For this family history project i decided to interview my dad and my grandmother about the history of the Virgin Islands. One of my questions were "Was the Virgin Islands somewhat independent at one point?" My father told me " The Virgin Islands was very much Independent year before Columbus discovered it."That question was very important for me to know because Jamaica is an independent country; and is not to far from the Virgin Islands. I always wondered why Jamaica never got bought by the United States as well. Jamaica was owned buy the Queen of England so United States had no interest in taking it away. I also, Wanted to know the background of west Indian people and were the name came from. I wanted to find out whether or not there was decriminalization or racism in the West Indies. Ever since the discussion that took place in my History Class about Haiti's History i wanted to find out from my father if the was any slavery in the Virgin Islands.
"The West Indies refers to... when Columbus arrived he saw Indians occupying the whole portion of the Island..." When my father told me that I was very impressed because when i meet a lot of people that ask me "What are you mixed with?" ... my father said that years before when slavery was just started most of the Indians that occupied the Islands were all dead; The Spanish killed the Indians. So when people asked me what my culture is I say that I am West Indian and others.
Years before slavery " on the Virgin Islands you had Indians that were called Carib-Indians." The Carib people were very protective of their culture. "They were aggressive than the Indians that were on the continent of the United Sates." The Carib-Indians were very aggressive people who would attacked you instantly if you tried to hurt them..."they were like warriors (that was in the early 1400's)"
It was going back in forth in terms of who owned the Virgin Islands "The Virgin Islands was owned by the Spaniards, than the Spanish sold it and than the Danish bought and than the Danish sold it and the Spaniards bought it back and than they sold back to the Danish and; Finally the United States bought it in the 1900's."The United States had not only took over the Virgin Islands but also Puerto Rico. The people who live on the Islands don't need to have papers that show they are natural citizens; they don't have to apply for natural citizenship in the United States.For all the Carribean Islands there was trading post for slavery. "Some of those place were "Haiti, Saint Vincent, Saint Kites, The Bahamas, Aruba, Puerto Rico, Saint John... there just so many islands... they all have a high level of blacks because there was so many trading post for slaves." People in the United Sates would send slaves from Louisiana, Mississippi, Atlanta, etc. to the Carribean that were very difficult to the to disipline.
My father didnt have any major problems in the Virgin Islands that he did when he came to the United States. " I didn't have any bad experiences that the blacks in United States tend to have... there was not a high level of racism... there was some desriminization but since it was prodomenitly black people on the Island you didn't have the issue of white people offending you as a black person... it was unheard of... naturally we would stand up for ourselves, if they attacked us we would attack them..." It's great to here that my Culture would stand up for themelves also for loving who they are. My dad told me that when other people ask a West Indian person what they are mixed with they say "West Indian"; they're proud of there culture and I am proud to hear that. "When I came to the United States I didn't have much understanding of foul language and abusive and racial tone... I didn't have that experience on the Virgin Islands... I didn't have that experience... in the United States people were very degraded.
All over the Carribean they had special traditions and they each have a carnival.
The Virgin Islands have a special holiday that they celebrate called "Three Kings Day... because the Virgin Islands is mainly surrounded by the Ocean they cook a lot of fish, Crab, Lobsters is not something really big in the Carribean Islands, Jerk Chicken, they cook Goat, Tarts, etc.My father doesn't like the Virgin Islands flag because when the United States took over the Virgin Islands and made it United States territory, the eagle on the flag represents the "prey." We are not the prey and we have been seen that way for many years. There are thing that people do to make the flag look better and that adding there own slagans despite the orginal flag. 
I am so happy that my father told me about of family history because I've never been to the Virgin Islands before and really want to go. My father told me that he will take me to the Virgin Islands so that I can see what the community is like. I've learned so much from this Family History project. I was every shocked when my father told me that there was not much descrimination in Virgin Islands as much as it was in the United States. I respect that Carribean people are very protective of the culture and themselves; they're afraid to stand up for what they believe in. History should be told by the people who have exoperienced it not the people that etheir won the war or were apart of it. I talk to my father and my grandmother about traditional West Inidian food, or traditional holiday's, our countries flag, etc. I feel that it is important to know about your culture and what it is about. I am proud of my culture because it is apart of my, my culture is beautiful.
