Jamaican American
Notable Jamaican Americans: Busta Rhymes Colin Powell Tyson Beckford Sheryl Lee Ralph Sandra Denton Notorious BIG
Total population
Jamaican 736,513 Americans [1] 0. Trevor George Smith Jr, (born May 20 1972 better known as Busta Rhymes, is an American actor and Musician of Jamaican descent Colin Luther Powell, KCB (Honorary MSC, (born April 5, 1937) is a retired General in the United States Army. Tyson Craig Beckford (born December 19 1970 is an American Supermodel and Actor, best known as a Ralph Lauren model Sheryl Lee Ralph (born on December 30 1956 in Waterbury Connecticut) is a Tony Award -nominated American Actress and Singer Sandra "Pepa" Denton (born November 9, 1969 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican American Rap / Hip-hop Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21 1972 – March 9 1997 popularly known as Biggie Smalls (after a Gangster in the 1975 film Let's Do It Again 3% of the US population
Regions with significant populations
New York City, South Florida, Hartford
Languages
American English, Jamaican English, Jamaican Creole
Religions
Predominantly Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Jamaican Canadians, Chinese Jamaicans, Jamaicans of African descent , Jamaican British, Indo-Jamaicans

Lists of Americans

by U.S. state

by ethnicity:

African | Albanian | Arab

Argentine | Armenian | Austrian

Bahamian | Bangladeshi | Belgian

Brazilian | Bulgarian | Cajun

Cambodian | Chinese | Croatian

Cuban | Czech | Danish

Dutch | English

Estonian | Filipino

Finnish | French | German

Greek | Haitian | Hispanic

Hmong | Hungarian | Indian

Indonesian | Iranian

Irish | Israeli | Italian

Jamaican | Japanese | Jewish

Korean | Laotian | Louisiana Creole

Mexican | Native American | Hawaiian

Nicaraguan | Nigerian

Norwegian | Polish

Portuguese | Romanian | Russian

Rusyn | Salvadoran | Scots-Irish

Scottish | Serbian

Slovak | Slovenian

Spanish | Swedish | Swiss

Taiwanese | Turkish | Ukrainian

Vietnamese | Welsh

Jamaican Americans are Americans of Jamaican heritage or Jamaican-born people who live in the United States of America. The City of New York Phonology North American English regional phonology In many ways compared to English English, North American English is conservative in its Phonology. Jamaican English or Jamaican Standard English is a Dialect of English spoken in Jamaica. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth A Jamaican Canadian' is a Canadian -born person of Jamaican descent or a Jamaican-born person with Canadian citizenship Chinese Jamaicans' are the descendants of migrants and immigrants from China, who are citizens of Jamaica, or descendants of Jamaicans Jamaican Briton' or Jamaican British is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer to people who were born in Jamaica or who are of Jamaican descent Indo-Jamaicans', or Indian Jamaicans are the descendents of migrants and immigrants from the Indian subcontinent who are citizens or nationals of By ethnicity or place of origin African Americans Albanian Americans Arab Americans Argentine Americans Notable African-Americans or Black Americans For people from current African countries see lists for individual countries This is a list of famous Arab Americans List Academics Dr Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad teaches Religion, Science and The following is a list of notable Argentine Americans List Alejandro Agresti film director and producer This is a list of Bahamian Americans, or people born in the United States to Bahamian heritage No Original This is a list of notable Bulgarian Americans. List Asen Yordanov - aviation constructor with a global recognition This is a list of notable Cambodian Americans, or Americans of Cambodian heritage This is a list of notable Chinese Americans, who are famous have made significant contributions to the American Culture or Society This is a list of notable Croatian Americans: List Scott Bakula - actor Lidia Bastianich - acclaimed This is a list of notable Czech Americans who were born in Czech lands or are ethnically Czech acknowledging their English ancestory (see English American They must in other words This is a list of Filipino Americans, who are famous have made significant contributions to the American Culture, Politics, and Society Original Research policies -->The following is a list of Finnish Americans A French American or Franco-American is a citizen of the United States of America of French descent and heritage This is a list of notable Haitian Americans: List Notable figures Berlin François, Java Guru (works for cuny This article contains a list of notable Hispanic and Latino Americans, citizens of the United States with ancestry or origins in Hispanic America or Spain This is a list of Indian Americans who are famous have made significant contributions to the American Culture or Society Politically The following is a list of notable Indonesian Americans. List Arts & Entertainment Tania Gunadi, actress acknowledging their Irish ancestory (see Irish American They must in other words feel The following is a list of notable Japanese Americans who have made significant contributions to the United States, or have appeared in the News numerous This page is a list of lists of notable American Jews. The Jewish population of the United States is currently the largest Jewish population in the world This is a list of notable Laotian Americans. This list does not include Hmong Americans who can be found in List of Hmong Americans. This is a list of notable Native Americans (first nations and descendents List Athletes Notah Begay III Diné - This is a list of notable Native Hawaiians: List James Aiona, politician Daniel K This is a list of Nicaraguan Americans. List Patrick Argüello, considered a martyr of the Popular Front for the Liberation This is a list of notable Nigerian Americans List Arts and Entertainment Oluchi Onweagba model Gbenga Akinnagbe, actor This is a list of notable Rusyn Americans. List Juliya Chernetsky, Hostess of various TV shows on Fuse TV music tv network This is a list of notable Serbian Americans. List Nikola Tesla - Physicist Sasha Alexander - Actress This is a list of notable Slovak Americans. List Joseph Victor Adamec - bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of This is list of notable Slovenian Americans. List Louis Adamič - Author Mike Adamle This is a list of notable Taiwanese Americans. List Art and design Doug Chiang, movie designer and artist Academics Kamer Daron Acemoğlu, Charles P Kindleberger Professor of Applied Economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Jamaica (ˈdʒəˈmeɪkə} is an Island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the American citizenship is not a prerequisite of being a Jamaican American as permanent residents are also given this title. The largest proportion of Jamaicans live in New York City which has various of other Caribbean cultural elements such as food and music. The City of New York The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting There is also a community of Jamaican-Americans residing in South Florida and New England. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the

