Course Reflection
These chronicle a few important aspects of U.S. immigration. My first essay, “Immigrant
Assimilation”, covered a topic I thought I knew well. My mother is St. Lucian and my father is
Bahamian. It was interesting to see the differing immigrant perspectives on how welcome or
unwelcome they were in this country. My second essay, “Relativity, Nativism, and Racist
Ideology”, I used Daniels’ text to prove that racism was indoctrinated in early American society
by our founding fathers. I always thought that racism innately in American society, but I
couldn’t quite understand why. Through discussion and analysis of the text, I was able to see
how the unfounded opinions of American settlers influenced American life and history. In my
final essay, “Refugee of Choice”, I was able to explore U.S. Cuban relations. Much of what I
learned was surprising. The incidents of Pedro Pan, the Mariel Boat Lift, and the numerous
privileges that Cubans were granted as a result of U.S. anti-Communist sentiment were all new
to me. The essays presented in this volume are a snippet of the many historical events that I was
able to explore through the Capstone course.
Thanks to the Liberal Arts Capstone, I had an opportunity to explore Hartford in a very
different way. Many of the places we visited over the course of the semester are places that I’d
passed everyday without knowing what a wealth of culture and history laid just beyond the
doors. I worked in the Gold Building for four years, took strolls on my lunch break, and never
knew the value of places like The Old State House. I can’t even count how many times I have
passed the Butler-McCook House on foot or in the car sometimes wondering to myself what is
that little yellow house on the corner? Thanks to this course, I know the answer.
On our first day of class, we went to The Old State House and worked together on a
historical scavenger hunt and an interactive map of Hartford. As a self-proclaimed life learner, I
was so ecstatic about the potential that the semester held. I remember calling my best friend, a
recent law school graduate, and telling her that I couldn’t wait to go on the next field trip. She
laughed … hysterically. I am a parent, an employee, and by no means a traditional student. I
guess the idea of me trekking around Hartford with a backpack and a notebook was a little
unconventional, but it worked.
The field trips were such an integral part of our course. During our visit, I fell in love
with the Connecticut Historical Society and even became a member. After coming up empty
handed on my search for scholarly works about West Indians in the Greater Hartford area, I
decided to gather and contribute information to their archives in the near future. It is not possible
to take this course without getting involved. It pulls you in. In our visit to Catholic Charities, I
was surprised to learn that so many refugees were being sent to Hartford by the United Nations.
How could all of this be going on right next door to our college unbeknownst to me? It was a
call to action. I immediately wanted to do something. The only thing I could think of was to
donate goods. So I’m rounding up a sizable donation of housewares and clothing from friends
and family to contribute to the cause. That’s the thing about the Capstone. It speaks to you. It
puts a magnifying glass on a portion of the globe and compels you to feel, to comment, to react.
When we covered how the Irish and Italian were able to mobilize by working together,
we went to see the by-product of their collaboration by visiting the beautiful St. Patrick/St.
Anthony Parish. Our guest speaker on the subject, Dr. Andrew Walsh of Trinity College, was an
amazing resource. I had the pleasure of sitting-in on one of his classes at Trinity College weeks
after he’d visited our classroom. I was surprised to see that the Hartford History seminar he
taught was very similar to the work we were doing in The Capstone course. I feel really
2
fortunate to haven taken a course that met my program requirements, and allowed me to grow
intellectually while touring important Connecticut landmarks.
People like Dr. Walsh made the Capstone engaging. Our guest lectures were all experts
in their respective fields. In fact, the syllabus read like a Hartford’s Greatest Hits album. To
have Professor Bogle-Assegai debate the ethics of borders or to hear Dr. Hernandez discuss
traditional Mexican music was an absolute honor. The presentation by Dr. Hernandez was
particularly enlightening because he expressed how offensive it was for people to expect for him
to speak Spanish. I had never really thought of the challenges that “Latin-Americans” face in
America. We all need to discuss our diversity as a way to build respect and a better
understanding of each other’s experiences. This class has helped me do that.
