What Joe Biden’s Win Means to the Caribbean Community
photo courtesy of Getty Images
written by Cassy
Saturday, November 7, 2020 marked a climactic moment for the United States. The Associated Press called the election for Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. making him the nation’s president-elect. From shock, to anger from Trump loyalists, to feelings of relief and victory for many —a wave of emotions swept across the nation.
A highlight for West Indian Americans is Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, the first American woman of Jamaican and Indian heritage to hold the second highest office in the U.S. This victory had ripple effects across the nation. What felt like a moment of victory to some swiftly turned into a contest-the-results campaign for the Trump administration.
[Additional Read: Making HERstory: Kamala Harris is the First Vice Presidential Candidate of Jamaican and Indian Heritage]
For weeks Trump childishly refused to acknowledge the credibility of Biden’s appointment to president-elect. While Trump continued to file lawsuits (many of which have been rejected by various states) President-elect Biden maintained he would work toward true democracy and unity in a divided country.
According to the Washington Post, after weeks of contesting election results in Arizona and Wisconsin, both states certified their results giving Biden the lead.
“The action came as Biden forged ahead with plans for his presidency, announcing a committee to organize his Jan. 20 inauguration and formally unveiling his economic team.”
But what does President-elect Biden’s win mean for the Caribbean-American community? For one, Biden has created an administration reflective of our nation’s diversity which is refreshing, considering the U.S. is still processing the death of George Floyd and digesting police brutality. The president-elect has also enlisted a female-majority staff for his economics and communications teams which is also inclusive of people of color.
I spoke to a few members of our community and received candid feedback on what Biden’s win means for them.
Shirley Dor, Founder of Haitians Who Blog, a platform dedicated to Haitian creatives said:
“The U.S. is the home to the largest diaspora of Haitian immigrants and their children. Biden’s presidency will humanize and change the landscape of the immigration system that largely impacts Haitian immigrants. Giving native-born Haitians and Haitian-Americans hope that they can continue leading a different life as America promises.”
A dear friend of mine, Mohamed Q. Amin, Founder and Executive Director of Caribbean Equality Project (a New York City-based organization advocating equality for the Caribbean LGBTQ community) summarized his thoughts on the election.
“There was a time in my life when I was ineligible to vote. I was embarrassed of my queerness and was incapable of authentically loving all of who I am. Days like today remind me of all the barriers I’ve overcome and the privilege I now have of being a voter. Today I marched into my Richmond Hill polling site with pride and voted on the Working Families Party in honor of my mother, one of my dearest friends and my undocumented queer Caribbean community. Due to the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant policies, many with a naturalized immigration status could not register to vote in the 2020 election. My mother was one of those impacted by this administration’s xenophobic and racist immigration policy.”
For many this election was about loved ones having the ability to live in a country free of negative categorizing and labelling.
Tiffany Manbodh, Author of “Forget Me Nots” and an active reader of Caribbean Collective Magazine shared her thoughts.
“The Biden victory symbolizes the opportunity to see people of color who are often marginalized, to be given the opportunity through the expansion of tuition-free colleges to enhance themselves from both economic and social perspectives. Kamala’s VP role is an emblem that people of color like myself and the Caribbean community can occupy positions that require immense leadership if that’s our dream. In essence, she’s a living representation that it can be done and where there is a will there is a way.”
Representation in the White House solidifies that diverse groups of Americans have leaders who represent their interests. For the past four years, we have heard the xenophobic rhetoric from President Trump. Many worried not only for themselves but their loved ones —people like Amin and many of us as Caribbean-Americans and immigrants.
While victory is sweet, we must continue to hold the president-elect and vice president-elect accountable and not be blinded by romanticized heroism. Both Harris and Biden come with a political history that has had its controversial moments. While many in our community feel the Biden administration is the better the option, we cannot forget both leaders have raised eyebrows with rather controversial statements and even policies.
Manuela Latchoumaya an activist in France and a Caribbean woman of mixed heritage gives us her opinion.
“I think Biden’s election is a massive relief, but I am not that optimistic or particularly happy about his election in these elections. For me,it was more about removing Trump from presidency. I feel the same about Kamala. It is a MASSIVE step in terms of representation. It’s huge for me as an Indo-Caribbean person to see a woman of Jamaican and Indian heritage becoming VP. But I also think it’s important not to ‘romanticize’ her. Yes, I’m happy to see a woman of color becoming VP, because it’s such an important event in U.S. history, but I also think it’s important to remember her record as an attorney.”
Latchoumaya is referring to Harris’ former position as attorney general.
The majority of the Caribbean-American community considers this change in leadership a victory. It is a major milestone, but it should also be a time for us to reflect upon the last four years and ensure that we hold our leaders accountable. While the Trump saga may be over for now, the fact remains, we still co-exist with Americans who support Trump’s problematic and dangerous rhetoric. Such beliefs have fueled xenophobia, racism, and sexism amongst other forms of bigotry. While the country still remains divided, is still healing from acts of violence against our Black brothers and sisters, and is in the middle of a resurgent pandemic, we must remember working toward a better future does not stop with a victorious election.
The U.S. needs to be on a path headed to reform and recovery. Maybe, just maybe, Biden will take us there.
*The opinions expressed by the writers in op-ed pieces and those providing comments are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Caribbean Collective Magazine. This includes its employees, directors, writers, and contributors. Caribbean Collective Magazine is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the contributors. It is not the intention of Caribbean Collective Magazine to malign any ethnic group, religion, organization, company, or individual. If you have a complaint about this content, please email us at info@caribbeancollectivemag.com.
