Jamaican Americans are an ethnic group of
Caribbean Americans who have full or partial
Jamaican ancestry. The largest proportions of Jamaican Americans live in
South Florida and
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, both of which have been home to large Jamaican communities since the 1950s and 60s. There are also communities of Jamaican Americans residing in
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, and
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
.
The vast majority of Jamaican Americans are of black
African-Caribbean descent, and many are also some of full or partial
Indian Jamaican,
Chinese Jamaican
Chinese Jamaicans are Jamaicans of Chinese people, Chinese ancestry, which include descendants of migrants from China to Jamaica. Early migrants came in the 19th century; there was another moment of migration in the 1980s and 1990s. Many of the d ...
,
European
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
and
Lebanese descent.
Historical immigration
After 1838,
European colonies in the Caribbean with expanding
sugar industries imported large numbers of immigrants to meet their acute labor shortage. Large numbers of Jamaicans were recruited to work in
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
and
Costa Rica in the 1850s. After slavery was
abolished in the United States in 1865, American planters imported temporary workers, called "swallow migrants", to harvest crops on an annual basis. These workers, many of them Jamaicans, returned to their countries after harvest. Between 1881 and the beginning of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the United States recruited over 250,000 workers from the Caribbean, 90,000 of whom were Jamaicans, to work on the
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...
. During both world wars, the United States again recruited Jamaican men for service on various American bases in the region.
Significant immigration waves
Apart from Canada and England, the U.S. houses the majority of Jamaican émigrés worldwide. Jamaican immigration to the U.S. increased during the civil rights era of the 1960s. As with many other sources of Caribbean immigration, the geographical nearness of Jamaica to the U.S. increased the likelihood of migration. The economic attractiveness and general Jamaican perception of the U.S. as a land of opportunity explain continued migration flows despite economic downturn in America. Traditionally, America has experienced increased migration through means of family preference, in which U.S. citizens sponsor their immediate family. Through this category a substantial amount of Jamaican immigrants were able to enter mainly urban cities within the U.S that provided blue-collar work opportunities. Jamaican immigrants utilized employment opportunities despite the discriminatory policies that affected some Caribbean émigrés.
Jamaicans comprise the largest nationality of U.S. immigrants from the English-speaking Caribbean. Because so many have assimilated into the
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
community, it is difficult to estimate their number. The
1990 U.S. census placed the number of documented Jamaican Americans at 435,025.
Demographics
An estimated 554,897 Jamaican-born people lived in the U.S. in 2000. This represents 61% of the approximate 911,000 Americans of Jamaican ancestry. Many Jamaicans are second, third and descend from even older generations, as there have been Jamaicans in the U.S. as early as the early twentieth Century. The regional composition is as follows: 59 percent live in the
Northeast
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
, mainly in the
State of New York
New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. state ...
; 4.8 percent in the
Midwest; 30.6 percent in the
South, particularly
South Florida; and 5.6 percent on the
West
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
. The
New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass, at , and one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. The vast metropolitan area ...
and
South Florida have the largest number of Jamaican immigrants in the United States. South Florida is home to the highest number of undocumented Jamaicans, whereas most documented immigrants tend to reside in Brooklyn. Jamaicans refer to
Miami metropolitan area and
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
colloquially as "
Kingston 21" and "Little Jamaica" respectively. Jamaicans in the Miami metropolitan area mostly live in
Broward County
Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 m ...
and Jamaicans in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
have formed communities in Brooklyn, The Bronx and Queens. Especially Central Brooklyn, particularly
East Flatbush
East Flatbush is a residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. East Flatbush is bounded by Crown Heights and Empire Boulevard to the north; Brownsville and East 98th Street to the east; Flatlands, Canarsie and the ...
,
Crown Heights,
Brownsville,
Flatbush,
Flatlands and
Canarise and the Northeast Bronx, particularly
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
and
Williamsbridge neighborhoods holding the largest Jamaican populace. Large communities of Jamaican immigrants have formed in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
and the whole
New York Metro Area
The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...
, which includes
Long Island and much of
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
and
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
, along with
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
(centered in and around the
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
/
Broward County
Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 m ...
,
Orlando
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...
and
Tampa areas), which has the second largest Jamaican community in the U.S. In recent years, many Jamaicans have left New York City for its suburbs, and large Jamaican communities have also formed in many other major cities like
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
(including Delaware and other parts of eastern Pennsylvania),
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
,
Washington D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
/Central Maryland,
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
,
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Western NY State (
Buffalo and
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
) and
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
. Smaller numbers are in
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
,
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
and
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
.
U.S. states with large Jamaican populations
According to the 2010 U.S. Census, there were 965,355 Jamaican Americans.
