by Jennifer, crossposted from Mixed Race America
Editor’s Note: I’ve been thinking about the unique way that America views racial identity lately, partly because of my own family research and dabbling in DNA testing, and partly because I just re-posted an essay on What Tami Said about the strange relationship many black Americans have with their own multiracial makeup (Many of us approach it in a way that reveals disdain for Africanness, but also exoticizes and marginalizes people of other cultures.). This weekend, I remembered Jennifer’s post on Mixed Race America, written after she returned from visiting Jamaica for the first time. (Jennifer is of Chinese Jamaican heritage.) I thought you might find Jennifer’s exploration of racial identity in another country interesting. Visit Mixed Race America and read other posts about Jennifer’s family heritage and her introduction to Jamaica.
So one of the things that surprised me about Jamaica, specifically Kingston, where my mother and her siblings were born and raised, is that it wasn’t nearly as multiracial as I thought it would be. My idea of Jamaica/Kingston as this multiracial space has a lot to do with my family, but it also has to do with reading on-line copies of The Jamaica-Gleaner (newspaper) and reading a novel, Margaret Cezair-Thompson’s The True History of Paradise: a Novel.
[By the way, this is a good time for a book plug for Cezair-Thompson's novel. A friend-colleague of mine gave a fascinating conference presentation and since it was right before my trip, I went out and bought it and read it and found that it was not only engaging, but also provided an interesting narrative about the political change that Jamaica was undergoing between 1960-1975 as it changed from a colonial state to an independent nation. For more on Cezair-Thompson, click here for her personal website]
Anyway, what I found throughout Jamaica was that aside from the tourists, locals appear to be black Jamaicans, with a few shopkeepers and grocery store clerks who are Indian and Chinese. Our driver, Errol, who drove us from Kingston to Ocho Rios and then around Ocho Rios sight-seeing, claims that 95% of the grocery stores owned in Jamaica are by the Chinese. And while I don’t know how accurate his statistics are, certainly anecdotally it appears to be true since the few groceries we went into were, indeed, owned and staffed by Chinese Jamaicans and, historically, this would make sense since Chinese in Jamaica comprised a middle-man economy of shopkeepers.
But in and around Kingston and Port Royal, away from tourist centers, Jamaica appeared to be comprised of mainly black-Jamaicans–at least that’s what I “saw.” Yet, my cousin “W” saw something different–to him, he noticed much more mixture; he commented on people having “Chinese” eyes and seemed to discern between white Jamaicans and white tourists in Ocho Rios more readily than me.
When I mentioned to “W” that I was expecting to see a more multiracial Jamaica, he said that his idea of Jamaica, growing up and upon his return, was that it was a predominantly black nation, but that it was also a multiracial nation–that there had been so much race mixing, because of the legacy of British colonialism, that while currently “black” Jamaicans are more apparent to the naked eye, the truth is that Jamaicans don’t just think of themselves this way–that the way that we talk about race in the U.S. is not how people in Jamaica talk about race. Or at least not the way that “W” and his family think about it.
And the truth is, I did experience a multiracial Jamaica. For example, the family friends and my family’s family are all very mixed: “W’s” aunts and cousins (mixtures of Indian, Chinese, black, and white) and my Uncle “N” who married into our family has family who is still in Kingston and at a dinner at his parents’ home there was a mix of what looked like, black, Indian, and Chinese people, all part of his family, all local Jamaicans.
So while I may not have seen evidence of a multiracial Jamaica on the streets, in people’s homes I met plenty of people who were multiracial Jamaicans, and perhaps more importantly, my own family seemed to be evidence that the idea of a mixed-race Jamaica is alive and well.
“the way that we talk about race in the U.S. is not how people in Jamaica talk about race” – So true. I like this post because it is reflective in that the author is able to stay open to the idea that her understanding of race is tied to another culture and was able to still be shown differently. Sometimes people get so stuck in their own ways with their own views. It’s good to see that didn’t happen here.
My family is mixed as well, so when I first moved to Toronto, people would say I don’t “look” Jamaican. But the point is I do.
You’re right the conversations are not the same because the demographics are not the same. This is a nation where the majority of the population is POC therefore the media and everything else supports POC’s humanity. In America, POC are minorities and the media and everything else support this viewpoint. Here we are the other and we spend most of our time simply proving and demanding our human dignity. That in itself is exhausting and time consuming. America’s conversation on race is unique to America and America alone. In other countries their conversations are unique to their demographics. I agree most Americans don’t understand this idea and try to impose their perspective on other cultures. I also think that once other cultures immigrate to America and become part of this unique American paradigm they start to understand what being “other” in America means.
