Recently bold headlines in Jamaican newspapers stated according to the 2020 US Census report, 1.2 million people registered as Jamaicans. At a glance this may sound, and it does, to be a significant population, numerically.
Beyond the headlines: digging into census data
But, on closer analysis this reported data isn’t correct. The number of Jamaicans, first, second and third generations far exceeds the 1.2 million reported in the Census report.
Jamaicans, and other Caribbean nationals, have been migrating in various waves to the US since the 17th century. The migratory trend from Jamaica to the US intensified significantly in the 20th century, as economic, political and security challenges increased on the island.
A rich history of migration
Initially settling in the New York Tri State region, ( New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) the population has spread exponentially over recent years to other states , notably Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington DC.. Most of those Jamaicans who came in earlier years integrated themselves in the US and have spawned second and third generations who although born in the US, often describe themselves as Jamaicans.
The quest for a Caribbean category
For years several Caribbean organizations have thrived to have the US Census Bureau’s census questionnaire amended to include a separate and distinct category designated as ‘Caribbean’. This would be similar to Question 8 of the questionnaire which asks: Is Person 1 of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish Origin? This question is further broken down to allow respondents to state if they originate from Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, or from other countries.
The amendment to a specific Caribbean question would ask If the respondent is of Caribbean origin, then broken down into sub-sections asking if the origin was Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados, etc.
Up to the 2020 Census, efforts to realize the sought after change wasn’t realized. The US Census Bureau did, however, amend question 9 of the questionnaire which asks: What Is Person 1’s Race? The subsections to this question asked whether the respondent was White, Black or African American, etc. In the category Black or African American, respondents were allowed to write in if they were Jamaican, Haitian, Nigerian, etc. While this could be considered a worthwhile amendment allowing clearer identification of an immigrant country of origin, focus groups conducted after the 2020 Census indicated significant numbers of Caribbean nationals, including Jamaicans, who completed the questionnaire, responded to question 9 as ‘Other’, not responding to the Black or African American sub section.
COVID-19 impact on US census participation
Another reason why the data from the 2020 Census is incorrect, and under counts the Jamaican American population is that it was conducted during the heights of the COVID-19 outbreak. Steps taken to control the disease spreading challenged the traditional door-to-door method of conducting the census. The alternative was to mail the questionnaire to residents. But the post-census focus groups indicated only 8 out of 20 Caribbean Americans or 40 percent responded to the questionnaire. Some people who had changed residential address never received the questionnaire, and many others simply refused to respond, or ignored the questionnaire.
Several Caribbean organizations across the US, using their own resources, made real efforts to get Caribbean Americans to respond to the questionnaire, but despite their efforts a significant number of Jamaican and other Caribbean Americans didn’t participate in the 2020 Census.
Several professionals and organizations who have conducted demographic surveys of Caribbean Americans, including Jamaican Americans born in Jamaica and the US, have reported the Caribbean American community to be estimated at 5 million, with Jamaican Americans estimated at 3.5 million. Jamaicans in the New York Tri-State region are estimated as some 2 million, significantly more than the 314,000 reported in the 2020 US Census. Also, Jamaicans in Florida are estimated at 700,000 much more than the 311,000 reported by the census report.
Caribbean diaspora risks significant benefit loss due to undercounting
It is a great disadvantage to the potential of the Jamaican American and remaining Caribbean American community to be under counted in the US Census. Many people, and a variety of agents rely heavily on the data reported in the census. This data is used for various purposes, including securing significant benefits.
The community risks missing out on some of these benefits, and having its impact as an important economic, business and voting group reduced if it is perennially undercounted.
Tributes must be paid to those individuals and organizations who strived for years for an independent Caribbean identification on the US Census questionnaire; and those who strived for the wider Caribbean community to participate when the census is conducted. But there’s much more work to be done, not by these individuals ad organizations.
The call for unified action
A much more organized effort, including a coalition of the Caribbean diplomatic corps, Caribbean American elected officials, business community, and the wider Caribbean American diaspora, supported by other ethnic groups, is required to lobby the US government to make appropriate amendments to the US Census process to assure the general Caribbean community, and each sub-Caribbean American community, including the Jamaican American community, is correctly represented and counted in the US Census.