The 10 U.S. states with the largest Jamaican populations in 2019 are:
#
New York – 307,464
#
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
– 304,617
#
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
– 67,818
#
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
– 67,143
#
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
– 56,248
#
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
– 40,534
#
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
– 39,518
#
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
– 38,763
#
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
– 36,333
#
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
– 36,092
U.S. metropolitan areas with largest Jamaican populations
The top 10 U.S. metropolitan areas with the largest populations of Jamaicans (Source: 2019 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates)
#
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA-CT MSA – 332,681
#
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA
The Miami metropolitan area (also known as Greater Miami, the Tri-County Area, South Florida, or the Gold Coast) is the ninth largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States and the List of largest cities, 34th largest metropolitan ar ...
– 173,277
#
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA MSA – 59,097
#
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL MSA
The Orlando metropolitan area, commonly referred to as Greater Orlando, Metro Orlando, Central Florida as well as for U.S. Census purposes as the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, is a metropolitan area in the ...
– 42,922
#
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA
The Washington metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the National Capital Region, is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C. The metropolitan area includes all of Washington, D.C. and parts of the states of Maryland, Virgi ...
– 39,253
#
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA
The Delaware Valley is a metropolitan region on the East Coast of the United States that comprises and surrounds Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city in the nation and 68th largest city in the world as of 2020. The toponym Delaware Val ...
– 32,934
#
Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT MSA
Greater Hartford is a region located in the U.S. state of Connecticut, centered on the state's capital of Hartford. It represents the only combined statistical area in Connecticut defined by a city within the state, being bordered by the Greater B ...
– 29,530
#
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH MSA
Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston (the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England) and its surrounding areas. The region forms the northern ar ...
– 21,510
#
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA
The Tampa Bay area is a major populated area surrounding Tampa Bay on the west coast of Florida in the United States. It includes the main cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater. It is the 18th largest metropolitan area in the United S ...
– 18,546
#
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT MSA – 16,822
U.S. communities with high percentages of people of Jamaican ancestry
The top 25 U.S. communities with the highest percentage of people claiming Jamaican ancestry are:
#
Blue Hills, Connecticut
Blue Hills is a community in Hartford County, Connecticut, encompassing the northwest corner of the city of Hartford and the southeast corner of the town of Bloomfield. The Bloomfield portion is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designa ...
(
neighborhood) 23.9%
#
Lauderdale Lakes, Florida
Lauderdale Lakes, officially the City of Lauderdale Lakes, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 35,954. It is part of the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach Metr ...
18.8%
#
Lauderhill, Florida
Lauderhill, officially the City of Lauderhill, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census,the city's population was 74,482. It is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,01 ...
17.6%
#
South Floral Park, New York
South Floral Park (formerly known as Jamaica Square) is a village in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 1,741 at the 2020 census.
At , the Incorporated Village of South Floral ...
15.5%
#
Miramar, Florida 15.40%
#
Bloomfield, Connecticut and
Mount Vernon, New York 12.9%
#
Lakeview, New York
Lakeview is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 6,077 at the 2020 census.
History
Lakeview's name reflects upon its proximity to ...
12.7%
#
North Lauderdale, Florida
North Lauderdale is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 44,794. It is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,166,488 people in the 2020 cen ...
11.1%
#
Uniondale, New York
Uniondale is a census-designated place (CDP), as well as a suburb in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead. The population was 32,473 at the 2020 United States Census. Uniondale is home to Hofstra University's nort ...
11.0%
#
El Portal, Florida
El Portal is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The name is derived from the Spanish term for "the gate", after two wooden gates that once stood as a gateway to the village. El Portal was originally annexed into the city of Mi ...
8.5%
#
Roosevelt, New York
Roosevelt (historically known as Greenwich and Rum Point) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 18,066 at the 2 ...
8.2%
#
Pembroke Park, Florida
Pembroke Park is a town in Broward County, Florida, United States. The town took its name from its location along Pembroke Road. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,260. It is part of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to ...
8.0%
#
North Valley Stream, New York
North Valley Stream is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 16,628 at the 2010 census.
History
North Valley Stream's name reflects ...
and
Hartford, Connecticut 7.90%
#
Sunrise, Florida 7.60%
#
Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens is a city in north-central Miami-Dade County, Florida. It is located north of Downtown Miami with city boundaries that stretch from I-95 and Northeast 2nd Avenue to its east to Northwest 47th and Northwest 57th Avenues to its w ...
6.3%
#
North Amityville, New York
North Amityville is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York. The population was 18,643 at the 2020 Census.
Geography
According to the United States C ...
6.1%
#
South Miami Heights, Florida
South Miami Heights is a census-designated place (CDP), originally known as Eureka, in Miami-Dade County, within the U.S. state of Florida. The population was 35,696 as of the 2010 census.
Geography
South Miami Heights is located at (25.588784 ...
6.0%
#
Hempstead, New York
The Town of Hempstead (also known historically as South Hempstead) is the largest of the three towns in Nassau County (alongside North Hempstead and Oyster Bay) in the U.S. state of New York. It occupies the southwestern part of the county, on ...
and
Elmont, New York
Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City. The population was 35,265 at the 2 ...
