There are many people familiar with the study of white American origins. The readily celebrated term “Black History” rarely delineates the lives, contributions, or impact of those from the Caribbean culture. Depending upon who is looking through the lens, Caribbean people are sometimes lumped in with Africans or African Americans. However, when looking through the lenses as a Caribbean person there are mentions of the Indigenous and other peoples. New Haven district’s curriculum covers the geographical and cultural content of Central America and the Caribbean as separate units from the United States. Therefore, there is much missing in the tracing of Caribbean influences in the United States—particularly how the process of slavery made it to the shores of America. This unit will help fill in missing pieces that give clues about the Caribbean and extend student learning. This learning will be supported by the use of narratives to help explain the story and connections.
Narratives are powerful tools that can unlock details and hidden history and in some cases secrets that society or those in the dominant narrative leave out, cover up or erase. Stifled voices, through narratives, are given permission to exist and establish facts. This unit will take a look at the characteristics of slavery in the Caribbean and what elements made it successful in the United States. There are remnants of Caribbean slavery in the United States-- Barbados was used to create the model for slavery in South Carolina.
“There must be a reason why I have lived in all these lands, survived all those water crossings, while others fell from bullets or shut their eyes and simply willed their lives to end.”
- Mary Prince, A Caribbean Slave