Contents 1 The first Jamaicans in America 2 Significant Immigration Waves 3 Reasons for migrating 4 Settlement 5 Music 6 Dances and songs 7 Cuisine 8 Traditional costumes 9 Health issues 10 Sports 11 List of prominent Jamaican-Americans 11.1 Acting 11.2 Aviation 11.3 Modelling 11.4 Music 11.5 Sports 11.6 Public service 11.7 Religion 12 External links 13 References

The first Jamaicans in America

The documented history of black emigration from Jamaica and other Caribbean islands into what is now the United States dates back to 1619 when 20 voluntary indentured workers arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, on a Dutch frigate. "Emigrant" redirects here For the Butterflies, see Catopsilia. An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands They lived and worked as "free persons" even when a Portuguese vessel arrived with the first shipload of Africans enslaved in 1629. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Since Jamaica was a major way station and clearing house for slaves en route to North America, the history of Jamaican immigration in the United States is inseparably tied to slavery and post-emancipation migration. As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another

After 1838, European colonies in the Caribbean with expanding sugar industries imported large numbers of immigrants to meet their acute labor shortage. Sugar is a class of edible Crystalline substances mainly Sucrose, Lactose, and Fructose. Large numbers of Jamaicans were recruited to work in Panama and Costa Rica in the 1850s. Panama, officially the Republic of Panama (República de Panamá) is the southernmost country of Central America. Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( Spanish: Costa Rica or República de Costa Rica,) is a Country in After slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865, American planters imported temporary workers, called "swallow migrants," to harvest crops on an annual basis. These workers, many of them Jamaicans, returned to their countries after harvest. Between 1881 and the beginning of World War I, the United States recruited over 250,000 workers from the Caribbean, 90,000 of whom were Jamaicans, to work on the Panama Canal. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The Panama Canal is a man-made Canal in Panama which joins the During both world wars, the United States again recruited Jamaican men for service on various American bases in the region. For comparison - population wise the Jamaican American population is larger than the Jamaican British population, however the UK has a larger percentage of Jamaican people than the USA. Jamaican Briton' or Jamaican British is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer to people who were born in Jamaica or who are of Jamaican descent

Significant Immigration Waves

Since the turn of the twentieth century, three distinct waves of Caribbean immigration into the United States have occurred — most of these immigrants came from Jamaica. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term The first wave took place between 1900 and the 1920s, bringing a modest number of Caribbean immigrants. Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting Official black immigration increased from 412 in 1899 to 12,245 in 1924, although the actual number of black aliens entering the United States yearly was twice as high. By 1930, 178,000 documented first-generation blacks and their children lived in the United States. About 100,000 were from the British West Indies, including Jamaica. The term British West Indies refers to territories in and around the Caribbean which were at one time colonised by the United Kingdom. The second and weakest immigration wave occurred between the 1930s and the new immigration policy of the mid-1960s. The McCarran-Walter Act reaffirmed and upheld the quota bill, which discriminated against black immigrants and allowed only 100 Jamaicans into the United States annually. During this period, larger numbers of Jamaicans migration to Britain rather than to the United States due to the immigration restrictions. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

