The black experience in the Caribbean led to many issues that blacks are facing today in our society. The most common issue is racism and slavery in the Caribbean is the reason for it. Of those who survived the voyage to the New World, one-third landed in Brazil (60-70%) or the sugar colonies of the Caribbean (Mitnz: Digital History). It is estimated that 10 to 16 million African slaves survived the voyage. Surprisingly, only six percent of them arrived in what is now the United States. However by 1860, roughly two-thirds of all New World slaves lived in the American South. Slaves in the Caribbean faced many difficulties such as the horrible treatment by slave owners, hard labor, and poor living conditions. They also were the victim of discrimination and were treated in inhumane ways. .
Discrimination has been part of our society since the human existence. Since the initial periods of human existence, groups divided each other and developed prejudices toward others. As a result, they discriminated against those whom they regarded as different or substandard. Many attempts were taken to preserve or increase power, prestige, or even wealth. People within a certain group found it easy to invent or accept the idea that others were somehow inferior to them and thus not deserving of equal treatment. Among the many differences that could be used as a basis for discrimination, people quickly discovered that their physical appearance was the easiest to identify. It required no elusive analysis or careful observation, but only a superficial glance at those visual features that would later be used to identify "race." The shape of one's nose, color of one's hair, or even the color of one's skin describes the universal nature of what we now call racial consciousness. Slavery, in general, is a perfect example. Racial hatred dramatically grew in North and South which resulted in physical violence.
