tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post4621378134312454294..comments2024-01-04T04:31:00.481-05:00Comments on Mixed Race America: Multiracial Jamaica?Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261371053113519712noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-86592089067786857162017-12-20T18:02:26.027-05:002017-12-20T18:02:26.027-05:00As I am now attempting to profile photographic ent...As I am now attempting to profile photographic entries under the grouping of "People of Kingston" Natalie's and Purple Water's comments resonate as the truth. In a country where we are told that we are to be One People it was never about racial identity or the coming together of the races that make up our nation. It was an aspirational statement of how we were to go forward as a Nation. Sadly, we have failed, and need to keep trying to develop that third eye which sees people as their spiritual essence and a reflection of the good they do while in their physical form.Jam-Canhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01934011676006798900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-82576412901323336902015-04-29T09:29:43.005-04:002015-04-29T09:29:43.005-04:00I read the same thing. Out of many one people has ...I read the same thing. Out of many one people has nothing to do with race. When that phrase was brought about jamaica was over 97% black so how does that correlate?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17279462585102934663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-83149419181098461962013-10-02T15:16:16.729-04:002013-10-02T15:16:16.729-04:00Jamaica is not multiracial in the [democratic and ...Jamaica is not multiracial in the [democratic and free-flowing) way that the word often connotes. Race/color and class are tightly wound together, so the reason that you see more dark-skinned people of African descent is because they are largely the working-classes who spend more time in public and are thus more visible. <br /><br />There is significant segregation along class lines throughout Jamaica, so if you want to experience a "multiracial" Jamaica, both visually and socially, you have to go to places where there is more likelihood of socio-economic groups interacting, albeit in limited ways. Kingston is a working-class city; New Kingston and "upper St. Andrew" is where you find middle-class and elite Jamaicans interacting with each other as well as with working-class Afro-Jamaicans.<br /><br />"Out of Many, One People" is an ideological claim not a descriptive one. Because critical thinking is not exactly what is encouraged in Jamaica, you will certainly hear Jamaicans use the motto to put forward the argument that there is no racism in Jamaica, or that race doesn't matter. To them, the presence of the motto means the absence of racism. They don't know where the motto comes from and don't even think to ask. Instead, people are far more willing to talk about classism and elitism than anything else, in part because the motto has been [actively] used to discourage critical analysis about people's actual experience, but also because class has long been taken up by political parties and NGO's as a way to mobilize for change. Class is the language that people are more willing to talk about open, including in disparaging ways. Jamaica is a complex place with its own history and culture, and which do matter. So, it's not likely that concepts like "multiracial" will travel and take root very easily. You have to understand the context in which you find yourself. Nataliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05974754968045758692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-86022269896811871082012-11-05T10:07:48.061-05:002012-11-05T10:07:48.061-05:00GunRights4Us,
Thank you for your comments, especia...GunRights4Us,<br />Thank you for your comments, especially your observations about Jamaica. I do think that there is a lot of mixing in Jamaica, hence their national motto, "Out of many, one people."<br /><br />We are obviously going to have to agree to disagree about how to end racism. As many notable scholars who study race and racism have observed, colorblindness doesn't work as an effective means of eliminating racism--it actually does quite the opposite, reinforcing systems of privilege and hierarchies that continue to put people of darker skinned phenotype (generally speaking) in the bottom strata and those with access to white skin privilege (including people of color in some cases) into an upper strata.<br /><br />If I may, let me direct you to the works of Eduardo Bonilla-Silva and Ian Haney Lopez as folks who have written, quite clearly and eloquently about the need to go beyond a colorblind ethos and to recognize intersectional systems of power (including along the axes of gender, sexuality, class and religion) as a means of anti-racist praxis.Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13261371053113519712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-32266520006475215442012-11-05T10:07:47.341-05:002012-11-05T10:07:47.341-05:00GunRights4Us,
Thank you for your comments, especia...GunRights4Us,<br />Thank you for your comments, especially your observations about Jamaica. I do think that there is a lot of mixing in Jamaica, hence their national motto, "Out of many, one people."<br /><br />We are obviously going to have to agree to disagree about how to end racism. As many notable scholars who study race and racism have observed, colorblindness doesn't work as an effective means of eliminating racism--it actually does quite the opposite, reinforcing systems of privilege and hierarchies that continue to put people of darker skinned phenotype (generally speaking) in the bottom strata and those with access to white skin privilege (including people of color in some cases) into an upper strata.<br /><br />If I may, let me direct you to the works of Eduardo Bonilla-Silva and Ian Haney Lopez as folks who have written, quite clearly and eloquently about the need to go beyond a colorblind ethos and to recognize intersectional systems of power (including along the axes of gender, sexuality, class and religion) as a means of anti-racist praxis.Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13261371053113519712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-6808797003176740242012-11-05T10:00:32.967-05:002012-11-05T10:00:32.967-05:00I lived in Jamaica for two years in the early 80&#...I lived in Jamaica for two years in the early 80's. At the end of that time I married my Jamaican-Chinese girlfriend and we've been together for over 30 years now. For the last 32 years I've traveled to Jamaica at least once a year and sometimes several times a year. If you want to find Jamaican white people you'll have to visit St Elizabeth parrish where legend says a shipload of Scotsmen was marooned sometime in the 16th or 17th century. Naturally they mixed into the local population, and today it's quite common to meet red-headed and freckle-faced white Jamaicans who establish their bona-fides as such the moment they open their mouths.<br /><br />Regarding the premise of your overall blog, I would just like to say (as a white, redneck Southerner) that until America takes a color-blind approach to things, racism will continue to be a problem. When diversity of IDEAS is valued more highly than diversity of skin color, then America will improve - and only then.GunRights4UShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16830687524291663778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-2320315038255578452009-07-06T15:49:56.258-04:002009-07-06T15:49:56.258-04:00I'm still not considered Jamaican there. Just ...I'm still not considered Jamaican there. Just Chinese and its definitely not some multiracial utopia. Who is this Missa Chin everyone keeps confusing me for?<br /><br />Colorism is rampant there, and "brown" people are king. <br /><br />My parents do look way too fondly on Jamaica's past.KingstonTigerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07747765233871214468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-5288213193454974292009-01-19T19:11:00.000-05:002009-01-19T19:11:00.000-05:00Nice posting. I find it very interesting too. I ha...Nice posting. I find it very interesting too. I have two friends, both from Jamaica. One black, one white. Both consider themselves Jamaican through and through and consider it home....and needless to say, the first time I met the latter, I found it really hard to fathom that he was JAMAICAN. Sad to say, it just never crossed my mind that Jamaica could be just as diverse as any other place!<BR/><BR/><BR/>When I was traveling the mid-east....I got SOOOO Many questions about my nationality. People REFUSED to believe I was American. I have black hair, brown eyes, tanned skin....I passed off for different Arab nationalities, even Persian, and a couple times people thought I was Filipina. I just didn't FIT their idea of what the "American" should look like.<BR/><BR/>I found it disheartening at one point. But then again, my confusion at my white Jamaican friend shows I internalized the same narrow lens in regards to how something "should" fit my perceived view.Eastern Reflectionshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11628898942072054269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-65515018217243492202008-03-04T17:47:00.000-05:002008-03-04T17:47:00.000-05:00i haven't read margaret's book, but she was my fir...i haven't read margaret's book, but she was my first english professor in college...very smart woman.<BR/><BR/>i'll have to check it out.Sejalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08321597702577282719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-50560082201285583982008-03-03T13:52:00.000-05:002008-03-03T13:52:00.000-05:00Thanks everyone for leaving comments--I'm still di...Thanks everyone for leaving comments--I'm still digesting the trip and I'm sure I'll return to this topic in future posts. And you are so right Jason that it seems most people don't truly know the history of Jamaica or see it as anything but a vacation destination that is riddled with crime in its capital. Which is sad. Which is also why reading Cezair-Thompsons's novels can be a good antidote--I mean, I know they are fiction, but since I am fond of getting my history through fiction (hope this doesn't bother you too much Dance!) it's one way to both enjoy a good read and feel like you are absorbing some knowledge about Jamaica beyond tourist pamphlets.<BR/><BR/>Rachel, please congratulate Margaret Cezair-Thompson on my behalf--I haven't read Pirate's Daughter yet but I look forward to getting to it soon!Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13261371053113519712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-88576666751945958622008-03-03T12:53:00.000-05:002008-03-03T12:53:00.000-05:00Hey, thanks for the plug! Anyone interested in mor...Hey, thanks for the plug! Anyone interested in more info about The Pirate's Daughter can take a peek here: <A HREF="http://unbridledbooks.com/thepiratesdaughter.html" REL="nofollow">http://unbridledbooks.com/thepiratesdaughter.html</A>. The novel just won the Essence Literary Award for Fiction...<BR/><BR/>-Unbridled Books<BR/>-<A HREF="http://unbridledbooks.com" REL="nofollow">unbridledbooks.com</A>Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01499360424213799067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-34156475137169572262008-03-02T23:09:00.000-05:002008-03-02T23:09:00.000-05:00My sheer lack of international experience (London ...My sheer lack of international experience (London for three weeks back in 2004) doesn't lend to any anecdotes or stories. Yet, I found these posts describing your time in Jamaica extremely fascinating. Outside of the tourist spots and Bob Marley, Americans of non-Jamaican descent have no clue of this nation. Thanks for the insight (as well as the blog plug).Jason Clinkscaleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11100315288752472586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-30042942585035428112008-02-29T10:15:00.000-05:002008-02-29T10:15:00.000-05:00Tangent--I was once in Trinidad with someone who d...Tangent--I was once in Trinidad with someone who didn't know the Caribbean, and she said, after a few days "There's no Indians here." Of course, Trinidad is about 50/50 Indo-Trinidadian and Afro-Trinidadian. Turns out she had been thinking there were a lot of Latino people around.<BR/><BR/>So yeah, a lot of it is in the vision, although Jamaica is less multiracial than Trinidad or Guyana.dancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05560093455630610783noreply@blogger.com