WEST INDIANS IN NEW YORK CITY AND LONDON: A Comparative Analysis

Since the beginning of this century, thousands of West Indians2 have come to live in New York City. More recently, since the 1950s, large numbers of West Indians have settled in London. Whether they moved to the United States or Britain, most West Indians have usually earned more money and maintained a better living standard than they did at home. They have not, however, succeeded to the same degree in both countries in reaching the upper rungs of the occupational ladder. How and why West Indians have fared differently in these two countries is the subject of this chapter.