The Chinese were slaves in Peru. The United States gave preferential treatment to
Cubans. A first generation-American tried to find his place between his Yale peers and his
Indian parents. The Irish faced prejudice from American nativists. International nurses flood the
United States. A divorced Palestinian mother gets a job at White Castle flipping burgers.
Through poetry, texts, guests, trips, and film the course presented the history, experiences, and
hopefulness of the immigrant in a fascinating way. It has been an enlightening convergence of
education, interaction, and exposure. The Capstone course is fresh, unique, and a nice break
from the monotony of classroom lectures. The weekly quizzes and class discussions kept us both
accountable and interested. I firmly believe in the old adage that to educate is to draw out one’s
full potential. By that definition, this course has been successful in not just educating me but in
giving me the tools to educate myself. In our research, discussion, and analysis of course
material I was able to get a better understanding of how immigration policies directly impacted
the ethnic, economic, and cultural landscape of America.
3
Immigrant Assimilation
In Hutner’s introduction to Immigrant Voices, he discusses assimilation and how it
impacted the early immigrant autobiographers’ accounts of America. He dissects the issue of
assimilation and raises some valid points. Hutner says that most early immigrants viewed
America as a platform to accomplish their personal dreams and obtain individual freedom. He
goes on to state that many immigrants, eager to ‘become American’, willingly left behind the
customs and practices of their homeland to be accepted in American society (Hutner xvi). Many
of the immigrant autobiographies are meant to inspire others to come to America and make
something of their lives in this great country. For fear of discouraging others, few express a
bitter truth. The truth that to be American is to no longer be anything else. I agree with Hutner’s
view that immigrants were often urged to leave parts of themselves – religion, language, culture,
etc. – behind in hopes to fully gain America’s promise.
I find it interesting that so many immigrants struggle to come to America to gain freedom
of speech and freedom of religion only to have fellow Americans use those same First
Amendment Rights to infringe upon theirs. I think of how outraged and confrontational the
schoolgirls became when Mary Antin declared that she did not believe in God. She recalls, “One
day I found myself the centre of an excited group in the middle of the schoolyard, with a dozen
girls interrupting each other to express their disapproval of me” (Antin 159, 160). I reflect on the
reading by Professor Andrew Walsh; I am disappointed in the way The Hartford Courant
depicted the Irish in the nineteenth century. At that time The Courant was one of the most
respected papers in the nation. How could they use their freedom of the press to single out and
slander a group of people that were entitled to the same rights as any American? Despite
4
persecution and ridicule, the immigrant still pulls away from the land that loves him to cling to
land that oftentimes rejects him.
In Steiner’s autobiography he says, “The American people as a whole clamour with a
kind of savage hunger for the assimilation of the immigrant; but the question into what he is to
be assimilated has not agitated them…” (Steiner 173). Steiner addresses the American desire to
strip the immigrant of his original culture in order to fully absorb him into American society.
How many of us have heard this: Welcome to America; now speak English? These sentiments of
assimilation for acceptance or mere survival are not new ideas. While America now boasts of
melting pots and salad bowls, this issue is far from resolved.
The issue of the white Christian majority forcing the conformation of other groups is still
prevalent. Think of the terms African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic American. Have
you ever heard of an English-American? Why are only certain groups of Americans
hyphenated? What does it really mean to be American? What does an American look like?
What religion is the true American? Since America is a settler society comprised of numerous
ethnicities and groups, there is no definitive answer. American is whatever you are. Once we
realize that fact, we will be better positioned to offer immigrants the freedoms that they have
come in search of.
5
Relativity, Nativism, and Racist Ideology
In the introductory chapter of Roger Daniel’s Guarding the Golden Door: The
Beginnings of Immigration Restriction, Daniels describes the United States as a “settler society”
(6). While often marginalized by historians and scholars, Daniels evinces the importance of
immigration and immigrants in the development of this country from the very beginning (6).
After all, our founding fathers themselves were indeed immigrants. It is my position that while
immigrants were (and are) essential to the construction of American society, the history of
immigration policy in this country is the very basis on which American ideals of bigotry were
conceived.