5.9%
#
Lake Park, Florida
Lake Park is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 8,155 at the 2010 census. As of 2018, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 8,605. Lake Park is part of the Miami Metropolitan Area
Geography
...
and
Carol City, Florida
Carol City is a neighborhood in Miami Gardens, Florida, United States. The population was 61,233 at the 2010 census. It was formerly a census-designated place.
History
Julius Gaines, the developer, had originally planned to name it Coral City. H ...
5.8%
#
East Orange, New Jersey,
Gordon Heights, New York,
Ives Estates, Florida
Ives Estates is a census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The population was 17,586 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Ives Estates is located at .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of w ...
and
Golden Glades, Florida
Golden Glades is a census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 32,499 at the 2020 census.
It is the location for a major highway interchange of the same name which connects the Florida Turnpike, ...
5.7%
#
North Miami Beach, Florida 5.5%
#
New Cassel, New York
New Cassel is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 14,059 at the 2010 census, representing a net gain of 761 over the 2000 ...
5.30%
#
Bronx, New York and
Chillum, Maryland 5.2%
#
Pembroke Pines, Florida and
Wheatley Heights, New York
Wheatley Heights is a census-designated place (CDP) in Suffolk County, New York. The population was 5,130 at the 2010 census. The CDP, located in the Town of Babylon, is named after the hamlet in the same general vicinity.
In the past, some or a ...
5.1%
#
Bridgeport, Connecticut and
Windsor, Connecticut
Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, and was the first English settlement in the state. It lies on the northern border of Connecticut's capital, Hartford. The population of Windsor was 29,492 at the 2020 census.
P ...
4.5%
#
Orange, New Jersey
The City of Orange is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 30,134, reflecting a decline of 2,734 (−8.3%) from the 32,868 counted in 2000.
Orange was original ...
and
South Bay, Florida
South Bay is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is the westernmost municipality in the South Florida metropolitan area. The population was 4,876 at the 2010 census. As of 2018, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau ...
4.3%
#
Spring Valley, New York
Spring Valley is a village in the towns of Ramapo and Clarkstown in Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located north of Chestnut Ridge, east of Airmont and Monsey, south of Hillcrest, and west of Nanuet. The population was 33, ...
4.2%
#
Goulds, Florida,
Tamarac, Florida
Tamarac is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 71,897. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,012,331 people in 2015.
History
In the early 1960s ...
and
Royal Palm Beach, Florida
Royal Palm Beach is a village in southeast Florida, located within Palm Beach County. The population was measured at 34,140 in the 2010 census. It is part of the Miami Metropolitan Area. Despite its name, the village is located approximately fift ...
4.1%
#
New Carrollton, Maryland
New Carrollton is a city located in central Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,715. New Carrollton is located east of central Washington, D.C. The Mayor of New Carrollton is Phelecia ...
,
Plantation, Florida
Plantation is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 91,750. It is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area. The city's name comes from the previous part-owner of the land, the E ...
and
Cottage City, Maryland
Cottage City, officially the Town of Cottage City, is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,335. Cottage City is a small, quiet community lying between Eastern Avenue (the border wit ...
4%
#
Mangonia Park, Florida
Mangonia Park is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is a part of Uptown West Palm, which also includes Riviera Beach and West Palm Beach. The population was 1,888 at the 2010 census. As of 2018, the population recorded by the ...
,
Redan, Georgia and
Somerset, New Jersey
Somerset is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Franklin Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States.[Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...]
,
Naranja, Florida
Naranja is a census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Many orange groves were once located in this area, so the community name came from the Spanish word for orange, "naranja", but the actual pronunciation is ...
and
Stone Mountain, Georgia
Stone Mountain is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,703 according to the 2020 US Census. Stone Mountain is in the eastern part of DeKalb County and is a suburb of Atlanta that encompasses nearly 1.7 square mil ...
3.8%
#
Mount Rainier, Maryland
Mount Rainier is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, bordering Washington D.C. The population was 8,333 at the 2020 census. Mount Rainier is contained between the Northwest Branch Anacostia River, Cedar Lane Alley, and 3 ...
,
Adelphi, Maryland
Adelphi is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 16,823. Adelphi includes the following subdivisions; Adelphi, Adelphi Park, Adelphi Hills, Ad ...
,
Pine Hills, Florida
Pine Hills is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated subdivision in Orange County, Florida, United States, west of Orlando. Per the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 66,111. It is a part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Flor ...
,
Baldwin, New York and
Poinciana, Florida
Poinciana () is a settlement and census-designated place (CDP) in Osceola and Polk counties in the U.S. state of Florida. It lies southwest of Kissimmee and approximately east of Haines City. As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP had a po ...
3.7%
#
Westbury, New York
The Incorporated Village of Westbury is a village in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. It is located about east of Manhattan. The population was 15,404 at the 2020 census.