The final and largest wave of immigration began in 1965 and continues to the present. This wave began after Britain began to restrict the number of immigrants it accepted from the newly independent, black-majority former colonies, whereas prior to that, as citizens of a Commonwealth of Nations country, Jamaicans and other West Indian immigrants enjoyed a relatively unrestricted ability to move to the United Kingdom. The 1965 Hart-Celler Immigration Reform Act changed American immigration policy and, inadvertently, opened the way for a surge in immigration from the Caribbean. In 1976, Jamaicans again relocated to the United States in large numbers after Congress increased immigration from the Western Hemisphere to a maximum of 20,000 persons per country. Although about 10,000 Jamaicans migrated to the United States legally from 1960 to 1965, the number skyrocketed in succeeding years — 62,700 (1966-1970), 61,500 (1971-1975), 80,600 (1976-1980) and 81,700 (1981-1984) — to an aggregate of about 300,000 documented immigrants in just under a quarter of a century. Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term

At present, Jamaicans are the largest group of American immigrants from the English-speaking Caribbean. However, it is difficult to verify the exact number of Jamaican Americans in this country. The 1990 census placed the total number of documented Jamaican Americans at 435,025, but the high Jamaican illegal alien phenomenon and the Jamaican attitude toward census response may increase that number to 800,000 to 1,000,000 Jamaicans living in the United States. Government statistics report that 186,430 Jamaicans live in New York, but the number is closer to 600,000.

Jamaican migration became so large that it caused a national crisis in Jamaica. The exodus has resulted in a serious "brain drain" and an acute shortage of professionals, such as skilled workers, technicians, doctors, lawyers, and managers, in essential services in Jamaica. For example, the mail often takes one to three months to reach its final destination because of a shortage of postal service supervisors. During the 1970s and early 1980s about 15 percent of the population left the country. In the early 1990s the government began offering incentives to persons with technical, business, and managerial skills to return to Jamaica for short periods of time to aid in management and technical skills training.

Reasons for migrating

Jamaicans migrate to the United States for many socio-economic reasons. Jamaica (ˈdʒəˈmeɪkə} is an Island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Migration is encouraged by economic hardship caused by a failing economy based upon plantation agriculture, lack of economic diversity, and scarcity of professional and skilled jobs. "Emigrant" redirects here For the Butterflies, see Catopsilia. Since the nineteenth century Jamaica has had a very poor land distribution track record. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar The uneven allotment of arable crown lands and old plantations left farmers without a sufficient plot for subsistence or cash crop farming, which contributed to high unemployment statistics and economic hardship. During the 1970s the standard of living declined due to economic inflation and low salaries. When companies and corporations lost confidence in Michael Manley's democratic socialist government and his anti-American rhetoric and close business ties to Cuba, the flight of capital from Jamaica and the shift in U. Michael Norman Manley ON ( December 10, 1924 – March 6, 1997) was the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica Anti-Americanism, often anti-American sentiment, is opposition or hostility to the people culture or policies of the United States. The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la S. capital investments worsened the situation. Jamaica's huge foreign debt and the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) restructuring of the economy further exacerbated the island's economic woes in the 1980s and 1990s. The International Monetary Fund ( IMF) is an International organization that oversees the Global financial system by following the Macroeconomic An increase in crime, fueled by unemployment and aggravated by the exporting of criminals from the United States back to Jamaica, forced thousands of Jamaicans to flee the island for safety. Unemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work but the person is without work. Today, unemployment and under-employment continue to rise above 50 percent, wages continue to fall, the dollar weakens, and the cost of goods and services continues to increase.

The Jamaican mentality that one must "go ah foreign" and "return to him country" to "show off" evidence of success has become a rite of passage for thousands of Jamaicans. This began when the United States imported Jamaicans to work on various projects in the 1800s and early twentieth century. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Before long, Jamaicans saw migration as an attractive solution to the harsh social and economic conditions on island. An economy is the realized social system of production exchange distribution and consumption of goods and services of a country or other area An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant In addition, many Jamaican students and trainees study at American institutions. Not all return to Jamaica upon completion of their studies. Many stay because of the lack of job opportunities at home and an entrenched British-colonial bias among Jamaica's elite against American education.

