Calling All Caribbean Artists, Educators, Writers & More! Local Nonprofit CaribBEING Wants To Interview You

What does it mean to be Caribbean in Brooklyn — and the United States? How are “Caribpolitans” (someone of West Indian origin/descent living in a community such as Flatbush) received in mainstream America – and “back home?” What are some stereotypes faced by Caribbeans in New York and the rest of the country?

These are the sorts of questions that a local nonprofit, caribBEING, is hoping to talk to members of our local Caribbean community about.

Neighbor Shelley Worrell, the founder of caribBEING, wrote to us that:

cariBBeing is currently working on a new initiative, rePRESENT!, to record the experiences of Caribbean Americans in New York City. Over the course of the next several weeks we plan to do a series of video interviews with several individuals representing the Caribbean Diaspora. We are currently looking for Caribbean artists, performers, educators, writers and other members of the Caribbean community to participate.

The rePRESENT! project is part of The Caribpolitan Experience series, caribBEING’s newest initiative that is being led by Worrell and the nonprofit’s Natalya Mills-Mayrena.

The organization points out that with 20 percent of New Yorkers being of Caribbean descent, it’s incredibly important to “contextualize and preserve their cultural literacy while redefining the Caribbean immigrant experience.”

“The series will highlight the importance of embracing complex identities and cultivating social cohesion while still maintaining the idea of ‘back home,'” caribBEING wrote on their website.

The multimedia re’Present! project is “designed to capture and document diverse stories of the Caribbean-American community throughout New York City with a focus on Flatbush, Brooklyn,” the nonprofit wrote. Footage of the interviews will be show at future caribBEING events and aired on Brooklyn Independent Media.

Those who are interested in participating can find out more information here and can email zaira@caribbeing.com.

And, for everyone else who may not be Caribbean but is interested in hearing the discussion, caribBEING has a number of events coming up, which you can see listed here.