History
The firs ...
and
Inwood, New York
Inwood is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 9,792 at the 2010 census. It is considered part of Long Island's Five Towns area and is located within the To ...
3.6%
#
Paterson, New Jersey and
Brentwood, Maryland
Brentwood is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States.
Per the 2020 census, the population was 3,828. Brentwood is located within of Washington. The municipality of Brentwood is located just outside the northeast boundary o ...
3.5%
#
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck () is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 39,776, reflecting an increase of 516 (+1.3%) f ...
3.4%
#
North Miami, Florida
North Miami is a suburban city located in northeast Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, about north of Miami. The city lies on Biscayne Bay and hosts the Biscayne Bay Campus of Florida International University, and the North Miami camp ...
and
Plainfield, New Jersey
Plainfield is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, known by its nickname as "The Queen City." 3.3%
#
Richmond West, Florida
Richmond West is a census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 35,884 at the 2020 census, up from 31,973 at the 2010 census.
History
Richmond West has its origins as an early 1900s settlement ...
3.2%
#
Haverhill, Florida
Haverhill is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Haverhill became a town on May 3, 1950, and was named after the city of Haverhill, Massachusetts. The town has maintained a small population since its establishment. The 2010 ...
3.1%
#
Opa-Locka, Florida
Opa-locka is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,463, up from 15,219 in 2010. The city was developed by Glenn Curtiss. Developed based on a ''One Thousand and One Nights'' theme, Op ...
and
Margate, Florida
Margate is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,712. Margate is part of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to 6,166,488 people in 2020.
Margate was founded in the 195 ...
3%
U.S. communities with the most residents born in Jamaica
Top 50 U.S. communities with the most residents born in Jamaica are:
# Sunrise, FL 19.6%
#
Norland, FL 18.5%
# Blue Hills, CT 18.3%
# Lauderdale Lakes, FL 16.9%
#
Andover, FL 15.0%
# Lauderhill, FL 14.8%
#
Utopia, FL 13.1%
#
Palmetto Estates, FL 12.6%
# Miramar, FL 12.5%
#
Scott Lake, FL 12.3%
# South Floral Park, NY 12.1%
# Mount Vernon, NY 11.2%
# Bloomfield, CT 11.1%
# North Lauderdale, FL 9.7%
#
Fort Devens, MA 9.3%
Northwest Dade, FL8.5%
# Uniondale, NY 8.2%
#
St. George, FL 8.1%
#
East Garden City, NY 7.7%
# El Portal, FL 7.5%
#
Silver Springs Shores, FL 7.5%
#
Washington Park, FL 7.2%
# North Valley Stream, NY 6.7%
# Sunrise, FL 6.6%
#
Harlem, FL 6.4%
# Lakeview, NY 6.2%
#
Opa-locka North, FL 6.1%
# Hartford, CT 6.0%
# Roosevelt, NY 5.9%
#
Westview, FL 5.7%
#
Tangelo Park, FL 5.5%
#
Miami Gardens, Broward County, FL 5.5%
# Pembroke Park, FL 5.3%
# Lake Park, FL 5.2%
# Ives Estates, FL 5.1%
# North Amityville, NY 5.1%
#
Canal Point, FL 5.1%
#
Rock Island, FL 5.1%
#
Boulevard Gardens, FL 5.0%
# North Miami Beach, FL 5.0%
#
Lake Lucerne, FL 4.9%
# Golden Glades, FL 4.9%
#
Broadview-Pompano Park, FL 4.8%
# Carol City, FL 4.7%
# East Orange, NJ 4.7%
# Pembroke Pines, FL 4.4%
#
Stacy Street, FL 4.3%
#
Mangonia Park, FL 4.3%
#
Three Lakes, FL 4.2%
# Elmont, NY 4.2%
Total immigrant population from Jamaica according to
ACS 2015-2019 estimates: 741,400; the top counties were:
1)
Broward County, Florida
Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 m ...
------------------- 86,600
2)
Brooklyn Borough, New York ----------- 62,200
3)
Bronx Borough, New York ---------------- 49,400
4)
Queens Borough, New York ------------- 49,000
5)
Palm Beach County, Florida ------------- 26,900
6)
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...
------------- 23,400
7)
Westchester County, New York ------- 18,200
8)
Hartford County, Connecticut
Hartford County is a county located in the north central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. According to the 2020 census, the population was 899,498, making it the second-most populous county in Connecticut. Hartford County contains the ...
---------- 17,100
9)
Orange County, Florida -------------------- 16,900
10)
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. At the 2020 U.S. census, Nassau County's population is 1,395,774. The county seat is Mineola and the largest town is Hempstead.
Nassau County is situated on western Long Isl ...
-------------- 16,600
11)
Essex County, New Jersey ------------- 12,500
12)
Fairfield County, Connecticut
Fairfield County is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is the most populous county in the state and was also its fastest-growing from 2010 to 2020. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 957, ...
