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Why isn't this topic ever discussed? I have great aunts who came from Cuba in the early 1920s. There are records of blacks who came from the Caribbean during the first quarter of the 20th century. However, there are only studies and historical books on European immigrants who touched Ellis Island.
Do any of you have any information on the subject? Are any of you descendants of black immigrants who came over on Ellis Island?
Why isn't this topic ever discussed? I have great aunts who came from Cuba in the early 1920s. There are records of blacks who came from the Caribbean during the first quarter of the 20th century. However, there are only studies and historical books on European immigrants who touched Ellis Island.
Do any of you have any information on the subject? Are any of you descendants of black immigrants who came over on Ellis Island?
i thought ellis island was mainly for European immigrants?
i thought ellis island was mainly for European immigrants?
No
Go to the Ellis Island website, and do an advance search of records. There were tons of black immigrants who came from the Caribbean. A lot came from Barbados, Jamaica, Cuba, Bahamas, and other Caribbean islands.
Many don't know that Caribbean immigrants were a major component in the Harlem Renaissance.
i thought ellis island was mainly for European immigrants?
This is just what the OP complains of. Ellis Island was where immigrants entered the United States--not immigrants from a particular part of the world.
Go to the Ellis Island website, and do an advance search of records. There were tons of black immigrants who came from the Caribbean. A lot came from Barbados, Jamaica, Cuba, Bahamas, and other Caribbean islands.
Many don't know that Caribbean immigrants were a major component in the Harlem Renaissance.
very true, Marcus Garvey was one of the most prominent among them, somewhere in the neighborhood of 20% of the blacks of Harlem had come through Ellis Island. A cousin of my grandmother came through in the 30's and settled in Harlem, he wasn't heard from afterward though.
Why isn't this topic ever discussed? I have great aunts who came from Cuba in the early 1920s. There are records of blacks who came from the Caribbean during the first quarter of the 20th century. However, there are only studies and historical books on European immigrants who touched Ellis Island.
Do any of you have any information on the subject? Are any of you descendants of black immigrants who came over on Ellis Island?
Arthur Schomburg himself had documented much of this as well during his time.
The Schomburg is easily one of my most cherished, and favorite places in the world.
By the way, Arthur Schomburg was Puerto Rican. He was activist in the United States who researched and raised awareness of the great contributions that Afro-Latin Americans and Afro-Americans have made to society.
Last edited by nycricanpapi; 01-05-2011 at 11:07 PM..
Go to the Ellis Island website, and do an advance search of records. There were tons of black immigrants who came from the Caribbean. A lot came from Barbados, Jamaica, Cuba, Bahamas, and other Caribbean islands.
Many don't know that Caribbean immigrants were a major component in the Harlem Renaissance.
o yea caribbean immigrants did have a huge impact in Harlem. Thats where the first west indian labor day parade was.
Its rarely talked about because it was an extremely rare experience. By 1932 only 0.8% of african americans were foreign born voluntary immigrants. Practically the entire african american population was the result of forced immigrant through slavery so of course that would be the focus of most all of our stories. The classic idea of Ellis island ended in about 1924 as a result of changes to immigration laws (though it stayed open until the 50s).
I've been a frequent visitor and lover of the Schomburg Center but it has never, imo, given the impression that the Ellis island experience played a large part in the overall black migration american experience (black meaning blackskinned, regardless of nationality). That's because it simply wasn't. God bless those though who were fortunate enough to have that easy & pleasant, speaking relatively, experience.
FYI, after 1924, Ellis Island became mainly a detention and deportation processing center because most of the processing talked about pre1924 was being done in the countries of origin.
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