Settlement

Of the Jamaicans documented in the 1990 census, 410,933 reported to have at least one Jamaican ancestry. Of this number 94. 5 percent are first generation Jamaican immigrants, and the remaining 5. 5 percent are of second generation or children of Jamaican descent. The regional composition is as follows: 59 percent live in New York; 4. 8 percent in the Midwest; 30. 6 percent in the South, particularly Florida; and 5. 6 percent in the West. New York City and Florida have the largest number of Jamaican immigrants in the United States and Florida are home to the highest number of illegal Jamaicans whereas most Legal immigrants tend to reside in Brooklyn. Jamaicans refer to Miami and Brooklyn colloquially as "Kingston 22" and "Little Jamaica" respectively. Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. Kingston is the Capital and largest city of Jamaica and is located on the southeastern coast of the island country Accessibility, family connections, the help of friends or church, jobs, group psychology (including gangs), access to college and university education, and weather conditions explain the heavy concentration of Jamaican immigrants in Brooklyn, Miami, Ft Lauderdale, as well as along the eastern coast. College ( Latin collegium) is a term most often used today to denote an Educational Institution.

Jamaicans have a saying, "Anywhere you go in the world you meet a Jamaican. " According to the 1990 census, there are Jamaicans in every state in the Union. The census shows that regionally, there are 30,327 in New England, 223,310 in the middle Atlantic, 18,163 in east north central, 2,698 in the west north central, 121,260 in the south Atlantic, 2,882 in the east south central, 9,117 in the west south central, 2,696 in the mountain region, and 21,571 in the Pacific region. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the

Music

Many Jamaican festivals celebrate Jamaica's rich musical tradition. Jamaica (ˈdʒəˈmeɪkə} is an Island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. In the 1960s, Count Ossie merged native Jamaican, Afro-Caribbean, and Afro-American musical rhythms with rock and other influences to create a distinctively black music called "reggae. Jamaica (ˈdʒəˈmeɪkə} is an Island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. " This music, which the Rastafarians and Bob Marley popularized, is a plea for liberation and a journey into black consciousness and African pride. The Rastafari movement (also known as Rastafari, Rastafarianism or simply Rasta) is a monotheistic, Abrahamic, New Testament Robert "Bob" Nesta Marley OM (February 6 1945 – May 11 1981 was a Jamaican Musician, Singer-songwriter and Rastafarian Like calypso, reggae began as a working-class medium of expression and social commentary. Reggae is a Music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s Reggae is the first distinctly Caribbean music to become global in scope. Reggae is a Music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s The Music of the Caribbean is a diverse grouping of Musical genres They are each syntheses of African European Indian and Each August, Jamaica stages its internationally acclaimed music festival at the Jamworld Center in Kingston. A festival is an event usually and ordinarily staged by a local community which centers on some unique aspect of that community Over the five-day period, the premier music festival of the Caribbean attracts over 200,000 visitors. Each year it features top reggae stars like Ziggy Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Third World, and Stevie Wonder. This is followed immediately by the Reggae Sunfest at the Bob Marley Performing Center in Montego Bay. Reggae is a Music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s SunFest is a musical and art festival held annually on the first week of May in West Palm Beach, Fl. In the post Lenten period, the streets of Kingston come alive to the pulsating sounds of calypso and soca music. For nine emotionally charged days, local and international artists treat revelers to the best of reggae, soca and calypso "under the tents. " During this time, thousands of glittering costumed celebrants revel and dance through the streets in a festive mood. The National Mento Yard is kicked off in Manchester in October with a potpourri of traditional and cultural folk forms which have contributed to Jamaica's rich cultural heritage. Many of these cultural events are observed by Jamaican Americans in local public celebrations or in the privacy of their homes.

Dances and songs

Jamaica is known worldwide for its African folk dances, Jonkonnu and Accompong. Jamaica's carnival Jump-up is now very popular in Kingston and Ocho Rios. Ocho Ríos (also known by the nickname Ochie) Spanish for Eight Rivers, is a town on the northern coast of Jamaica, located in the parish The National Dance Theater (NDTC), established temporarily in 1962, is a world-renowned troupe that celebrates the unique traditional dance and rich musical heritage of Jamaica and the other Caribbean islands. Under the distinguished leadership of Professor Rex Nettleford, NDTC has made many tours to the United States, Britain, Canada and other countries.