--------- 12,100
13)
Prince George's Co., Maryland ------- 11,100
14)
Philadelphia County, Penn. ------------ 10,100
15)
Dekalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County (, , ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 764,382, making it Georgia's fourth-most populous county. Its county seat is Decatur.
DeKalb County is inclu ...
------------------- 9,900
16)
Suffolk County, Massachusetts ------- 8,200
17)
Gwinnett County, Georgia
Gwinnett County ( ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It forms part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. In 2020, the population was 957,062, making it the second-most populous county in Georgia (after Fulto ...
---------------- 7,500
18)
Hillsborough County, Florida ------------ 7,300
19)
Saint Lucie County, Florida
St. Lucie County ( es, Condado de Santa Lucía, link=) is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 329,226. The county's seat is Fort Pierce. St. Lucie County is included in the Port St. Lucie, FL Metro ...
-------------- 7,000
20)
Suffolk County, New York ---------------- 6,800
21)
New Haven County, Connecticut
New Haven County is a county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 864,835, making it the third-most populous county in Connecticut. Two of the state's top 5 largest cities, New ...
------ 6,400
22)
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles ( es, Condado de Los Ángeles, link=), and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,861,224 residents estimated in 2022. Its populat ...
------- 5,900
23)
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 2 ...
------------------------ 5,700
24)
Harris County, Texas
Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas; as of the 2020 census, the population was 4,731,145, making it the most populous county in Texas and the third most populous county in the United States. Its county seat is Houston ...
----------------------- 5,300
25)
Bergen County, New Jersey ------------- 5,200
26)
Manhattan Borough, New York -------- 5,100
27)
Montgomery County, Maryland -------- 5,100
Socioeconomics
Age and English proficiency
In 2014, the median age of Caribbean immigrants was 48 years, compared to 44 years for the general immigrant average. The median age of Jamaican immigrants was 49 years old. According to the
Migration Policy Institute's tabulation of census data, 6% of Caribbean immigrants were under the age of 18, 76% between the ages of 18 and 64, and 19% were 65 and older.
[''MPI tabulation of data from the U.S. Census'' American Community Survey from 2014]
In 2019, the median age of Jamaican Americans was 37 years old (U.S. Census Bureau 2019).
Caribbean immigrants are more likely to be proficient in English compared to the general immigrant population. In 2017, only 2% of Jamaicans were
Limited English Proficient
English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EF ...
(LEP).
By 2019, the figure had reduced to just 0.9% of Jamaicans who were LEP (U.S. Census Bureau 2019).
Education and employment
Caribbean immigrants perform better than the general immigrant population in terms of high school graduation rates.
In 2017, 24% of Jamaican immigrants had a bachelor's degree. This was higher than the Caribbean average of 21% (compared to 31% in the general immigrant population).
In 2019, 30% of Jamaican Americans had a bachelor's degree. This is higher than the American average of 24.3% (U.S. Census Bureau 2019).
76% of Jamaican immigrants are working age (18 to 64). An estimated 30% of Caribbean immigrants are in the service occupations, 21% are in sales and office positions, and 25% are in management, business, science, and arts occupations and only 9% of Jamaican immigrants are in construction and maintenance jobs.
Jamaicans specifically, 32-37% seek management, business, science, and arts positions. According to the
Migration Policy Institute, Jamaican immigrants to the United States consistently compose of a high share of skilled professionals. Caribbean immigrants tend to have a higher employment participation rate than the American average.
Income
In 2014, the median Jamaican immigrant yearly income was $51,000 with a 13% poverty rate. The median Jamaican immigrant income is higher than the average Caribbean immigrant income, which was about $41,000 with a 20% poverty rate (and Dominican immigrants income is as low as $32,000 with a 24% poverty rate) (U.S. Census Bureau 2014). According to World Bank data, in 2014, the Caribbean as a whole was sent $9.7 billion, 8% of the US GDP as remittances, not including Cuba, which is estimated to send $1.8 billion.
In 2019, Jamaican Americans had a median household income of $62,044, higher than the American average of $57,761. Jamaican Americans had a poverty rate of 11.2%, lower than the American average of 12% (U.S. Census Bureau 2019).
Homeownership
Jamaican Americans have one of the highest rates of homeownership among Latin American and Caribbean immigrants in the US.
Culture and notable contributions
Largely, Jamaican-Americans have successfully integrated with the parent
African-American culture of the United States, either domestically or abroad. Discussed are examples of their impressions and/or influences.
Music
![Pete Rock @ The Brookyln Bowl in 2016](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Pete_Rock_%40_The_Brookyln_Bowl_in_2016.jpg)
Many cultural events in Jamaica are also observed by Jamaican Americans in local public celebrations or in the privacy of their homes.
Many Jamaican Americans have also been very influential and successful in
Hip hop music.