In The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson’s appeal to King George III is
further evidence that the United States relied solely on immigrants to populate this vast but
vacant country (Daniels 6). Although the founding fathers “provided that Congress should
‘establish a uniform rule of naturalization’”, they simultaneously “… protected the foreign slave
trade, a major source of immigration, …” (Daniels 6). In 1790, the line was clearly drawn in the
sand – “naturalization was restricted to ‘free white persons’” (Daniels 7). Apparently our
forefathers felt that to be an American, to truly be a citizen of this nation, you must be both free
and white. This early ideal sits at the core of all American nativists’ perspective. In my opinion,
this model serves as the archetype for what it currently means to be a true American. Esteemed
intellect, Benjamin Franklin, “… proposed an explicitly racist immigration policy …” (Daniels
9). Founding father, Franklin had a very narrow definition of what it meant to be white (Daniels
8-9). Based upon his definition of white and the “free white persons” clause, American
citizenship was exclusive of most and inclusive of a very select few.
6
According to Daniels, “Franklin’s [bigoted] comments are typical of American
complaints against immigrants irrespective of time and place: they have bad habits…; they are
clannish…; they don’t speak English…; and they are going to take over …” (8). I would go a
step farther to say that not only are these grievances expressed in opposition to immigrants; they
are often used to downgrade, or hyphenate (i.e. African-American, Irish-American, ChineseAmerican, Hispanic-American, etc.), citizenship of any American that does not adhere to the
early Protestant Anglo Saxon prototype.
Prior to the Civil War, religion seemed to be the great partition (Daniels 11). Catholics
bore the brunt of nativists’ fury (Daniels 10). Later Jews became the target of choice. America’s
intolerance grew right alongside post-Civil War tensions. In 1868, the adoption of the
Fourteenth Amendment gave U.S. born former slaves citizenship (Daniels 11). Daniels
observes, “This along with the turmoil of Reconstruction helped to focus anti-immigrant
sentiments on race rather than religion” (12). This combination of circumstances shifted
nativists’ focus from religious intolerance for non-Protestants to racial disdain for people of a
darker skin (Daniels 11).
In closing, it is my position that the nativist ideals, often reflected in undeniably racist
immigration statutes, are the source of racist ideology in current American society. Since we are
a in fact a “settler society”, the way America treats her immigrants is indicative of how she will
treat her citizens. America’s approach to immigration can best be classified as exclusive, racist,
discriminatory, and nativist. “The historian John Higham, [nativism’s] premier explicator, has
defined it as ‘intense opposition to an internal minority on the grounds of its foreign
connections’.” The ideals of America’s founding fathers are ingrained in our current definition
of who is and subsequently who is not “a real American”. The religious, racial, and ethnic
7
intolerance of early immigration policies has set the tone for how we perceive and grade
ourselves and each other as modern Americans. The old system is still in use today. I agree with
Daniels who states, “The targets have changed, but the complaints remain largely the same.
Their gravamen is simply this: they are not like us” (Daniels 8)
8
Refugee of Choice
In Chapter 12 of Guarding the Golden Door, Daniels states, “The various Cuban refugee
programs are the longest lasting in American history and the most generous in terms of support”
(193). I am inclined to agree that Cubans are by far America’s refugees of choice. In the case of
immigration policy for Cuban refugees, the United States acted with extreme bias especially
when we compare Cuban refugees to their geographical neighbors, Haitians.
In the 1960’s the general consensus among Americans seemed to be that the United
States’ immigration policy towards Cuban refugees was necessary given Cuba’s communist
oppression coupled with Castro’s budding Soviet friendship. While I do believe the United
States may have acted out of concern for Cuban citizens, that concern was secondary to global
politics. “Crucial tension-increasing elements included Cuban seizure of American-owned
property in Cuba, … the growing incidence of Cuban government actions seen as violating
human rights, its growing alignment with the Soviet Union, and increasing American attempts to
isolate Cuba” (Daniels 195). All this alongside membership in the United Nations motivated the
U.S. to take a more proactive approach in recruiting Cuban refugees to seek asylum America
(Daniels 190). Daniels notes, “As relations between the United States and Cuba deteriorated, the
tempo of the exodus increased” (Daniels 195). This exodus included the recondite “Operation
Pedro Pan” program where some 14,000 unaccompanied minors were evacuated from Cuba with
the assistance of the U.S. government (Daniels 196). Upon arrival, most Cuban refugees were
given special status and special treatment by the U.S. government. They were given more
financial assistance than native Floridians, numerous educational programs were created for their
benefit, and they were granted special privileges through legislation (Daniels 201). Although
9
they were met with some nativists’ hostilities, Cubans were welcomed and embraced by the
United States government.
