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As we conclude this National Caribbean-American Heritage Month series we see how Caribbean-Americans have been an integral part of the fabric of the United States. From the founding of the republic to exemplifying its constitutional declarations, Americans of Caribbean birth or ancestry have made significant contributions to this country to be part of its unfolding vision. Upon gaining independence from imperial rule, the new republic faced the moral obligation to free enslaved Africans, and further, to extend constitutional and civil rights to all recognized citizens of the United States. Still, the question of repatriation versus integration was mainly one for Caribbean-Americans of African descent.
Given that the early Caribbean-American settlers voluntarily immigrated to the United States, repatriation understandably did not seem an appealing option, though some may have opted to give it a try. For the majority of Caribbean-Americans who chose to make their home in the United States, and later migrations, inclusion in constitutional and civil rights shaped itself around a matter of racial parity. In part 2 covering the activists, Harry Belafonte called this reductionist issue into question, suggesting a counterintuitive factor could be at stake. Belafonte advised emerging social justice activists to revisit the successes of the Civil Rights Movement that are at risk of losing ground. In symbolically passing on the torch to this new generation, Belafonte, an American of Caribbean heritage, exemplifies how the concerns of America and black Americans are as much the concerns of black Caribbean-Americans.
These next Caribbean-American trailblazers – the Statesmen, and Stateswoman, give us opportunty to revisit the post Civil Rights era and see how well they exemplify attainment of “the American desire.” Shirley Chisolm was the first black person, and first black woman elected to the House of Representatives, representing 12th Congressional District, New York. Ms. Chisolm became, also, the first black woman to run for President of the United States on a major party ticket. Mervyn Dymally the first black Lt. Governor of California also served in Congress. General Colin Powell reached one of the highest posts in the military held by a person of African descent when he was appointed Secretary of State during the Bush-Cheney administration. A decorated 4-star General in the United States Army, Powell declined the invitation to enter the 2008 presidential race. Eric Holder was the first black Attorney General of the United States, and David Patterson became the first black Governor of the State of New York. For these Caribbean-Americans it was not simply in spite of being persons of color, their accomplishments seem to resonate because they are persons of color.
Hon. Shirley Chisholm, 1924 - 2011
"Ipothia- In Highest Pursuit of All"
First black person & first black woman nominated on a major party ticket
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"I want history to remember me not just as the first black woman to be elected to Congress, not as the first black woman to have made a bid for the presidency of the United States, but as a black woman who lived in the 20th century and dared to be herself…I want to be remembered as a woman who fought for change in the 20th century. " [7]Born in New York to Guyanese and Barbadian parents in 1924, at a young age Shirley was sent to live with her grandmother in Barbados where she completed her primary education. She returned to her parents in New York about the time she would begin secondary education in the British school system and was enrolled in Brooklyn College. Shirley took to a career path in education and became a nursery school teacher and director. Her leadership in her community is immediately evident as she was selected as an educational consultant in civil service. From there Shirley appeared to have been motivated to participate in social activism and electoral campaigning . She won a seat on the New York State Assembly in 1964, and later became the first black person, and first black woman to be elected to the U.S. Congress.
Shirley Chisolm became politically active with the Democratic Party and quickly developed a reputation as a person who challenged the traditional roles of women, African Americans, and the poor.[7] Beyond meeting First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, an anecdote from Shirley Chisholm as a freshman in Congress defines her merit as an elected public official and trailblazer. Relegated to the unseeming Agriculture Committee that suited neither her background or district’s interest, Shirley Chisolm assertively parlayed her way to the coveted Education & Labor Committee. Shirley was later appointed to the high powered Rules Committee, a rare opportunity for any Congresswoman and much more so that she was the first black woman to do so.