Jamaica's most popular musical forms are Reggae and Dancehall. There is also others such as "dub poetry" or chanted verses, Ska, and Rocksteady, with its emotionally charged, celebrative beat. Jamaican Americans also listen to a great variety of other music such as: jazz, calypso, soca, ska, rap, classical music, gospel, and "high-church" choirs. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Ska ( pronounced /ska/ or in Jamaican Patois /skja/ is a Music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and which was the precursor Rapping (also known as emceeing, MCing, spitting, or just rhyming) is the Rhythmic spoken delivery of Rhymes wordplay and Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament

Cuisine

The national dish in Jamaica is ackee and saltfish (codfish), but curried goat and rice, and fried fish and bammy (a flat, baked cassava bread) are just as popular and delicious. A national dish is a dish, Food or a Drink that represents a particular Country, nation or region The Ackee or Akee ( Blighia sapida) is a member of the Sapindaceae ( Soapberry family native to Tropical Salt-cured meat or salted meat, for example Ham, Bacon, or kippered herring, is meat or fish preserved or cured by A large variety of dishes are known for their spicy nature. Patties, which can either be mild or hot and spicy, turtle soup, Jerk chicken, and pepper pot may contain meats such as pork and beef, as well as greens such as okra and kale. Spices such as pimento or allspice, ginger, and peppers are used commonly in a number of dishes. Other Jamaican foods are: plantain, rice and peas, cow-foot, goat head, jerk chicken, pork, oxtail soup, stew peas and rice, mackerel rundown, liver and green bananas, calaloo and dumplings, mannish water (also known as goat head soap), cow cod soap, and hard dough bread and pastries. Jerk is a style of Cooking native to Jamaica in which Meats, traditionally Pork and Goat but including Chicken, Fish Pork' is the Culinary name for Meat from the domestic Pig ( Sus scrofa) often specifically the fresh meat but can be used as an all-inclusive Oxtail (occasionally spelled ox tail or ox-tail) is the Culinary name for the Tail of a Beef animal Soup is a Food that is made by combining ingredients such as Meat and Vegetables in stock or hot/boiling Water, until the flavor Callaloo (sometimes calaloo) is a Caribbean dish that is most popular in Guyana, Barbados, Grenada, Haiti,

Dessert is usually fruit or a dish containing fruit. An example is matrimony, which is a mixture of orange sections, star apples, or guavas in coconut cream with guava cheese melted over it. Other desserts are cornmeal pudding, sweet potato pudding, totoes, plantain tarts, and many other "sweet-tooth" favorites. Coffee and tea are popular nonalcoholic beverages, as are carrot juice, roots, and Irish or sea moss, while rum, Red Stripe Beer, Dragon and Guinness stouts are the national alcoholic beverages. Red Stripe is a Jamaican lager-style Beer whose logo is a bold diagonal red stripe Guinness (ˈɡɪnɪs is a popular Dry stout that originated in Arthur Guinness ' brewery at St In Miami and Brooklyn, especially in the neighborhood of Flatbush along Flatbush, Nostrand, Utica, and Church Avenues, one sees groceries filled with a variety of Caribbean cuisines, including sugar cane, jelly coconut, and yams. Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods The most common culinary use for Gelatin is as a main ingredient in varieties of gelatin desserts. The Coconut Palm ( Cocos nucifera) is a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family

Traditional costumes

Jamaica's traditional folk costume for women is a bandana skirt worn with a white blouse with a ruffled neck and sleeves, adorned with embroidery depicting various Jamaican images. A head tie made of the same bandana material is also worn. Men wear a shirt that is also made of the same fabric. The colors of the national flag are black, green, and gold. However, because of the popularity of the clothes and colors of Rastafari, many people mistake Rastas' colors (red, green, and gold) as Jamaica's national colors. The Rastafari movement (also known as Rastafari, Rastafarianism or simply Rasta) is a monotheistic, Abrahamic, New Testament Jamaicans wear their costumes on Independence Day, National Heroes Day, and other national celebrations. In New York City Jamaican Americans participate in the Caribbean Labor day parade in Brooklyn annually and dress in lavish and colorful costumes during the Brooklyn celebration along Eastern Parkway.