Despite President Lyndon Johnson’s assertion that the United States has a tradition of
being an asylum for the oppressed, it is obvious that this “tradition” is contingent upon a number
of factors (Daniels 198). America doesn’t exactly roll out the welcome mat for every
downtrodden and oppressed human being on the planet. There are regulations, guidelines, and
most of all politics to consider. Daniels refutes Johnson’s claim stating, “That tradition [of being
an asylum for the oppressed], although political rhetoric almost never admits it, was and is
highly flexible, depending upon who was being oppressed by whom, and where it happened”
(Daniels 198). Take Haiti for example. Like Cuba, the citizens have a history of oppression;
both nations are in fairly close proximity to the state of Florida. Daniels opines that in
comparison to Cuban refugees, Haitians are treated as second-rate applicants for U.S. asylum
(211). Daniels states, “In almost all instances the United States rejected Haitian asylum requests,
arguing that Haitians were economic refugees and thus ineligible. Unfortunately for the asylum
seekers they were fleeing from right-winged tyrants. If the notorious Duvaliers … had been
communists, surely the American government would have been more sympathetic” (Daniels
213). The terrorized citizens of Haiti were not perceived to be in need of U.S. asylum.
Opposition to communism, controversy with Castro, and Cold War resentment prompted the
United States to open its impermeable gates to the people of Cuba.
In conclusion, Cuban refugees were grant special privileges in the United States as a
political statement – a nod to democracy and a stand against communism. Daniels says it best,
“Cold War anticommunist imperatives plus humanitarian ideals called for accepting all who fled
communism and made such a policy seem a way to embarrass America’s great hemispheric
10
enemy in Havana” (206). Whether it be because of international tensions, human rights interests,
or opposition to communism Cuban refugees were incredibly favored in the United States. In
comparison to other groups seeking U.S. asylum, Cubans were given extremely preferential
treatment making them unquestionably the refugee of choice.
11
“Love after Love”
The time will come
when, with elation,
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror,
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
- Derek Walcott, St. Lucian poet and Noble Prize recipient
12
Ameri-Lucian Hartford
In the shadows of larger New England cities like New York and Boston and infamous for
its impoverished neighborhoods, the beauty of Hartford’s multiculturalism is often overlooked.
Irish, Italian, Jewish, Puerto Rican, Polish, Dominican, and Jamaican communities have all
carved out their section of this small New England city. Interestingly enough, Hartford is
comparable to cities like Miami and Washington D.C. for its sizable West Indian community.
The city has representation from practically every nation in the Caribbean. Amidst Hartford’s
diversity is a large, although lesser-known West Indian community.
Undeniably, West Indian immigrants share some commonalities. St. Lucians came to
Hartford for many of the same reasons that other members of the Caribbean did. While the St.
Lucian community’s story is similar to that of other West Indian groups, it is not identical. The
St. Lucian community of Hartford is diligently working to distinguish its unique national
identity. These proud, upbeat, festive citizens are striving to maintain cultural connections and
build a home away from home right here in the city of Hartford.
St. Lucia, part of the Lesser Antilles, is a tiny island situated between St. Vincent and
Martinique. Due to its distinct colonial history, the 238 square foot island is bursting with
colorful traditions, language, and culture.
[St. Lucia] was the site of bitter territorial rivalry between the British and the
French. The first successful settlers were the French, but the island changed
hands fourteen times before Britain gained control in 1814. (Anthony 97)
The ethnicity of St. Lucia’s population is relatively homogenous. According to the U.S.
Department of State’s profile of the island, the vast majority of the population is of African
13
decent. Considering the island’s past of European colonization, I find it interesting that the
Department of State reported that only six percent of the island was “mixed”.
