A New York University (NYU) graduate, Reisha Phills lives in Crown Heights and works in corporate public relations. She is a founding member of Blackout Arts Collective. The following article was published in the New York Post on Monday November 12, 2001.
One of the best times to be in New York is on Labor Day, and the only place to be is on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn for the West Indian Parade. Known to many West Indians as "Brooklyn Carnival," the day is a special time for me to rejoice in my heritage, celebrate who I am and where I am from.
Best of all is that everything happens here in my back yard, literally: Living in Crown Heights, I am at the heart of all Brooklyn Carnival activities. While the American significance of Labor Day is a workers' holiday, for me, it is time to be with my family and celebrate the heritage of two islands: Trinidad and Tobago, where my mother is from, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines where my father was born.
Every labor day, my house turns into Grand Central Station as cousins and friends travel far and wide to share in the fun, the laughter and the music. The parade on Monday is the climax of the weekend, but there are a host of exciting activities leading up to it. Throughout the summer, designers from each island create beautiful and elaborate costumes in neighborhood lots and yards called "mas camps". Each mas camp represents an island: For instance, Mas Productions Unlimited represents St. Vincent and the Hawks International is one of the many that represent Trinidad. At night, the mas camps turn into "backyard" parties and fill up with people dancing to the latest soca and calypso music.
On Saturday, the festivities continue with the Kiddies' Carnival. This is where the next generation of paraders has its time to shine. It is always a fun sight to see these little children imitate their parents as they wind their waists and shake their hips. Many of them were not born in the islands, but looking at them dance, you certainly wouldn't know it. You'd think that you were in the Caribbean if it weren't for the Brooklyn Museum in the background.
After Kiddies Carnival, we hurry to get ready for the Hawks boat ride on the Staten Island Ferry. While dancing on the boat to calypso and soca, we take in the views of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty. It is a very nice feeling to be in one of the greatest cities in the world, embracing and celebrating my culture at the same time.
On Sunday, we take a little breather during the day and rest up for J'ouvert, a celebration in the streets prior to the start of the parade. Starting around 2 a.m. people mass on the streets. Some are men dressed as women, others are covered in mud or paint and walk rhythmically down the streets behind steel band trucks. The true die-hards party straight into Labor Day and go directly to Eastern Parkway. Make no mistake, the Labor Day parade is nothing like the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The streets here are filled with beautiful costumes and bright colors. Everyone is dancing, waving their island flags in unison, as large trucks carrying speakers fill the air with rhythmic Caribbean sounds. Some have the calypso and soca artists performing live on top. They excite the crowds by taking an island roll call. Everyone shouts back and competes as to which island has the best representation. "Anybody from Barbados?" the musicians shout. "Anybody from St. Lucia? Grenada? Trinidad and Tobago?" Trinidad usually receives the loudest cheer, but, this past year, I was happy to hear a strong response from St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
By now the streets are filled with dancers and the side walks are lined with vendors selling flags and head rags from all of the islands. And there's plenty of food, too curry goat, rice and peas, shark and bakes (fried dumplings) and codfish cakes. After filling up with food and looking at the costumes, it's finally time to become one with the parade and "jump up" behind one of the trucks. My family and I push our way through the crowds and become part of the flag waving, dancing frenzy of people. The song chants go "When they say flag, hold your flag: When they say rag, hold your rag: And wave it! Wave it! Wave it!"
The energy is contagious. The music is addictive. It's a taste of the Caribbean right here in Brooklyn.