I am a Jamaican, living in Kingston, and let me tell you Jamaica is multicultural. In any school in the corporate area, one will find a mix of Blacks, Whites, Asians and mixed raced children in schools. In most groups of friends that I have noticed from primary school to university, there is a through mix of these races. And mixing of races in romantic relationships certainly isn’t the big deal it is in the US in Jamaica. The mixing is to the extent where persons who could be categorised in one specific race have features of others. Like some of my friends’ Indian-like body hair and my Chinese-like eyes. This diversity is of course much more diluted in the more rural areas than urban areas, areas which were traditionally occupied by the Black slaves who ran away or were freed. You might have missed the diversity, but it certainly exists.
I’m a mixed race Jamaican. Mixed with many races, which makes me the epitome of the Jamaican motto “out of many, one people”. In a sense, miscegenation and inter-racial marrying in Jamaica did not come with the tensions which occured in the U.S. The reality is though that the Jamaican society still has a preoccupation with “browning” and too many beautiful black Jamaicans resort to skin bleaching since opportunitities and upward mobility are associated with a lighter skin. In the colonial period, lots of opportunities were denied to darker skinned Jamaicans. Let’s not forget too that we had our own slavery history where slavemasters raped slaves, and this is one factor for the racial mixture.
Interestingly too, there are blue-eyed, blond descendants of German settlers in the parish of Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica, who speak the deepest Jamaican patois. Too bad Jennifer did not get to visit there. Interesting island. No wonder we love it!
It is interesting to note the difference in race, as seen in Jamaica vs. USA. My mother is chinese jamaican, and my father was jamaican black with some indian. I resemble my dad, and my sister resembles my mom. In my family, I looked different, but it was never my mom or my sisters that noticed. In the USA, my hair causes contention, and being mixed, or claiming that is near strife. It is all rather stupid, and is especially magnified, as I own an art gallery that features West Indian Art. The amount of African Americans that make negative comments about the paintings is ridiculous, as it always addresses stereotypes that are not Caribbean. I love seeing the silhouette artwork with the market scenery, and am very irritated when black people make sure to turn their heads, roll their eyes, tell me the artist should not include watermelons in the artwork! He does it because of the beauty of the colors did not seem to appease her. I felt very sad, because in my so-called “Third World Nation,” I grew up with seeing beauty across colors, and cultures. I grew up knowing that color does not make a leader more effective, or less effective. I am able to recognize the “change”, in America, as one that took place in Jamaica before I was even born.
Interesting arguments and comments. I have lived one third of my life in jamaica (until 16) and the other two thirds here in the US. In jamaica, as I saw it growing up in the 1960′s and 70′s there was a subtle shift in perspective that embraced a more inclusive view, for examle, of beauty. Looking at the miss jamaica’s for example, there was a move towards a different standard of beaauty from 1963 to say 1994, same thing with tellers in banks and so forth. So the evidence of colonialism was present until the 1970′s just maybe subtler but funny enough I still remember comments by my grandmother who was very light skinned that compared my brothers (more light skinned) to myself. I look back now and laugh becasue that was her view based on when she grew up in jamaica in the early part of the century. Still, glad to have had the education and upbringing that I did, gives me a far broader view of the world than if I had not had my formative years of development there.
As a Jamaican citizen who has lived here almost all of my life, I can tell you that Jamaica really is indeed very mixed. And when I mean very, I mean very. Sometimes it’s where you go in Kingston that matters, or what events you go to. Class division at times plays a part if what congregations come together and who you see. I think majority wise Jamaica is still majority black statistically, but people can say they are black even when their mother may be white and I’m pretty sure the census would accept that. My family is mixed with Irish, Scottish, Chinese, Black and Indian. My husband is mostly Chinese with Indian and some black. Jamaica is pretty diverse, but i guess every1 will have their own impressions. Jamaica’s coat of arms is “Out of Many, One people” for a reason. There are a lot of races and mixes here, but so long as you are Jamaican, you’re good.
I am researching my Great grandmothers background only because we do not know much. She is mixture of Jamaican Chinese from Panama. I am Jamaincan, Chinese, german, swedish, french, and Cuna Yala Indian from Panama. What is interesting in our family is that it was not an issue of race card. But since they did not keep good records of Panama’s migration of Chinese workers into the country. I am wanting to know perhaps some idea where my Great, great grandfather resided in China. It is too bad that I did not ask her when she was alive when I was a teenager. I am jus interested anything about my history. Hopefully if someone has an answer, they might give me a place to research..Thank you
I agree with Natasha, Miss Lee, and Rochelle.