The dispositions of the people of St. Lucia are much like the islands climate – very warm.
On my vacation to St. Lucia in 2009, my cousin asked a family friend to show me around the
island. Although we were virtually strangers, Mr. John happily picked me up from my hotel and
took me on a scenic tour of the breath-taking island. At the end of my informal tour, he brought
me to his home where his wife was grilling snapper. We ate; we drank. Before they dropped me
back off to my hotel, they loaded me up with ripe mangoes and fragrant guavas from the trees in
their yard. I’ve had similar experiences with the St. Lucian community of Hartford. When I first
moved back to Connecticut with my twins, the St. Lucian community openly embraced us.
Although I am a first-generation American, I have found my niche in this tight-knit group of
West Indian immigrants. Whether here or abroad I have found the natives of St. Lucia to be
friendly, helpful, and welcoming.
Hartford History Professor Andrew Walsh of Trinity College shares that West Indian
immigrants have been circulating in the Greater Hartford area since the 18th century. Early in the
history of Hartford, a ship from Wethersfield transported vegetables and livestock to Barbados,
where African slaves were growing sugar cane on every available inch of the land. Cities in
Connecticut, like Hartford, used land here to grow crops and raise cattle to feed slaves in the
West Indies (Farrow, “African Americans in Connecticut 1700 – 1850”). As commercial
connections were made between Connecticut and the West Indies people also went back and
forth creating a small population of West Indians immigrants in the 18th and 19th century. Given
the island of St. Lucia’s close proximity to Barbados, one may gather that early West Indian
immigrants in Greater Hartford must have included some St. Lucians. While there may have
14
been early settlements of St. Lucians during Connecticut’s trade with the Caribbean, most St.
Lucians immigrated or migrated to Hartford through different avenues.
After the U.S. abolition of slavery, West Indian families began to immigrate to the United
States. By the end of the 19th century, thousands of West Indian immigrants were living in large
east coast cities like Boston, New York, and Miami. Under the umbrella of the British quota,
over 150, 000 West Indians came to the United States beginning in the early 1900s leading up to
the Great Depression (Holder 1). West Indian immigration slowed with the implementation of
the restrictive Johnson-Reed Act of 1924. Palmer notes:
Despite the fact that West Indians could migrate to the United States under a large
British quota, the number of immigrants fell sharply following the passage of the
Immigration Act of 1942, from 10,000 in 1924 to only 308 in 1925. (7)
In all fairness the decline in immigration in the late 1920s and the late 1930’s could also be
attributed to the onset of the Great Depression. Following this decline in migration St. Lucians,
like all other citizens of the British islands, were dealt a major blow. In 1952, the conservative
McCarran – Walter Act was passed by congress. Daniels makes mention of this in Guarding the
Golden Door stating, “The 1952 act not only charged such immigrants to the quotas of the
mother country, but also, more significantly, placed a limit of one hundred on the number who
could enter annually from any one colony. Thus, Jamaicans or Barbadians, who had previously
been able to enter without numerical restriction, were now largely shut out” (119). During
World War II, the United States set up bases in the West Indies to protect the islands from
German attack. “Through lend-lease arrangements with Britain, the United States acquired a 90year base rights in Jamaica and other islands in 1940” (Palmer 8). Through this wartime
comradery, a relationship was built with the U.S. and the recently restricted people of the West
15
Indies. At this time, many West Indians were recruited to work in U.S. agriculture. “By war's
end, over 40,000 workers from the Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados, Saint Vincent, Saint Lucia, and
Dominica were working in the United States” (Thomas 47). The 1965 Immigration Act removed
many of the previously imposed restrictions and began the waves of West Indian immigration we
see today in cities like Hartford.
If you ask, most St. Lucians will say that life back home is sweet. The island is
absolutely gorgeous. The weather, the food, the music, the lifestyle all instills a sense of pride
and nationalism in St. Lucians. I can recall my cousin boasting about how people in St. Lucia
are not struggling like people “up here”. She would say, “Back home, you don’t work like a dog.
If you’re hungry, you go in the yard and pick a breadfruit”. So why, I wondered, were so many
people abandoning the honeymoon island to come to our cold capitalistic country? Opportunity.
