A recent newspaper article here in South Florida highlighted an explosion of Caribbean based websites based here in South Florida.  As a native of the Caribbean myself, I find this tremendously encouraging. It is yet another bit of evidence of the increasing visibility and emergence of Caribbean culture in large metropolitan areas.  Already with a similar climate and  surrounding shrubbery, South Florida has been called the “northern Caribbean.”  Broward County, where you would find cities like Ft. Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, Lauderhill, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines and Coral Springs, has become home to the largest Jamaican population in the United States surpassing Brooklyn, New York. Also expected is that Broward will also become home to the largest West Indian population in the United States surpassing Brooklyn, New York.

It’s rather refreshing to walk into local supermarkets and find products I grew up on back in St. Kitts (where I was raised) and St. Thomas (where I was born). It’s nice to see our flags blowing in the breeze at some car lot or dangling on rear view mirrors. Broward’s and Miami’s carnival has the unique position of being the only carnivals outside of the Caribbean that has the similar tropical feel many from the Caribbean remember from home. Tropical climate, tropical surroundings and the beach a few miles east of any location in the Miami or Ft. Lauderdale metropolitan areas.

Anyway, getting back to the websites, the article noted how these websites have become popular not only amongst Caribbean natives living abroad, but also amongst those born abroad to a parent or parents from the Caribbean.   They have helped to breakdown certain barriers that  have sometimes separated Caribbean people. It is not uncommon nowadays to find Jamaicans in Trinidad for Carnival or an Antiguan visiting an island like Dominica. Websites like www.Caribplanet.com has a dynamic success in that it caters to the wider Caribbean and not one particular island. The founder grew up in St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands yet you can find active members from Bermuda to Panama and points in between, all representing Caribbean culture (yes, Panama is part of the Caribbean also). There are active non Caribbean members from Seattle, England and Japan.

It is certainly clear we are a force to reckon with. Politicians are courting us and as of last year, Congress designated the month of June as Caribbean-American Heritage month. So with all of this in mind a popular Jamaican saying would sum it all up. “Wi likkle but we talawa!”