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As an elected public official, Shirley Chisolm championed civil rights, and womens issues, social welfare benefits, prison reform, while challenging the judicial system, gun control, defense budget and Congress’ seniority system. She raised issues concerning law enforcement abuses, drug trafficking and substance abuse, as well as bucking the system’s stereotypical view of gender roles, and the roles blacks and the underserved were often relegated to. A productive legislator, Shirley sponsored as many as 50 legislative bills, 8 of which successfully enacted. Some of her legislative action included,
Shirley Chisholm credited her accomplishments to her formative years in Barbados. One might also attribute her political verve and openness to bi-partisan diplomacy to the multicultural influence of the Caribbean, unaffected with the distrust segregation and racial politics had engendered in her American counterparts. Chisholm who was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Congressional Women’s Caucus was impartial in her critique of partisanship politics,
- extended supplemental food program for women, infants, and children (WIC).
- increases in federal funding to extend the hours of daycare facilities;
- a guaranteed minimum annual income for families;
- federal assistance for higher education for low-income students;
- a national school lunch bill;
- employment insurance coverage for personal and domestic employees;
- reversal of a law that caused female teachers in New York to lose their tenure (permanence of position) while they were out on maternity leave.
“Chisholm maintained that many members of the black community did not understand the need for negotiation with white politicians. "We still have to engage in compromise, the highest of all arts," Chisholm noted. "Blacks can't do things on their own, nor can whites. When you have black racists and white racists it is very difficult to build bridges between communities.” [1]Shirley Chisholm retired from public office in 1982. She continued her advocacy through consultancy and participation in various social and humanitarian organizations. She lectured and authored several books from Florida until the time of her passing in 2011.
Mervyn Dymally, 1926 - 2012
“Third World Delegate”
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California State Assemblyman
California State Senator
Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives
41st Lt Governor of California
“I see politics as becoming the cutting edge in the entire civil rights movement; I’m not shying away from race questions, but neither am I running a campaign on black issues…As a Third World person I make no excuses, I do have a very keen interest in the Third World. We do not live in just 50 states.” [9]Mervyn Dymally, was born, 1926, in Trinidad to black and Indian parents. Upon completion of secondary education, Dymally worked as a custodian and labor organizer which led him into a role in journalism for the Oil Workers Trade Union periodical. Drawn to study journalism in the United States after reading about Booker T. Washington, Dymally migrated to New York before relocating and settling in California where he completed a Bachelor’s degree in Education. His post-baccalaureate career began as a special-education teacher while he continued a pursuit of higher education, earning a Masters in Government, and a PhD in Human Behavior.
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The seed of social activism implanted during his early time as a labor organizer in Trinidad flourished into political campaigning during Dymally’s career as a teacher in California. Starting as a volunteer campaign worker, then joining the California Young Democrats organization, Dymally went on to work for the Democratic National Convention when John F. Kennedy was nominated for President. He also worked as a field coordinator for the Kennedy campaign. His political career began in earnest when he won a seat in the California State Assembly where he served for three years. He was the first foreign-born person in this achievement. In 1967 he became the first elected black member of California’s State Senate, and first black Lt. Governor of California in 1975. He was elected to the US. House of Representatives (California) until 1993, then returned in 2003 to boost the number of black representatives in the California State Assembly.
As politics goes, Mervyn Dymally was repeatedly investigated for corruption though never formally charged. Through it all, he championed legislative action on diverse issues including,
- international human rights and economic development focusing on Africa and the Caribbean;
- education and health care access to health care for working-class, minority constituents;
- social welfare for the disadvantaged and poor;
- military and veterans benefits;
- electoral and district reapportionment.
- energy and environmental concerns.
Spanning four decades, Mervyn Dymally’s political career termed out in 2008. He continued to work as a political advisor and in academic leadership. Contrary to the “ne’er-do-well” life he feared in his youth, Mervyn Dymally’s long, industrious life concluded in 2012; he was 86 years old.