Health issues

There are no documented medical problems that are unique to Jamaicans. In the 1950s and 1960s, polio appeared in some communities but was later contained by medical treatment. Since the 1980s, drug abuse and alcoholism have also plagued Jamaicans. Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions Crime and economic hardship have taken a heavy toll on the health and life expectancy in Jamaica during the last two decades.

In 1994, the government of Jamaica admitted that most violent crimes committed in the country are drug related. Violence is the exertion of force so as to injure or abuse The word is used broadly to describe the destructive action of natural phenomena like Storms and Earthquakes In the sociological field, crime is the breach of a rule or Law for which some governing authority or force may ultimately prescribe a Punishment Many of the Caribbean drug kingpins in Brooklyn and Jamaica were trained in the slums of Kingston. The distribution and use of marijuana (Also called Ganja in Patois) and crack cocaine accompany Jamaican gang members to New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, Massachusetts, California, and West Virginia, thus perpetuating drug abuse problems. Cannabis, also known as marijuana or marihuana, or ganja (from Hindi / Sanskrit: गांजा gānjā hemp) is a Crack cocaine or crack is a solid smokable form of Cocaine. It is a freebase form of cocaine that can be made using baking soda ( Sodium bicarbonate New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by

Sports

A number of Jamaicans and Jamaican Americans have excelled in international competition and carried home many trophies. Sir Herbert McDonald was an Olympian; Donald Quarrie won the 200 and the 4 X 100 meters Olympic Gold Medal; Merlene Ottey won the 200 and the 4 X 100 meters. Some of the world's most outstanding cricketers were Jamaicans; they include: O. J. Collier Smith, Alfred Valentine, Roy Gilcrist, Michael Holding, Easton McMorris, Franze Alexander, and George Headley, who was born in Panama in 1909, transported to Cuba, grew up in Jamaica and lived in the United States. George Alphonso Headley (May 30 1909 in Panama – November 30 1983 in Kingston, Jamaica) was a West Indian Cricketer He is Panama, officially the Republic of Panama (República de Panamá) is the southernmost country of Central America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

List of prominent Jamaican-Americans

Acting

• Tyson Beckford^[2]
• Michael Bentt
• Corbin Bleu (1989 - ) film/television actor (High School Musical)^[3]
• Dulé Hill
• Sheryl Lee Ralph^[4]
• Camille McDonald
• Delroy Lindo^[5]
• Grace Jones^[6]
• Carl Lumbly^[7]
• Madge Sinclair^[8]
• Shari Belafonte^[9]

Aviation

• Barrington Irving

Modelling

• Karin Taylor

Music

• Mýa Harrison
• Special Ed
• Thom Bell
• Stephen Marley (musician)
• Juelz Santana
• Sandra Denton
• Harry Belafonte^[10]
• Bushwick Bill
• Grace Jones^[11]
• Alicia Keys^[12]
• Sean Kingston
• will.i.am^[13]
• Busta Rhymes^[14]
• Winston Grennan
• Grace Jones^[15]
• Beat Prophets^[16]
• Canibus^[17]
• Chubb Rock^[18]
• Prodigy (rapper)
• Ernie Smith^[19]
• Heavy D^[20]
• Kool DJ Herc^[21]
• Shaggy (artist), a Jamaican reggae artist
• Notorious BIG^[22]
• Slick Rick
• Renee Neufville^[23]
• KRS-One
• Shawn Mims
• Black Chiney

Sports

• Ramon Bailey (1984 - ) soccer midfielder and forward, who played for the MetroStars of Major League Soccer^[24]
• Jeff Cunningham -Major League Soccer and United States national soccer team player
• Chili Davis - Major League Baseball star^[25]
• Robin Fraser -Major League Soccer and United States national soccer team player
• Patrick Ewing - NBA basketball player^[26]
• Patrick Ewing, Jr. - Collegiate basketball player
• Ben Gordon - NBA basketball player
• Rolando Roomes - Major League Baseball player
• Devon White - Major League Baseball star

Public service

• Colin Powell - 65th United States Secretary of State^[27]
• David Paterson - 55th Governor of New York

Religion

• Louis Farrakhan - leader of the Nation of Islam^[28]

External links

• najaa
• jamaicanamericanassoc

References

Louis Farrakhan (born Louis Eugene Walcott, May 11, 1933) is the Supreme Minister of the Nation of Islam as the National Representative

---

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic