Caribbean Los Angeles  

CARIBBEAN LOS ANGELES

Over the last decade, Caribbean Los Angeles has exploded with an estimated 500,000 first, second and third generation residents of Caribbean heritage living and working in Southern California.  When one counts the English, Spanish, French and Dutch regions of the Caribbean the numbers may very well exceed a million. 

The people of the Caribbean hail from countries within the Caribbean Basin including the English speaking Caribbean – such as Antigua, Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago; Spanish speaking Caribbean – such as Panama, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Costa Rico; the Caribbean coasts of Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala and Mexico; the Dutch Caribbean such as Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire and the French Caribbean such as Martinique and Guadeloupe.  Indeed even countries that are not geographically Caribbean often claim Caribbean identity or are perceived as Caribbean, such as The Bahamas in the Northern Atlantic, Suriname, and Guyana in South America, where the Caribbean Community Secretariat is located . 

Where is Caribbean Los Angeles?

When listening to the radio, or the many outdoor festivals in the Southland, one often hears the pulsating sound of Reggae or the melodies of the steel pan, Afro-Cuban rhythms, Salsa and Soca, confirming the presence of Caribbean culture in the area.  Where do they ‘hang out?’ where do they worship, play and work? They are working in Southland banks, corporations, garages and schools, on our city streets, in our community centers, hospitals and boardrooms.  They live in the suburbs, in the heart of the city, on the Southside, the Westside and indeed are part of the social milieu throughout the cities and towns of Southern California. 

Whereas, Caribbean communities in cities such as New York or Miami have established both geographic as well as a cultural hubs, the Los Angeles Caribbean community did not evolve in that way.  Rather, the community is spread out over the length and breath of the Southland, in cities and suburbs and thus defies attempts to identify, locate or categorize it.

Unifying The Community

This pattern of development has created a sense of independence in Caribbean residents, but also isolation and political powerlessness.  The Caribbean presence is scattered, diffused and is therefore ineffective in affecting positive social outcomes  for its community.  Various Caribbean organizations, including CARICABELA provide  forums where the diverse Caribbean community of Southern California often come together to celebrate their dreams and accomplishments while creating a unified voice and sharing their cultural heritage with the larger community in which they live. These organizations are working to bring political awareness and political power to this community.

MEMBER NATIONS OF THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY (CARICOM)

Member Name	Sovereign Status	Membership and Date	Los Angeles or  US Embassy Contact
Anguilla	British overseas territory
Antigua and Barbuda		Full member 4 July 1974
Aruba		Observer
Bahamas		Full member 4 July 1983
Barbados		Full member 1 August 1973
Belize		Full member 1 May 1974
Bermuda	British overseas territory	Associate 2 July 2003
British Virgin Islands	British overseas territory	Associate July 1991
Cayman Islands	British overseas territory	Associate 16 May 2002
Colombia		Observer
Dominica		Full member 1 May 1974
Dominican Republic		Observer
Grenada		Full member 1 May 1974
Guyana		Full member 1 August 1973
Haiti		Full member 2 July 2002
Jamaica	Independent - August 6, 1962	Full member 1 August 1973
Mexico		Observer
Montserrat	British Overseas Territory	Full member 1 May 1974
Netherlands Antilles		Observer
Puerto Rico		Observer
Saint Kitts and Nevis		Full member 26 July 1974
Saint Lucia		Full member 1 May 1974
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines		Full member 1 May 1974
Suriname		Full member 4 July 1995
Trinidad and Tobago		Full member 1 August 1973
Turks and Caicos		Associate July 1991
Venezuela	British overseas territory	Observer

CONTACT INFORMATION