Gen. Colin Powell, 1937 -
“Reluctant Warrior”
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Joint Chiefs of Staff
Secretary of State
Statesman, Retired 4-star General
Venture Capitalist
Co-founder, Promise Alliance
"I found my place. I found discipline, I found structure, I found people that were like me and I liked, and I fell in love with the Army those first few months in ROTC, and it lasted for the next 40-odd years," "People have asked me, 'What would you have done if you hadn't gone into the Army?' I'd say I'd probably be a bus driver, I don't know."[4]
Retired General Colin Powell, a first generation Caribbean-American by way of Jamaican parents found his stride in the ROTC chapter at City College of New York where he pursued a dispassionate interest in geology. Born in Harlem, and raised in South Bronx, young Colin could not envision a future for himself beyond the careers viewed in his community. The ROTC offered a structured career path and discipline that provided the guidance he sought to develop his natural leadership abilities.
Rising to unit Commander in the ROTC, upon graduation from CCNY, Powell enlisted as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and was deployed to Vietnam during the war. Wounded twice on two separate tours in Vietnam, and demonstrating bravery in rescuing his unit soldiers from a fiery helicopter crash, Powell was awarded the Purple Heart Medal, a Bronze Star, and a Soldier’s Medal, respectively. He was also awarded a Legion of Merit among others.
Colin Powell entered a new chapter in his career as a military strategist after earning an MBA and White House fellowship at George Washington University. His served his fellowhip in the Office of Management and Budget where “his organizational talent and pragmatic outlook were recognized by those who placed him in key government advisory roles.” [2] An appointment as Joint Chief of Staff during the elder Bush administration catapulted Powell into national recognition by his decisive execution of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. A “reluctant soldier,” Powell “developed what became known as the "Powell Doctrine," an approach to military conflicts that advocates using overwhelming force to maximize success and minimize casualties.” [2] Following his success as Joint Chief of Staff, the first for an African-American, Powell was appointed to Secretary of State by the Bush-Cheney administration, the first African-American to hold the highest military office. Powell’s successes from the total of 28 military operations he led was somewhat tainted by what appears to be an egregious betrayal by the Bush-Cheney administration and intelligence community.
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“The case for war had been made over the course of several months, and Powell says it had been accepted by the president, other world leaders, and most of the U.S. Congress. But he will always be remembered as "the one" who presented the information to the U.N. "When I presented it to the U.N., I had every assurance from the intelligence community that the information I had was correct," Powell says. "Turned out not to be." [4]Colin Powell stepped down as Secretary of State for the 2nd term of the Bush-Cheney administration. Nevertheless, his legacy as chief military strategist was set as a much respected moderate leader who prioritizes diplomacy and containment over military intervention. He declined a bid for the Presidency in 2008, and has focused his retirement life in the private sector as a speaker, and venture capitalist.
“In 2006, he was a speaker at a special series called Get Motivated, along with former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Powell also joined Kleiner Perkins Caufield, Byers, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm, as a "strategic limited partner." Most recently he joined the board of directors at Steve Case's new company, Revolution Health, a health-related portal site and social network that provides online tools to help people better manage their health.” [4]In recognition of value the early guidance and development from the ROTC brought to his life and career, Colin Powell co-founded the Promise Alliance to support the wellbeing and development of youth and children of all socio-economic levels. One might view General Powell’s work with the youth as saying, you live and you learn; you give back. http://www.biography.com/people/colin-powell-9445708#early-military-career
As for the fallout from the ill-advised action in Iraq, those are the risks of organizational politics. Nodding to Belafonte’s advice on the suffrage of the Civil Rights Movement, Powell advises,
"You're not just voting for an individual…In my judgment, you're voting for an agenda, you're voting for a platform, you're voting for a political philosophy." [4]Be advised, then, young activists. There is still time for the Powell Presidency
Eric Holder, 1951 -
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“A foot in both worlds”
Associate Superior Court Judge (DC)
U.S. Attorney (DC)
Deputy U.S. Attorney General
Political Advisor
82nd United States Attorney General
"I am not a proponent of the death penalty, but I will enforce the law as this Congress gives it to us…(and on the matter of national security) we can and we must ensure that the American people remain secure and that the great Constitutional guarantees that define us as a nation are truly valued."[5]
Born in Queens, New York, 1951, the son of first and second generation Caribbean immigrants from Barbados, Eric Holder became the first African-American appointed as U. S. Attorney General (Obama administration). On his ascent to becoming the 82nd Attorney General of the United States, graduated from the prestigious Stuyvesant High School, an opportunity made possible through a program for intellectually gifted students. Holder went into law earning his law degree from Columbia Law School. He became an associate Superior Court judge in the District of Columbia during the Reagan administration, and rose through the ranks as U.S. Attorney for Washington, DC, and Deputy Attorney General during the Clinton administration.
