According to various demographic surveys conducted among South Florida’s Caribbean population the median age of this population is approximately 39/40 years. To arrive at this median it means the population is skewed towards younger rather than older people. However, when one take a look at leadership in the community there’s a conspicuous absence of young people with an average age of 39/40.
The vast majority of civic organizations within South Florida’s Caribbean Community are led by men or women who are middle aged, approaching or over 50, or senior citizens above 55.
Whenever awards are given for outstanding community work and contributions by entities like the Jamaican Consulate in Miami, invariably they are made to members of the “older guard” with seemingly token recognition of one or two young people.
With the older guards in a definite transition phase there is genuine concern when they have gone off into the sunset who will be there to assume and continue leadership in the community. Without the youth stepping forward to be involved in community activities, the community has a serious potential problem.
The significant question is why aren’t the youth stepping forward? Undoubtedly, South Florida’s Caribbean community is characterized by extremely bright and talented youth, but they tend to stay behind the community scene, largely out of sight.
Among the reasons given by some of these younger people for their hide- and- go-seek attitude is, one – the older guard is tenacious, not relent willing to relinquish their positions of authority to give access to the youth. Another frequently heard reason is that the missions, or the ways and means of how some of the several existing organizations function is out dated, not in keeping with trends and objectives supported by, or relevant to the youth.
Those arguments may be valid, and are very similar to arguments postulated by young people in the Caribbean when it is queried why more of them don’t step forward to take their place in regional representational politics.
However, should a perpetuation of “them young ones” pitted against “those older ones” continue one cannot held but question what will be the future of the community and the future of Caribbean political leadership.
The simple truth is the Caribbean-American community needs its young people, and the ”older guard” must be willing and open to provide them access.
However, on the other hand, younger people in the community with a variety of talents, skills, and leadership aspiration must be assertive, show determination, initiative, and willingness to ensure their voices are heard and their actions are recognized and appreciated. They must not be reluctant to come forward. The Caribbean American, and the wider community needs the youth to step out and forward.
Furthermore, young men and women are not only needed to penetrate the ranks of the older guard that maintain the gates of existing organizations. They’re also needed to initiate new organizations with new missions relevant to the issues that directly affect the current younger generation.
For example, the intervention of social media is a powerful tool that can be used to pull a still too divided community together. This new social media is basically the prerogative of the youth, a potential platform tor pivoting the youth into prominent community leadership roles.
It is implausible to assume the youth isn’t cognizant that the older guard is passing and they are not willing to step forward in sufficient numbers to lead aspects of the community and ensure continuity. Surely, they can’t wait until the old guard passes.
Ironically, the legacy of this older guard is the perpetuation of a viable Caribbean-American community. Without the youth being giving access, or willing to ensure they gain access, there’s real concern where, or what will be the Caribbean-American community, in say another twenty years. It’s the youth who will be needed to take the baton from the older generation, if the race is to be continued, but the baton cannot be passed if the youth is not even in the race.
