MA Candidate Candice Jaimungal recently attended an Indo-Caribbean Empowerment Summit hosted by the organization, Jahajee Sisters. Below, she reflects on her experience interacting with presenters, awardees, and attendees about gender-based violence in Indo-Caribbean diaspora communities. 

In the early research phase of my capstone project, I was unsure if there were any organizations dedicated to combating gender-based violence in communities like my own, Indo-Caribbean diaspora communities. My research led me to some harrowing cases and lives lost in the areas of Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park, Queens, all womxn who were murdered by the hands of their abusers, including husbands and boyfriends. These specific cases prompted the organizing of “Jahajee Sisters,” an organization dedicated to creating a space for dialogue for women in the community. “Jahajee” in Hindi means ship-dwelling, a historical reference to when indentured laborers were brought from India to the Caribbean on ships. The organization strives to give voice to their lived experiences, to break down shame, and to use art and activism as a catalyst for change. 

How lucky was I to discover that the organization was hosting its largest event of the year– just a few weeks after my discovery. Thanks to the SGPIA Travel Grant, I was able to attend the event, with a notebook, field recorder, and camera in hand. 

“Can’t Stop We: Jahajees Thriving,” honored four feminist leaders from the Indo-Caribbean community: Umila Singh, Veemla Persaud, Grace Aneiza Ali and Taij K. Moteelall. 

Umila Devi Singh is a community advocate, emerging leader, and chair of the Jahajee Sisters Grassroots Action Team. Umila is the Program Manager of SHE Co-Lab which is a product of her graduate MA thesis. I was grateful to hear the names which I now think about on a daily basis, Natasha Ramen, Guiatree Hardat, Stacy Singh and Rajwantie Baldeo, in a project of hers and mentioned throughout the event. 

Taij K. Moteelall was described as a changemaker, artist, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Jahajee Sisters. Victoria Veemala is a trans-advocate hailing from Guyana, who escaped sexual and anti-transgender violence, immigration detention, and family rejection. Victoria Veemala’s story shed light on the range of violence in the Indo-Caribbean community and the need for intersectional programming. Grace Aneiza Ali is an Assistant Professor/Faculty Fellow in the Department of Art & Public Policy at the Tisch School of the Arts. She is the founder and curator of Guyana Modern, an online platform for the contemporary arts and culture of Guyana and its diaspora.

As I spoke to fellow attendees I was pleasantly taken around to meet others, each open and eager to ask questions about my M.A thesis project. The attendee next to me graciously introduced me to her mother, who greeted me with, “You can call me Debbie, or mom, either or!” It was clear that this was not only an event for those affected and community members, but for families as well. A father at my table urged his son to remove the Nintendo Switch from his hands, encouraging him instead to listen to the presenter sharing stories of her mothers’ abuse. It was clear that the participation of future generations and the role of boys and men are necessary in order to incite change.

I was invited to another event for the launch of the project, “Routed By Our Stories,” an intergenerational oral history archive dedicated to centering the stories of womxn and gender-expansive folx at various intersectional identities. 

Overall, I had an extremely powerful and overwhelming experience at the Jahajee Sisters Summit. I walked out feeling optimistic about the community’s future, and even more driven to meet and interview the various womxn who had taken the stage and in true Caribbean spirit, the dance floor.

Each attendee was gifted a selection of poems written by womxn in the Indo-Caribbean community. I was in awe of how many participants were included in the booklet, I have included one of the poems below.