While at Columbia, Holder was a member of the Student Afro-American Society, which staged a non-confrontational occupation of the ROTC lounge and demanded that it be renamed the Malcolm X Lounge (biography.com)
In 1976, Holder earned his law degree, and the Department of Justice gave him a job as part of the attorney general's honors program. He was assigned to the newly formed Public Integrity Section, which investigated and prosecuted official corruption on the local, state and federal levels.[5]Holder briefly went into private practice with a DC firm representing high profile clients including Merck, the NFL, Chiquita Brands, UBS, and the former Governor of Chicago, Rod Bladgovich. Among some of Holder’s career accomplishments in public office,
- created a domestic violence unit,
Image via theguardian.com - developed a community prosecution project,
- developed a program for restricting gun laws.
- developed and issued the "Holder Memorandum," which spelled out the guidelines for the criminal prosecution of corporations.
- developed rules for the regulation of health care,
- assembled a task force that determined how to investigate criminal investigations of high-ranking federal employees.
- created the organization, Lawyers for One America, at the White House’s request; a group designed improve diversity in the law profession and increase pro bono work.
With a tenure marked by civil rights work and calls to speak more openly about racial discrimination in the U.S., Holder also faced major controversy over the case of missing documents in relation to Operation Fast and Furious, which focused on tracking the sales of arms among Mexican drug cartels. (biography.com) Holder was held in contempt of Congress, setting the stage for his exit from his post as Attorney General in September 2014.
Gov. David Patterson, 1954 -
No lack of vision.
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55th Gov of NY
Radio Talk Show Host
"I had no defenses when things went wrong," Paterson recalls. "[My professor] told me to go out and get a job and fight for that job, then come back and finish college. So I did that, getting a job at a credit union. It was a painful time for me. I'd graduated high school younger than everyone and was legally blind, yet I figured I'd be out of college at age 20. But it all came crashing down." [3]
David Paterson, a second generation American with Caribbean ancestry in Jamaica and Carriacou , seemed destined for a stellar rise into politics with his academic studies in History and Law. Neither visual impairment nor postoned baccalaureate studies kept Paterson from entering the Queens, New York, district attorney’s office as assistant district attorney upon graduating with his Juris Doctor of Law degree in 1982. He gained experience in electoral campaigning with David Dinkins’ successful bid for Manhattan borough president, before winning the State Senate seat vacated by Leon Bogues passing.
After a little more than a decade in the State Senate, Paterson became the minority leader. The first African-American in the legislative leadership in New York’s history, Paterson garnered public attention when he addressed the 2008 Democratic National Convention, paving the way to a successful election as first African American Lt. Governor of New York under former governor Eliot Spitzer. Paterson eventually became the first African-American Governor of New York when a scandal beleagured Spitzer stepped down from the office of the Governor. Aiming for a full term bid for the Governor’s post, Paterson tabled his campaign at the request of President Obama’s political advisors.
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Civics versus Politics
The post Civil Rights Movement period was an era of Affirmative Action which aimed to remove barriers to economic opportunity and public support for blacks in the United States. Many viewed this as a quota system to align organizational representation with statistical demographics. Once the hubub of trailblazing firsts subsided the business of living continued. Throughout this time Caribbean-Americans continued to figure prominently in various spheres of American life, entertainment, writing, sports being the most visible. By these accounts, the Caribbean-Americans profiled certainly appear to have earned their achievements on their own merit and excellence. Yet, their remarkable histories are the exception to the norm.