DJ kool Herc
Clive Campbell (born April 16, 1955), better known by his stage name DJ Kool Herc, is a Jamaican-American DJ who is credited with contributing to the development of hip hop music in the Bronx, New York City, in the 1970s through his "Back to ...
is credited with inventing rap/hip hop music and is known as the "founding father of Hiphop". Other famous rappers and DJ's such as
Busta Rhymes,
The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...
,
Special Ed,
Pete Rock,
Canibus
Germaine Williams (born December 9, 1974), better known by his stage name Canibus, is an American rapper and actor. He initially gained fame in the 1990s for his ability to freestyle, and eventually released his debut album Can-I-Bus in 1998 ...
,
Heavy D
Dwight Arrington MyersCuda, Heidi Sigmund Keeping it reel. '' Vibe'' ("born Dwight Arrington Myers")Samuels, Anita M. (January 12' 1996)Heavy D, the C.E.O. ''New York Times'' (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011), known professionally as Hea ...
,
Joey Bada$$
Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott (born January 20, 1995), known professionally as Joey Badass (stylized as Joey Bada$$), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A native of Brooklyn, New York City, he is a founding member of the hip-hop collective Pro ...
,
Slick Rick
Richard Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965), better known as Slick Rick, is an English-American rapper and record producer.
He rose to prominence with Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew in the mid-1980s. Their songs " The Show" and " ...
, and
Bushwick Bill
Richard William Stephen Shaw (December 8, 1966 – June 9, 2019), better known by his stage name Bushwick Bill, was a Jamaican-American rapper. He was a member of the Texas hip hop group Geto Boys, a group he originally joined as a breakdancer ...
are all of Jamaican heritage.
Dances and songs
Jamaica's most popular musical forms are
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
and
dancehall. There are also others such as "dub poetry" or chanted verses,
Ska
Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
and
Rocksteady, with its emotionally charged, celebrative beat. Jamaican Americans also listen to a great variety of other music such as:
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
,
calypso,
soca,
rap
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
,
classical music,
gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
and "high-church" choirs.
Actors
Notable Jamaican-American actors include
Jada Pinkett Smith
Jada Koren Pinkett Smith (; née Pinkett; born September 18, 1971) is an American actress and talk show host. She is co-host of the Facebook Watch talk show '' Red Table Talk'', for which she has received a Daytime Emmy Award. ''Time'' name ...
,
Kerry Washington
Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) SidebarCertificate of Live Birth: Isabelle Amarachi Asomugha(County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health). Gives Kerry Washington birth dateArchivedfrom the original on May 2, 2016.Note: Fi ...
,
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Sheryl Lee Ralph OJ is an American actress and singer. She made her screen debut in the 1977 comedy film '' A Piece of the Action'', before landing the role of Deena Jones in the Broadway musical '' Dreamgirls'' (1981), for which she received ...
and
Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...
.
Cuisine
![Jerk chicken plate](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Jerk_chicken_plate.jpg)
In Miami and Brooklyn, especially in the neighborhood of
Flatbush along
Flatbush,
Nostrand,
Utica and Church Avenues, one sees groceries filled with a variety of Caribbean cuisines, including sugar cane,
jelly,
coconut and
yams.
Traditional costumes
In New York City, Jamaican Americans participate in the Caribbean Labor day parade in Brooklyn annually and dress in lavish and colorful costumes during the Brooklyn celebration along Eastern Parkway.
Sports
A number of Jamaican Americans have excelled in international competition and carried home many trophies. Donald Quarrie won the 200 and the 4 × 100 meters relay Olympic Gold Medal. Merlene Ottey won the 200 and the 4 × 100 meters relay.
George Headley
George Alphonso Headley OD, MBE (30 May 1909 – 30 November 1983) was a West Indian cricketer who played 22 Test matches, mostly before World War II. Considered one of the best batsmen to play for the West Indies and one of the greatest cri ...
, who was born in
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
in 1909, transported to Cuba, grew up in Jamaica. and lived in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
Sanya Richards-Ross
Sanya Richards-Ross (née Richards; born February 26, 1985) is a retired Jamaican-American track and field athlete, who competed internationally for the United States in the 400-meter sprint. Her notable accolades in this event include being th ...
won gold in the 400 metres after finishing third at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Richards-Ross has also won Olympic gold in the 4×400 meters relay at the 2004 Summer Olympics, the 2008 Summer Olympics, and the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was the best 400m runner in the world for a decade, ranking No. 1 in the world from 2005-2009 and again in 2012.
Several Jamaican-Americans, including
Jeff Cunningham
Jeff Cunningham (born August 21, 1976) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward. He is Major League Soccer's third-all-time leader in regular-season goals scored with 134.
Youth and college
Cunningham was born ...