Former Capital Community College Welcome Center Director, Jacqueline Phillips, came to
Hartford from St. Lucia in December of 1989. “At the time when I left there was only one
college in the island and most people couldn’t go because it was too expensive. I came to
Hartford because I had family here and because I wanted to have more opportunities and
options”, Jackie says. My mother, Martha Taylor, came to the U.S. in 1970 and shares her
sentiments. She says:
I left St. Lucia for a better life. I came on a visitor’s visa and went to St. Thomas
first. Your Uncle Milton [her older brother] was in Florida at the time picking
oranges. He told me to come up. When I got to Florida, I was 7 months pregnant
with your sister. I picked tomatoes in Florida until I moved to West Virginia.
(Taylor)
16
When I asked my mother what the main reason for her emigration was, she replied, “People were
leaving if they got the opportunity. I got the opportunity, so I left”. It’s important to note that at
the time of her departure my older brother was approximately 4 years old. She had to leave him
behind. He became what is known as a barrel kid1.
Like many St. Lucian women, my mother has held a series of domestic jobs. According
to Holder, “Post-1965 West Indian immigration has been dominated by women … Though men
are just as eager to emigrate, U.S. immigration laws have favored women – for example, by
permitting tens of thousands of women to immigrate specifically to work as domestics” (2). In
Hartford, the majority of the older St. Lucian women work as domestics. My neighborhood
grocery store has three St. Lucian women that are employed as cooks. There are four more that
work as cashiers. Quite a few St. Lucian women provide childcare at their homes for working
families or they work as nannies to upper middle class families in the Greater Hartford suburbs.
I know of over a dozen St. Lucian women in Hartford that have worked as home health aides and
CNAs for the elderly. It saddens me to think that St. Lucian women cook, clean, and provide
care for strangers while their own children are left behind in the care of their family elders.
While they initially came to work on Connecticut farms, the majority of St. Lucian men
now work in the trade industry. Most men work as landscapers, auto mechanics, or carpenters.
These domestic and trade jobs have lead some to small scale business ventures – off the books,
of course. Residential daycares, housekeeping services, home improvement companies, live-in
Children who are financially supported by parents living abroad. Often raised by close
family members, in their parents absence. Goods are over seas to them in barrels, hence
the term.
1
17
care providers, and “back yard mechanics”2 - the Greater Hartford community is home to many
under the table St. Lucian businesses.
The jobs St. Lucians take when they arrive depend on a number of factors. Jackie asserts,
“The jobs they get when they come depends on their age”. I agree, but would add that
immigration status is also a major determinate for employment. Once St. Lucians have obtained
permanent status or citizenship, they often pursue careers that will support a solid middle class
lifestyle. Green card holding St. Lucians have become contributing members of the Greater
Hartford community. Urania Petit, a St. Lucian, currently serves as the Working Families
Registrar for the city of Hartford. My brother, Felix (the barrel kid), is a computer engineer. His
wife, also St. Lucian, just completed her MBA and is starting an international consulting
company. There are several new-generation St. Lucians that have obtained college and postgraduate degrees. While a few pursue liberal arts, the majority of them seem to have interests in
business and finance. This comes as no surprise to me that immigrants are ambitious and driven.
It takes a certain level of perseverance and determination to uproot oneself from their native
country, and start life anew in an unknown place. Lending to their success are the resources and
strong support systems most new immigrants have upon arrival. Holder notes:
The desperately poor, the illiterate, the chronically unemployed, those without
drive and ambition … have not been a significant part of the [West Indian
emigration] movement. Usually they have lacked the resources – the money,
knowledge, and connections to immigrants already in the U.S. – necessary to
emigrate. (2)
People that perform work on vehicles in the back yard of their house. Many were certified
mechanics in St. Lucia; others have learned by watching.
2
18
There are a few legitimate St. Lucian owned businesses in the Greater Hartford area. A St.
Lucian family owns Lucas Driving School on Albany Avenue. The Angelos of New Britain own
Angelo Enterprises which functions as both an insurance agency and as a one stop shop for
tenant evictions. Mr. Angelo’s daughter, Bertha, has just launched a fashion line by the name of
La’Moo3. It is also relevant to note that there are several St. Lucian entrepreneurs in the
Hartford area that have not been able to register their businesses due to their illegal status.
