Rap lyrics penned by hometown hero Jay-Z cover the Art Deco facade to promote an artistic exhibit dedicated to the hip hop mogul. But Pendergrass feels more drawn to the weekend farmers market she frequents across the street, where tables loaded with fresh produce transport her back to her homeland 2, miles south in Jamaica. She picks up a yam, also a staple in Black American kitchens, and expounds on its use in African cooking.
She holds a bright-green okra spear and explains how her older Jamaican relatives, like countless Black elders in the U. She marvels at the way enslaved Africans — her ancestors and the forebears of most Black Americans — sustained themselves by transforming the worst cuts of meat into flavorful meals. Black people — be they in Jamaica or the U.
Drawing on an unprecedented poll, this series tells the stories of immigrant life in America today, putting their voices in the foreground. And yet, it feels to her as though some Black Americans look down on Black newcomers and resent them for taking opportunities they fought long and hard to get. Immigrants to the U. Census Bureau. Pendergrass, 64, who migrated to the U. She participated in a nationwide survey of immigrants conducted by The Times in partnership with KFF, formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation, that provides unprecedented insight into the 1 in 6 American adults who were born in other countries.
Those from Africa or the Caribbean experience a double burden of discrimination in the U. Black immigrants, for example, are more likely to report experiencing workplace discrimination and unfair treatment by the police. During two separate focus groups this summer with immigrants from the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa, several said they too have been dismayed to find that Black Americans treat them more harshly.
As a result, they avoid associating with that community. Immigrants in the U. She flashes back to an incident that happened on a crowded city bus when President Trump was in office. Let them go back to their country. One advocacy group said hotline calls from Black migrants are probably undercounted and called for more data on the treatment of Black detainees. How can someone who can also trace her ancestry back to the twin horrors of slavery and white supremacy see Pendergrass as an adversary?