,
Robin Fraser
Robin may refer to:
Animals
* Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae
* Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including:
**European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'')
**Bush-robin
** Forest r ...
, and
Mark Chung
Mark Chung (born June 18, 1970) is an American former soccer midfielder who played ten seasons in Major League Soccer. He also earned twenty-four caps, scoring two goals, with the US national team.
Youth
Chung was born in Toronto to Hakka Ch ...
have played for the
United States national soccer team.
There have also been many Jamaican-American
NBA players including
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...
,
Ben Gordon
Benjamin Ashenafi Gordon (born April 4, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. Gordon played for 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and he played college basketball for the University of Connecticut, ...
,
Andre Drummond
Andre Jamal Drummond (born August 10, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 2012 NBA draft with the ...
,
Roy Hibbert
Roy Denzil Hibbert (born December 11, 1986) is a Jamaican-American former professional basketball player. He is a two-time NBA All-Star, and earned NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors in 2014. Hibbert was the runner-up for the NBA Defensive Play ...
,
Andrew Kennedy, and
Omari Johnson.
Notable Jamaican-American
NFL football players includes
Patrick Chung
Patrick Christopher Chung (born August 19, 1987) is a Jamaican-American former football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Oregon and wa ...
,
Atari Bigby
Atari David Bigby (born September 19, 1981) is a former American football safety. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at the University of Central Florida.
Bigby has also been a me ...
,
Nevin Lawson
Nevin Andre Lawson (born April 23, 1991) is a Jamaican-born American football cornerback who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah State Aggies football ...
,
Orlando Franklin
Orlando D. Franklin (born December 16, 1987) is a Jamaican-born former American football offensive lineman who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Miami, and was drafted by the Denver ...
,
Kenrick Ellis,
Ryan McBean and
Laken Tomlinson
Laken Tomlinson (born February 9, 1992) is an American football offensive guard for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Duke. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2015 NF ...
.
There are also several Jamaican-American world-renowned boxers including boxing greats
Mike Tyson and
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. (''né'' Sinclair; February 24, 1977) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer. He currently owns a team in the NASCAR Cup Series named The Money Team Racing. As a professional boxer he competed b ...
Politics
Jamaicans have been involved in American political issues since the 1800s.
John B. Russwurm fought against slavery and co-founded America's first black press, ''Freedom's Journal,'' in 1827.
Ferdinand Smith
Ferdinand Smith (5 May 1893 – 14 August 1961) was a Jamaican-born Communist labor activist. A prominent activist in the United States and the West Indies, Smith co-founded the National Maritime Union with Joseph Curran and M. Hedley Stone. By 19 ...
co-founded the
National Maritime Union
The National Maritime Union (NMU) was an American labor union founded in May 1937. It affiliated with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in July 1937. After a failed merger with a different maritime group in 1988, the union merged wi ...
and was considered one of the most powerful black labor leaders in U.S. history.
Marcus Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African ...
became one of the most influential activists during the 1920s and 30s and it was Garvey's ideas that had a profound influence on the views of American civil rights leader,
Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
. Some academics and experts claim Garvey "helped paved the way" for the
American civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the United ...
.
Renowned Jamaican-Americans from this group include former
Secretary of State and four star general
Colin Powell, Vice President
Kamala Harris
Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th vice president of the United States. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well ...
, former National Security adviser
Susan Rice, "Mother of the Pell Grant"
Lois Rice, former Governor of New York
David Paterson
David Alexander Paterson (born May 20, 1954) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 55th governor of New York, succeeding Eliot Spitzer and serving out nearly three years of Spitzer's term from March 2008 to December 2010. ...
, and lieutenant governor of Virginia
Winsome Sears
Winsome Sears (née Earle; born March 11, 1964) is a Jamaican-born American politician serving as the 42nd lieutenant governor of Virginia. A member of the Republican Party, Sears served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002 to 2004. Sh ...
.
Science and technology
Walt W. Braithwaite helped transform the field of aerospace design, driving the development of
computer-aided design/
computer-aided manufacturing
Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) also known as computer-aided modeling or computer-aided machining is the use of software to control machine tools in the manufacturing of work pieces. This is not the only definition for CAM, but it is the most ...
(CAD/CAM) systems at
Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...
. Braithwaite also made a significant contribution to the development of the
Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES). Braithwaite's common data format and translators from Boeing were subsequently used as the basis for developing the IGES protocol.
Yvette Francis-McBarnette was a pioneering paediatrician who was the first to use
prophylactic antibiotics
Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, consists of measures taken for the purposes of disease prevention.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental hea ...
in the treatment of children with sickle cell.
Karen E. Nelson published the first ever comprehensive
human microbiome study.
Paul S Ramphal is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Surgery at the
University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...
and inventor of the (Ramphal) Cardiac Surgery Simulator. The Ramphal Simulator is used in the training of many cardiothoracic surgery residents in the United States.
Robert Rashford co-invented the world's first portable 3D non-destructive evaluation (NDE) system. The system was used in the maintenance of the United States Government's
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope (often referred to as HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most vers ...
