This study examines the racial and ethnic identity preferences of U.S.-born and foreign-born African Caribbeans, and the extent to which social contextual factors shape and alter these identities. Using qualitative and quantitative data, we address the following questions: Are African Caribbeans more likely to exhibit an ethnic identity, a racial identity, or both? What contextual factors (i.e., socioeconomic status, social distancing, discrimination, and region) affect the way African Caribbeans identify? The results indicate that foreign-born African Caribbeans are more likely to adopt an ethnic identity while U.S.-born African Caribbeans are more likely to identify racially. In addition, discrimination was a crucial factor in the identity preferences of African Caribbeans across both the qualitative and quantitative analyses. The results of the qualitative study showed that African Caribbeans were able to negotiate between their racial and ethnic identities which were inherently shaped by residing in the Midwest.
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