse, the reality is that there are still racial tensions in our societies” (Study: Race Problems). This indicates that in the contemporary Caribbean region, which consists of post-colonial and underdeveloped societies, “race still influences every aspect of social life such as one’s access to wealth, status, political power and prestige” (Stewart, “Race and Colour”). The Caribbean’s attempt of social integration and unity throughout the years, was stunted by the many divisions with regards to ethnicity, social class and culture, ultimately leading to a “lack of social cohesion” (Stewart, “Race and Colour”). Therefore, many countries in the Caribbean have struggled with the creation of their national identities due to the absence of social togetherness and the mixing but disconnection of the multiple races and cultures, a concept known as a plural society (Caribbean Identity).

Prof. Antione stated that, “Colour prejudice is perhaps the most under-reported form of discrimination in the Caribbean but the most complained about informally” (Study: Race Problems). For instance, it is rather casual for a disgruntled Caribbean person to easily mutter words and terms that is outright racist and colourist like, “I don’t want any pitch black, hard headed children,” (implying they do not want children of a dark complexion with thick, coarse hair texture) or “It’s always some black child who rob the bank,” and even, “It is always the blackest ones that are loud, uneducated, ghetto and promiscuous.” Since the various racial groups were segregated on the plantation, it fostered an atmosphere that perpetuated the negative stereotypes initiated by the whites. The whites claimed that Africans were poor works, lazy and frivolous and ultimately the other racial groups adopted that same view.  No matter what, it is unjust to make a whole generalization on a race based on the bad apples and disregard that being a good person has nothing to do with skin colour. Unfortunately, such statements are unaddressed and go unnoticed by Caribbean people since this “colonial mindset” still plagues their minds. One in which a certain group of people is put on pedestal and seen as better or superior than others (especially black people) and there is an “unwarranted admiration for people with lighter shades” (Stewart, “Race and Colour”). The region’s history of colonialism and slavery will be analyzed to show how they shaped and perpetuated that mentality into the minds of the Caribbean people and the “effect subjugation has had on the psyche of its victims” (Stewart, “Race and Colour”).

In contemporary Caribbean society, the population is one of the most demographically diverse regions in the world due to heavy colonization by European colonists. Christopher Columbus’ first voyage to the Caribbean in search of India in 1492, resulted in the later arrivals of other colonizers: the Spaniards, the British and the French that set out to conquer land and to claim riches. In order to do so, they utilized various systems of labour exploitation to achieve their goal by importing slaves and indentured labourers from various parts of the world such as West Africa, India and China (“Enslavement”). The enslaved African population came from various cultural, linguistic, and religious backgrounds mainly from West Africa. Eventually, in 1838, there was the arrival of the Portuguese and Chinese groups due to indentureship to supply plantation labour. However, as they were not suitable for work on the plantation, they became involved in grocery and dry goods trading. Then came the Syrians and Lebanese after World War II to the Caribbean region, followed by the Venezuelans in the 19^th century (Stewart, “Race and Colour”).

Though there are many racial groups distributed throughout the Caribbean, in modern times, racial tensions have manifested itself most prominently in the relations between Indo and African-Caribbean peoples, particularly in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. According to population distribution statistics by race in 1963, people of African and East Indian descent were the numerically dominate groups in Trinidad and Tobago (Stewart, “Race and Colour”). Although it may seem as though the relations between Africans and Indians in Trinidad and Tobago are relatively on good terms, there are certain instances in which the racial attitudes of both groups towards each other surfaced. To expand, the areas in which intolerance and mistrust becomes apparent due to race in the Caribbean, specifically Trinidad, are: politics, education and business.

In the Caribbean, as well as in Trinidad and Tobago, racism and politics go hand in hand. During the general elections every 5 years, racism tends to bare its savage fangs between the two most formidable political parties PNM (The People’s National Movement) and UNC (United National Congress). These political parties are particularly popular with the racial groups in which their founders belonged to; PNM was founded by Dr. Eric Williams, who was a man of African descent and UNC was founded by Basdeo Panday, a man of Indo descent. The voting process is flawed in the sense that individuals do not vote for who they believe would help their country prosper economically and socially, but for the candidate who is the same race as them. Consequently, division between the two races are created, fueled by not only the unison of everyone with their corresponding racial group but also the speeches made by candidates with racial connotations. An example of this was a comment made by UNC’s opposition leader, Mrs. Kamla Persad Bissessar, where she referred to PNM’s Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley as, “a puppet for the country’s alleged one percent and called him their Oreo” (Ghouralal, “PNM Reissues Call”). A lot of people did not see the racial implications in this statement, but it could be inherently racist when compared to the Plantation Society model implemented by the Europeans. The social hierarchy in colonial Trinidad consisted of whites as the plantation owners, Chinese and Portuguese in trading occupations, Africans in skilled manual occupations and East Indians in the agricultural fields (Stewart, “Race and Colour”). There were even the slave drivers who were blacks themselves and even the domestic slaves who were informants for the white planters. The Europeans used Africans against their own as a form of betrayal in order to break their strong, determined, resilient psyche. Hence, by referring to him as an “oreo”, it indirectly implied that he was a slave for the rich, high class 1% in Trinidad and Tobago and heeded to their every beck and call.

Certainly, many argue that the nation acted against her statements and urged her to apologize which showed some degree of the nation’s progression from racism. However, the fact remains that she never addressed the issue. Surely, not every person in Trinidad and Tobago vote purely based on race and there are multiracial members and representatives in both political parties. Nonetheless, one cannot ignore the fact that a huge percentage of the population is racially biased in politics and the “dominant political movements of the region have remained sectional thereby widening the gaps between classes and ethnic groups instead of narrowing them” (Stewart, “Race and Colour”). In the end, one cannot deny that intolerance and mistrust due to racism is amplified by politics in the Caribbean.

Additionally, another area in which racism occurs in the Caribbean, is in the world of business. “Social stratification refers to a society’s categorization of its people into rankings of socioeconomic tiers based on factors like wealth, income, race, education, and power” (“Introduction to Sociology”). This concept instilled that each race had a status or hierarchal value. In the Plantation society, the white planter class controlled all the resources and the means of production and profited at the expense of the enslaved Africans and indentured Indians. Due to social stratification, the enslaved Africans were at the bottom of the social hierarchy since they were regarded as the lowest class, with no hope of social mobility since their position in society was fixed based on their race. As a result, they remained enslaved for centuries. Even now in contemporary Caribbean society, there is still a wide gap between the distribution of wealth among the races, especially between white and African. As outlined by Prof. Antoine, “Financial power is still largely in the hands of the white minorities in the region because of little shifts in business patterns. (Study: Race Problems). Studies show that in Barbados, black entrepreneurs experience difficulty in securing business loans and capital than their white counterparts. The study also discovered that racial discrimination to African people in the Caribbean was linked to their skin colour, poverty and control of economic resources (Study: Race Problems). This matter is clearly fueled by the prejudice that all African people are thieves,. irresponsible or from financially unstable homes created by the planter elite. Obviously, this issue is still prominent in the Caribbean and it can be seen especially here in Trinidad. There are many large businesses in Trinidad owned by Indians, Chinese and Syrians such as Bhagwansingh’s, Gulf City and Jia Jia Supermarket. Considering this, just how many large business are owned by Africans? Of course, one may argue that many Africans have small, self-employed businesses but it is possible that Africans are unable to expand their businesses into a larger scale, due to the difficulty to acquire loans based on racial prejudice. In essence, racism causes mistrust and intolerance in the Caribbean with regards to the corporate world due to the racial prejudices created during colonialism that still permeates society today.

Furthermore, another aspect in which racism arises in the Caribbean society is education. Often at times, African children may experience difficulty in achieving their full potential in school and eventually contributing to their advancement in society and the well-being of their family. Though it is rare to come by in the Caribbean, African children may experience indirect and direct racism in their own school. For instance, a racist teacher may scrutinize the child and formulate issues that do not exist to get the child in trouble. Or for instance, the recent issue in Trinidad and Tobago, where a child was racially discriminated against for her natural hair no matter how it was styled, simply because the teachers disliked it. The school authorities obviously had an issue with natural African hair and hairstyles unless it was straightened to appear “neater” by European standards. This incident negatively affected the girl’s education as she was being constantly sent to the principal’s office and told to “fix” or “comb” her hair (Moore, “Hairstyle Row”). To review, there is intolerance and mistrust in the Caribbean region due to racism in the education sector which hinders an individual’s growth into an educated, holistic individual. 

Unfortunately, racism is still clearly visible in the Caribbean region in education, politics and business. Unless people can put all their cultural and racial differences aside and unite, it will be impossible to escape the colonial mentality that plagues them.  In order to coexist in a society where tolerance, trust and acceptance are practiced, people must learn not to focus on our differences but rather celebrate our similarities.