. He also invented a protective enclosure for use transporting
orbital replacement units (orus). Rashford designed and developed unique spacecraft support systems for the
Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite
The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) was a NASA-operated orbital observatory whose mission was to study the Earth's atmosphere, particularly the protective ozone layer. The satellite was deployed from Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' duri ...
(UARS) Airborne Support Equipment (UASE) at the
Orbital Sciences Corporation
Orbital Sciences Corporation (commonly referred to as Orbital) was an American company specializing in the design, manufacture, and launch of small- and medium- class space and launch vehicle systems for commercial, military and other governmen ...
(OSC). At
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...
, he designed and tested a variety of spacecraft for both commercial and military applications. At
Bechtel Corporation
Bechtel Corporation () is an American engineering, procurement, construction, and project management company founded in San Francisco, California, and headquartered in Reston, Virginia. , the '' Engineering News-Record'' ranked Bechtel as ...
, he designed a nuclear reactor support structure. He has designed numerous highly complex engineering systems that successfully flew on board
NASA's Manned Space Flight Programs.
Mercedes Richards was a pioneering scientist who was the first
astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...
to make images of the gravitational flow of gas between the stars in any
interacting binary; the first to image the
chromospheres and
accretion disks
An accretion disk is a structure (often a circumstellar disk) formed by diffuse material in orbital motion around a massive central body. The central body is typically a star. Friction, uneven irradiance, magnetohydrodynamic effects, and other fo ...
in
Algol binaries
Algol variables or Algol-type binaries are a class of eclipsing binary stars that are similar to the prototype member of this class, β Persei (Beta Persei, Algol). An Algol binary is a system where both stars are near-spherical such that ...
; the first in astronomy to apply the technique of
tomography
Tomography is imaging by sections or sectioning that uses any kind of penetrating wave. The method is used in radiology, archaeology, biology, atmospheric science, geophysics, oceanography, plasma physics, materials science, astrophysics, ...
; the first
astrophysicist to make theoretical hydrodynamic simulations of the Algol binary stars; the first astronomer to discover
starspots on the cool star in an Algol binary and the first astrophysicist to apply novel distance correlation statistical methods to large astronomical databases.
John Henry Thompson, who studied and worked in the US, invented the
Lingo programming language used in
Adobe Director
Adobe Director (formerly Macromedia Director, MacroMind Director, and MacroMind VideoWorks) was a multimedia application authoring platform created by Macromedia and managed by Adobe Systems until its discontinuation.
Director was the primary edi ...
. The language is used for animation, web design, graphics, sound and video games.
Notable people
See also
*
West Indian Americans
Caribbean Americans or West Indian Americans are Americans who trace their ancestry to the Caribbean. Caribbean Americans are a multi-ethnic and multi-racial group that trace their ancestry further in time mostly to Africa, as well as Asia, the ...
*
African Americans
*
Jamaican Canadians
Jamaican Canadians are Canadian citizens of Jamaican descent or Jamaican-born permanent residents of Canada. The population, according to Canada's 2016 Census, is 309,485. Jamaican Canadians comprise about 30% of the entire Black Canadian popu ...
*
Jamaican British
British Jamaicans (or Jamaican British people) are British people who were born in Jamaica or who are of Jamaican descent. The community is well into its third generation and consists of around 300,000 individuals, the second-largest Jamaican ...
*
Caribbean immigration to New York City
Caribbean immigration to New York City has been prevalent since the late 1800s and the early 1900s. This immigration wave has seen large numbers of people from Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, and Trinidad an ...
*
Jamaica–United States relations
The United States maintains close and productive relations with Jamaica. History
Former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, Patterson visited Washington, DC, several times after assuming office in 1992. In April 2001, Prime Minister Patterson and other ...
References
Further reading
* Bishop, Jacqueline. ''My mother who is me: life stories from Jamaican women in New York'' (Africa World Press, 2006).
* Ferguson, Gail M., and Marc H. Bornstein. "Remote acculturation: The 'Americanization' of Jamaican islanders." ''International Journal of Behavioral Development'' 36.3 (2012): 167-177
Online* Horst, Heather A., and Andrew Garner. ''Jamaican Americans'' (Chelsea House, 2007).
* Kasinitz, Philip, Juan Battle, and Ines Miyares. "Fade to black." in ''Ethnicities: Children of immigrant America'' ed by
Rubén G. Rumbaut and
Alejandro Portes
Alejandro Portes (born October 13, 1944) is a Cuban-American sociologist. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and of the Board of Trustees and the Scientific Council at the IMDEA Social Sciences ...
. (2001): 267-300.
* Murell, N. Samuel. "Jamaican Americans." in ''Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America,'' edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 2, Gale, 2014), pp. 523-536
Online
{{Demographics of the United States
Caribbean American
Jamaican
American people of Jamaican descent