Jamaica is VERY multiracial. Many people, including some Jamaicans, don’t realize this.
I suggest that Jennifer google “Fanshen Cox”. She is biracial, with a white mother and Jamaican father. She has blond hair and blue eyes.
BTW…my younger half-sister lives in Jamaica. She is blonde, blue-eyed, and white as can be. She is Jamaican.
I know many Jamaican families that are multiracial or with direct descent from Syria, Lebanon, India, China, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland, and the UK.
Lots of Jamaicans live in Canada and the UK.
“is that it wasn’t nearly as multiracial as I thought it would be”
Perhaps it DID NOT APPEAR as multiracial as you thought it would. I can assure you that Jamaica is very multiracial. Pay no attention how to how people look. There are people who obviously mixed but many people have multiracial genealogies but don’t look it.
My mom is one of those people. She is an Indian, Black mix but looks black. There are people with a keen eye who can detect her subtle features but usually that is lost on foreigners. I suspect your relatives have that keen eye having grown up here. Sometimes its a subtle colouring of the skin, or texture of the hair, or shape of the face, or position of the cheekbones. I can spot a person of West Indian heritage on tv that others would place in some other ethnic group. I can’t say this is the way I know. I just do from being born here.
Hmmm….from reading the post and responses, I get the feeling that there is a “problem” with the notion of a country being majority black. It’s like nooooooooo….please don’t ever think that!!!! It’s not majority black….please don’t think that about our country. WE ARE MULTIRACIAL…WE ARE MIXED! PLEEEASSSE Jamaica is not primarily black….please don’t DARE think that. What? My parents are Jamaican and when I last visited Jamaica, most folk I saw outside of the tourist areas were black….sorry…maybe I will see racial diversity next time….sheezz….are blacks so mentally jacked up that the thought of Jamaica being a primarily black country so terrrible??? Is there something with Poland in that it is mostly white?
I believe the Jamaican population is very mixed. I mean most of us claim to just be black or of African descent but we are from wider roads and that is just a fact. We are proud of who we are as a people. It’s not that Jamaicans are ashamed of being black Caroline…we just think we should not dismiss any part of our history as we are neither African nor European. We are somewhere in the middle culturally and we don’t wish to forget our Indian, Chinese etc ancestors either. I consider myself black as do my family members but I know that my grandfather’s family on my father’s side came from the country and are of European and African descent and that my grandmother on my mother’s side was mixed with Indian. I don’t know these people but I know of them and it intrigues me to know of all of their histories and how they ever got to the Caribbean. We hold on to our History because we have to…having it being wiped away due to slavery; and so our “nameless” African ancestors before slavery may remain just that but we have a History after as well. Therefore we grasp at what we have. My African friend who is actually Arab could tell I was not from Ghana because I didn’t look like the people she grew up with. Many Africans can spot that we are not really African just based on how we look. That’s just it. Jamaicans can spot racial mixture a mile away just like every other society can. Europeans can tell when someone is Nordic, Nigerians can spot another Nigerian a mile away. I live in Canada now and here they perhaps can’t tell that I have Indian (South Asian) ancestors but regular people in Jamaica could because of my hair texture. It is what it is. Everyone has their hang ups but I can tell you, all the people I have met in Canada can tell whether someone is of Irish, Italian, Filipino etc descent. What makes us ashamed of our African background because we can tell of the different mixtures when other societies are the same about their own populations?
p.s. The Polish may seem hegemonic to you but I can tell you they know of the ethnic breakdown in their country. eg who is of Polish, Russian descent, German etc
I am a Jamaican living in Jamaica of Chinese Indian Cuban and Swedish ancestry. I believe that only about 3% or less of Jamaicans are actually without mixture, I have lived my life in different sections of Jamaica, Almost every one, I have met can claim some other race of which they are related other than Black. As is stated within many of the comments people who are foreign might not have acquired an eye for distinction. As our motto says “out of Many one People”
Caroline…there is no need for the hostility. No one said anything negative about black Jamaicans. Chill out, please. Jamaica IS primarily black. That is something we can agree on.
However, we are discussing the diversity in Jamaican society. There are many Jamaicans of mixed ancestry. I’m sorry if that offends you but it is reality. My own family reflects this diversity. There are many Jamaicans with dark skin and Indian (South Asian) blood running through their veins, as well as people with surnames that indicate their heritage.
No one has a problem with the fact that Jamaica is majority black. We are simply sharing our perspectives and unbiased views of Jamaican society, which does have many people of various backgrounds. You’re assuming that we are looking down on black people by talking about the diversity that exists in Jamaica, which you claim to not have noticed.
It isn’t that deep. Really.