What is your family’s country of origin? Did they come from South America, or Africa, the West Indies or Asia? New Jersey has been a melting pot of world cultures for decades with people coming from many different countries. Is there an immigration story in your family, amongst your friends, or in your community that you can share? Your family’s journey to New Jersey to work and raise a family are interesting stories. For Black History month we will be blogging about our families’ history, culture and customs in New Jersey. What is your family’s story? Please comment here or post on your own blog.
Cleveland's Student Blogs
Student blogs from Cleveland St School, a K-7 school in Orange, NJ
I was born in Livingston, New Jersey, USA. But my dad is from the Virgin Islands. My mom is part Dominican Republic.
I was born in Jamaica. It is only rainy and sunny. When I was three I moved to the United States of America with my grandpa, aunt, and my grandma. My mother and my father stayed at Jamaica. My grandpa promise he would take care of me and he does.
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My mother grew up in Westchester, NY where her parents migrated from Antigua, W.I., built a house, owned a laundry business and raised seven children. My father was born in Tennessee but he and his six siblings had to secretly escaped to Dayton, Ohio on a underground passage because my grandfather had a dispute with his wife’s employer. My father and mother married when he was released from the Army and they moved to Montclair, NJ to a cold water flat and had to boil water for everything. They finally moved to East Orange when I was eight and my brother was 11. We were poor but I love my parents and only have fond memories of my childhood.