#BlackLivesMatter Matters: A Qualitative Analysis of Afro- Caribbean Identity in the Black Lives Matter Era

• In Event: 2166 - Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 17: #BlackLivesMatter

Abstract

Existing research on Black people in the United States treats blackness as a monolithic identity. However, there are many different groups and ethnicities under the overarching umbrella of Blackness. Recent literature on the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has not taken into account the diversity of Black identities in relation to social movements and identity. This study provides another perspective of the BLM movement from those who are affected but are often not included in the conversation: Afro-Caribbean immigrants in the US. This study builds on theories that explain the circular relationship between social movements and identity. Do Black people agree that all Black lives matter? How do Afro-Caribbean immigrants feel about BLM? Does racialized violence unite or undermine racial solidarity? To address these questions, I conducted 16 in-depth qualitative interviews with Afro-Caribbean people in the US. I found that they do understand themselves to be part of the Black community, especially in the Black Lives Matter Era, but that the variety of understandings that they hold play a larger role. This study contributes to the larger discussion on race and social movements by examining understudied diversity in Black identities of Afro-Caribbean people in relation to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Author

• Ashley Crooks-Allen, University of Georgia