City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2-2015 On the Midnight Train to Georgia: Afro-Caribbeans and the New Great Migration to Atlanta LaToya Asantelle Tavernier Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/630 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] ON THE MIDNIGHT TRAIN TO GEORGIA: AFRO-CARIBBEANS AND THE NEW GREAT MIGRATION TO ATLANTA by LATOYA A. TAVERNIER A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Sociology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York. 2015 © 2015 LATOYA A. TAVERNIER All Rights Reserved ii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Sociology in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Prof. Vilna Bashi Treitler Date Chair of Examining Committee Professor Philip Kasinitz Date Executive Officer Prof. Philip Kasinitz Prof. Nancy Foner Prof. Charles Green Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii Abstract ON THE MIDNIGHT TRAIN TO GEORGIA: AFRO-CARIBBEANS AND THE NEW GREAT MIGRATION TO ATLANTA by LaToya A. Tavernier Advisor: Vilna Bashi Treitler In the 21 st century, Atlanta, Georgia has become a major new immigrant destination. This study focuses on the migration of Afro-Caribbeans to Atlanta and uses data collected from in-depth interviews, ethnography, and the US Census to understand: 1) the factors that have contributed to the emergence of Atlanta as a new destination for Afro-Caribbean immigrants and 2) the ways in which Atlanta’s large African American population, and its growing immigrant population, shape the incorporation of Afro-Caribbeans, as black immigrants, into the southern city. I find that Afro-Caribbeans are attracted to Atlanta for a variety of reasons, including warmer climate, job opportunities, higher education, lower costs of living, and opportunity for homeownership, but the most salient reason is race. Being black plays a significant role in Afro-Caribbean’s decision to migrate to Atlanta and in their experiences living there. Atlanta is a 21st century Mecca of black wealth, higher education, and power. These characteristics, and Atlanta’s large black population, especially its large number of black professionals, are attracting Afro- Caribbeans from traditional immigrant destinations in the US (i.e., New York City, Boston, Miami), the Caribbean, and other cities abroad. Afro-Caribbeans are developing their own communities, organizations, and spaces in Atlanta; however, they are also using their experiences and networks from their former communities to adjust to their new lives in Atlanta. Afro-Caribbeans’ reception and incorporation are greatly shaped by the presence of “visible” iv immigrants, particularly Latino immigrants, and by their relationship with the city’s large African American community. Though Afro-Caribbean’s shared racial status with Atlanta’s African American population has allowed them to seamlessly integrate into Atlanta, unlike the city’s growing Asian and Latino immigrant populations, it has not automatically granted them access to networks long-established by the city’s African American middle class. Over the past two decades, the influx of Afro-Caribbean immigrants, and a large, diverse group of other migrant newcomers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the United States, to Atlanta has triggered an unprecedented series of changes in the social, cultural, economic, political, and ethno-racial landscapes of the southern metro and has ushered in a new era in its history. v Preface Migration is in my blood. I was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the oldest child of two black immigrants from the small Caribbean island of Dominica. When I was 18 months old, my maternal grandmother took me back “home” with her as a surprise for the family which then sparked four years of traveling back and forth between Dominica and Boston, spending months at a time in each place, until I was 5 years old. Since then, I have seen my “home” in Boston become a first stop for several family members emigrating from Dominica to the US, as my mother served as hub for those looking to start a new life in the “states.” At an early age, I learned the processes involved in obtaining family-sponsored immigrant visas and US citizenship. I remember vividly when my parents each became naturalized United States citizens. My migration history and experiences have had a significant impact on my life, as they inspired my interest in migration stories and fueled my desire to further our understanding of the experiences of Afro-Caribbean immigrants through scholarly research. vi Acknowledgements Working on this dissertation has been one of the most exciting, yet also one of the longest and most difficult, experiences of my life. I am deeply indebted to the many people who helped me along the way. First and foremost are the four amazing members of my committee: Vilna Bashi Treitler, Nancy Foner, Charles Green, and Philip Kasinitz. Without your critical and constructive guidance, I would not have been to complete this project. For guiding me through the hardest, loneliest, and most stressful parts of the writing and revising process, Vilna in particular deserves my utmost gratitude and admiration; she taught me how to survive and thrive in life and academia. To have someone as talented and yet also down-to-earth and genuinely supportive as she is, always cheering me on (and making me feel like I am not crazy), inspires me. I also acknowledge the generous assistance of the Social Science Research Council- Mellon Mays Graduate Initiative Fellowship Program, University of California-Santa Barbara Black Studies Dissertation Fellowship Program, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and the Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate Program at CUNY-Graduate Center, and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Program. I want to express immense gratitude for the moral support and sustenance provided by the staff of Haley House Bakery Café in Dudley Square (Roxbury, MA). I am greatly thankful for the comfortable space and good energy that I got every Tuesdays and Thursdays (and other days) while I was writing, revising, editing, and trying to stay sane and healthy. I owe a tremendous debt to many people who assisted me while I was in Atlanta. I am especially grateful to the 33 Afro-Caribbean respondents who graciously let me in their homes, met me at cafes, and talked with me over the phone and shared their migration experiences with me. I hope that this dissertation does your stories justice. vii Kristy Johnson, my very talented dissertation editor, deserves enormous praise for going through my drafts and for helping me mold it into its current, much improved form. I thank her dearly for her time, attention, and patience. A host of people helped me, in ways both big and small, to either brainstorm ideas, listen to me ramble off on my project, or edit my streams of consciousness into something readable and coherent. They include Karen Rhau (nèe Quartey), Winston Thompson, Nazreen Bacchus, Kevin Moseby, Damien Schnyder, Ricardo Gabriel, Danielle Jackson, Nigel Rawlins, Elizabeth Hall, Dasef Weems, Regine Jackson, Violet Johnson, Sharon Robinson, Ricco Wright, Rati Kashyap, Abra Mason, Demond Mullins, Tamara Mose Brown, Carl Hart, Reena Goldthree, Tinia Snow, Kaleefa Munroe, Candace Arthur and Joseph Panchamsingh. I give a special thanks to the wonderful, intellectual queens in my Mellon writing/accountability group, Cassi Pittman and Marie Brown, for supporting me and keeping me on track. Your support through this dissertation journey is proof that the Mellon-Mays program truly is a lifelong network of support. I also must a give a special thanks to Zandria Robinson for reading several (rough) chapter drafts during her summer break and giving such insightful and helpful critiques, comments, and suggestions. If I have forgotten anyone, I apologize and please know I truly appreciate you. Finally, all of my love also goes out to my wonderful family and friends. My parents, Margaret Joseph and Edmund Tavernier, who provided unconditional support and love during the entire dissertation process, raised me in a culturally-rich Dominican community in Boston, and taught me to be proud of my Caribbeaan heritage. You both have ignited a lifelong passion for immigration studies and exploring the experiences of Afro-Caribbean immigrants and their children in the United States. Though I did not plan to move home during the final stages of dissertation, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to have spent so much time with you viii both at this stage in my life and career, as well as for the free room and board, dinners, life histories, and Caribbean words of wisdom. Not to be forgotten, I want to thank my countless friends that have provided their support and entertainment over the past 9 years, lending me a shoulder to lean on, an ear to talk into, food and drinks in my belly, a place to sleep, and a good laugh to remind me of the many wonderful things and people in my life outside of graduate school. To my best friends Thu Tuyen To and Aisha Cort, I am truly blessed