Hartford’s close proximity to New York City, a major hub for West Indian immigrants,
has made it an attractive place for settlement. The slower pace and lush landscape more closely
resembles that of St. Lucia. While their locations are varied, most St. Lucians live (or at least
start out) on Hartford’s north end in the Blue Hills area. Many middle class St. Lucian families
have moved to Greater Hartford suburbs like Bloomfield and Windsor. As St. Lucians climb the
ranks these patterns in settlement do change. For instance, my brother and his wife live in
Simsbury. Jacqueline Philips and her family live in West Hartford. Because of the richness of
culture in the city, I predict that St. Lucians will not move much farther out. Above all else,
Lucians value socialization.
Hartford brags a host of St. Lucian events and organizations. Outside of the obvious
West Indian Day Parade, Hartford St. Lucians also host an annual Jounen Kweyol or Creole Day
celebration in West Hartford. The St. Lucian community has a cricket team. In the summer
months people gather in Keney Park every Sunday to watch cricket, listen to music, and eat St.
Lucian food. Country and Western music is a popular part of St. Lucian folk culture. Country
and Western dances are regularly held in West Hartford by St. Lucian DJs. Just this April a St.
3
La’Moo is the St. Lucian Kweyol word for love.
19
Lucian play, Sent Lisi Dou4, was held in the auditorium of Weaver High School and very well
received by the West Indian community. The St. Lucian American Association of Connecticut
(SLAAC) is very active. Once run out of a building in the Upper Albany neighborhood, SLAAC
now meets once a week out of the homes of their members.
Due to its English and French colonial past, most St. Lucians are Catholic. At St. Justin’s
Parish on Blue Hills Avenue you can see many of Hartford’s St. Lucians at mass on Christmas
Eve, “Old Year’s Night”5, and Easter Sunday. While St. Justin’s is not the only parish Hartford
St. Lucians attend, it is the predominant one for most. The weddings, christenings, first
communions, confirmations, wakes, and funeral services of the St. Lucian community have
faithfully been held at St. Justin’s Parish.
Many St. Lucian immigrants consider Hartford to be a welcoming home for themselves
and future generations. Many come for employment and educational opportunities. Others
come because they have friends and family here. No matter the reason, most agree that Hartford
is welcoming and easier to navigate than large New England cities. Here, in this often negatively
portrayed city, the people of St. Lucia have found solace, companionship, and their piece of the
American dream.
4
5
Sent Lisi Dou means Saint Lucia Sweet in Kweyol.
New Year’s Eve
20
Bibliography
Anthony, Suzanne. West Indies. New York: Chelsea House, 1989. Print.
Daniels, Roger. Guarding the Golden Door. New York: Hill and Wang, 2004. Print.
Farrow, Anne, and Peter Hinks. "Citizens ALL: African Americans in Connecticut 1700-1850."
Citizens ALL: African Americans in Connecticut 1700-1850. Web. 21 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.yale.edu/glc/citizens/stories/module1/page1.html>.
Holder, Calvin. “West Indies.” New Americans: A Guide to Immigration Since 1965.
Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2007. Print.
Hutner, Gordon, et al.
Immigrant Voices: Twenty-four Narratives on Becoming an
American. New York: Signet Classic, 1999. Print.
Palmer, Ransford W. Pilgrims from the Sun: West Indian Migration to America. New York:
Twayne, 1995. Print.
Philips, Jacqueline. Telephone Interview. 21 Apr. 2012.
Taylor, Martha. In-Person Interview. 4 Apr. 2012.
Thomas, Bert J. “Historical Functions of Caribbean-American Benevolent.” Progressive
Associations from Afro-Americans in New York Life and History July 1988: 45 – 46.
Print.
U.S. Department of State. "Background Note: Saint Lucia.” U.S. Department of State. Web. 12
Apr. 2012. <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2344.htm>.
Walsh, Dr. Andrew. Telephone Interview. 28 Apr. 2012.
21