Born in the Bahamas, Raised in America: One Woman’s Journey Back to Her Island Roots

Christmas has always been a special time in the Bahamas. For Stacy Campbell Marshall, it was one of the few times she could count on spending in the country where she was born.

My mother did not miss a Christmas in the Bahamas, Marshall said, remembering her mother’s love for the season. It’s magical here with Junkanoo and everything.

Born in the Bahamas but raised across the east coast of the U.S., Marshall grew up returning to the Caribbean nation for holidays and summer visits. Her birthplace was always present, but from a distance.

The Bahamas was more like, Oh, that’s where we’re from, she said. We go and we visit in the summer.

Photo courtesy of InspireHer

But by her 20s, the distance between where she lived and where she was born started to feel more noticeable. During one of those trips for Christmas, she attended an event where the crowd began singing the Bahamian national anthem. Standing among them, she realized she did not know the words.

I was like, wait, I’m born in this country, she recalled. This is my heritage, and I don’t know it.

The moment forced her to confront how distant that part of her identity had become.

My dad is Jamaican and in America, Jamaican culture is much more prevalent, Marshall said. There’s always a Jamaican store in the hood. There’s always a lot of Jamaican people around.

At the time, Marshall was building the kind of life many young professionals dream of having. Living in New York, she worked as a licensing manager for Sesame Workshop. On paper, life looked successful. But beneath it all, she was searching for space to breathe.

I thought it was burnout, she said. Now that I’m older, I realize I was overwhelmed with the responsibilities of adulthood.

She eventually took a sabbatical from work and returned to the Bahamas for Christmas, initially intending to stay only briefly. But once she arrived in Nassau, something shifted.

I got here and realized I want to stay, she said.

Photo courtesy of Stacy Campbell Marshall

What began as a temporary reset slowly evolved into an entirely new life. Marshall immersed herself in Nassau’s professional and cultural landscape, first working in public relations and radio before eventually landing a corporate communications role at Atlantis Paradise Island.

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For many travelers, resorts like Atlantis shape their first impression of the Bahamas  polished, expansive spaces built around escape and entertainment. For Marshall, though, living and working in Nassau offered a more layered understanding of the country beyond the version many visitors encounter during vacation.

Photo courtesy of Stacy Campbell Marshall

It also deepened her understanding of the traditions she grew up around but never fully understood as a child in the U.S.

There are so many things my mother used to do that make sense to me now, Marshall said.

Photo courtesy of Stacy Campbell Marshall

She recalled watching her mother insist on redecorating the family home in the U.S. every Christmas. Years later, Marshall realized it was a deeply familiar part of Bahamian culture. The Christmas tradition is widely practiced by families in the Bahamas.

It just made so many things come alive for me, she said.

Over time, Marshall also began her role as an entrepreneur. A bread pudding recipe taught to her by her mother eventually became the foundation for her baking business, Sweet Mouth, after coworkers began asking to buy her desserts. The Bahamas had finally become home.

This is where my husband and I have built a life together. We have two beautiful children.

Today, that connection extends beyond her own family through her work as an ambassador for the Bahamas’ People-to-People program, an initiative that pairs travelers with local residents across islands, including Nassau, Bimini, Exuma, Eleuthera and Grand Bahama.

Photo courtesy of Stacy Campbell Marshall

The program encourages visitors to experience the country outside of curated excursions and traditional tourist activities  something that’s especially meaningful for Marshall, given her own journey toward cultural reconnection.

I understand American life, she said. And on the flip side of that, I, as a Bahamian, want to make sure that people who come to our shores get the best experience that they can have here.

That balance between tourism and authentic connection is increasingly important across the Bahamas, particularly in destinations like Bimini, where developments such as Resorts World Bimini continue bringing international visibility to the island while programs like People-to-People offer travelers more personal ways to engage with local culture and everyday life.

Photo courtesy of Stacy Campbell Marshall

For Marshall, those moments are often what matter most.

We’re working, trying to pay the bills, but we also get to drive by this beautiful beach every day and stop there, she said. I love sharing that with people who want to come and visit our shores.

Returning to the Bahamas ultimately helped Marshall better understand the different parts of her identity American, Bahamian and Jamaican.

I feel blessed to have my hand in all three places, she said. It’s a very rich and full life.

Guest Writer:

Melissa Rose Cooper is an award-winning journalist, content creator and storyteller with over 20 years of experience covering culture, community, food, travel and human-interest stories. She is the creator and host of Runaway with Mel, It’s Pretty Good with Mel and Sharing with Mel, where she highlights destinations, local businesses, Caribbean culture and overlooked stories.

A proud daughter of Trinidadian parents, she brings a Caribbean American perspective to her work, blending journalism with personal storytelling and cultural insight. Her work has appeared across television, digital platforms and publications including News 12, Essence, Ebony, NewsOne, Consumer Reports, and various Caribbean-focused outlets.