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Encyclopedia of American Immigration, 2nd Edition

J

by James A. Baer

Jamaican immigrants

Significance: Jamaican immigrants to the United States have had a profound impact in the United States through their intellectual, artistic, and athletic contributions. From the poet Claude McKay and the pan-African leader Marcus Garvey in the early twentieth century to Scherie Murray, who ran in the New York City Republican primary in 2020, Jamaican immigrants have enriched and challenged the culture of the United States.

Three Waves of Immigration

There were three distinct waves of immigration from Jamaica to the United States, almost entirely in the twentieth century. Jamaican immigration before 1921 was a small part of the massive influx of immigrants to the United States and included exiles who challenged British rule. Race has always been an important component of the reception of Jamaican immigrants in the United States. Restricted by Jim Crow laws in the South and racism throughout the United States, Jamaican immigrants settled largely in Southern Florida and in New York City.

A second period began when restrictive immigration policies in the United States after World War I, and then economic depression in the 1930s, reduced immigration from Jamaica. The McCarran-Walter Act in 1952 reaffirmed the system of quotas that limited immigration from Jamaica. Jamaicans were counted within the British quota but limited to no more than one hundred immigrants per year.

Jamaican immigration increased in the 1960s due to two events. In August 1962, after nearly three hundred years as a British colony, Jamaica won its independence. Jamaicans were no longer British subjects and now were restricted from emigration to the United Kingdom. In 1965 the Immigration and Nationality Act ended the quota system in the United States, giving priority to relatives of U.S. citizens and permanent residents, professionals and skilled immigrants.

Jamaican Americans

With nearly 1 million individuals of Jamaican ancestry in the United States, it is the largest Caribbean community in the country. As Jamaica is an English-speaking country with a good educational system, immigrant language and educational skills help them adjust to life in the United States. Although most Jamaicans are Afro-descendant and face discrimination and prejudice in the United States, their pride in Jamaican culture and accomplishments have helped them manage the transition to life in their new country. Many Jamaican Americans are well-known. Sports figures include boxer Mike Tyson and basketball legend Patrick Ewing. Colin Powell, and Susan Rice have served in high positions in government. The most famous American of Jamaican descent in 2020 was the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, Kamala Harris.

Further reading:

1 

Brodber, Erna. Moments of Cooperation and Incorporation: African American and African Jamaican Connections, 1782-1996. Kingston, Jamaica: University of the West Indies Press, 2019.

2 

Hahamovitch, Cindy. No Man’s Land: Jamaican Guestworkers in America and the Global History of Deportable Labor. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2011.

3 

Horst, Heather A. Jamaican Americans. Broomall, PA: Chelsea House Publishers, 2007.

4 

Martin, Tony. Race First: The Ideological and Organizational Struggles of Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association. Baltimore: Black Classic Press, 2020.

5 

Putnam, Lara. Radical Moves: Caribbean Migrants and the Politics of Race in the Jazz Age. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2013.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Baer, James A. "J." Encyclopedia of American Immigration, 2nd Edition, edited by Michael Shally-Jensen, Salem Press, 2021. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=AmImm2e_0321.
APA 7th
Baer, J. A. (2021). J. In M. Shally-Jensen (Ed.), Encyclopedia of American Immigration, 2nd Edition. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
CMOS 17th
Baer, James A. "J." Edited by Michael Shally-Jensen. Encyclopedia of American Immigration, 2nd Edition. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2021. Accessed October 22, 2025. online.salempress.com.