From the view of their public life we gained a glimpse at the preparation, opportunity and hard work it takes to fulfill that “American desire,” what it takes to be a fully functioing member of American society. We are here for the business of the republic. For some, what that business is is no longer certain and clear as it was when fighting for independence, freedom, and civil rights were salient. Our issues have merged with competing interests, some similar to ours, others globally, and some dichotomous. Gary Hart, a former U.S. Senator whose political career was derailed in controversy shared the perspective,
“Four qualities have distinguished republican government from ancient Athens forward: the sovereignty of the people; a sense of the common good; government dedicated to the commonwealth; and resistance to corruption…America’s founders knew one thing: The republics of history all died when narrow interests overwhelmed the common good and the interests of the commonwealth.
On a more personal level, how can public service be promoted as an ideal to young people when this sewer (special interests aka the lobbying class) corrupts our Republic?...It is impossible to claim to love one’s country and not be outraged at how corrupt it has become…Our ancestors did not depart Europe and elsewhere to seek freedom and self-government alone. They came to these shores to escape social and political systems that were corrosive and corrupt.” [6]
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Despite these political realities, taking leadership lessons from Colin Powell, “it ain’t as bad as you think.(1) Don’t let adverse facts stand in your way. (6) You’ve been mad, now let’s get past it.(2) Have a carefully chosen vision (5,11), and believe it can be done (4). Create your own distortion field with people who are like you (12) and share optimism for your vision (13). Check the the details (8), check your ego (3), always choose to be kind, stay calm (10) and share the victories (9).
Young social activists for African-American interests have in their reach an accomplished military strategist, political advisors with legal and governing experience at a macro-level, an activist ambassador of goodwiill who can creatively mobilize massive amounts of funding globally. We return to the question what is it besides race politics that maintains the holding pattern and adverse events in the black community? Is it a lack of vision as Paterson articulated it, or public opinion in Agnew’s view? How can that be changed?
And one last thing on the matter of recent events with Rachel Dolezal and Dylann Roof, do not reject or abandon your sister and brother who have as much anxiety about the present and future as you do, regardless of their privilege, and no matter how they act it out. It is perfectly healthy to move away from unpleasant experiences, but inclusion extends both ways. So reach out and remain open to reconciliation. This may not be easy to do when you are being beaten, shot, and your places of gathering for worship burned to the ground. There just has to be a way to hold up the mirror of empathy and compassion.
We hope you've enjoyed this Caribbean-American Heritage journey with us. Let us know what you thought of the series, likes, dislikes, recommendations. And have a Happy Fourth of July.
Reference:
- CHISHOLM, Shirley Anita | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives. (n.d.). Retrieved June 30, 2015.
- Colin Powell (n.d.). Retrieved June 30, 2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/colin-powell-9445708#early-military-career
- David Paterson (n.d.). Retrieved June 30, 2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/david-a-paterson-400134#synopsis
- 'It Worked For Me': Life Lessons From Colin Powell. (n.d.). Retrieved June 30, 2015, from http://www.npr.org/2012/05/22/153296714/it-worked-for-me-life-lessons-from-colin-powell
- Eric Holder(n.d.) RetrievedJune 30, 2015, from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Holder
- Hart, G. (n.d.). Retrieved June 30, 2015, from http://time.com/3937860/gary-hart-america-corruption/
- Lewis, J. (n.d.). Shirley Chisholm, First Black Woman Elected to Congress. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
- Mervyn Dymally Dies... (n.d.). Retrieved June 30, 2015, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mervyn-m-dymally-dies-former-california-congressman-was-86/2012/10/08/06da11f0-115a-11e2-a16b-2c110031514a_story.html
- Mervyn M. Dymally. (n.d.). Retrieved June 30, 2015, from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mervyn_M._Dymally
