Mohabir Will Never Celebrate Indian Arrival Day: Indian Spice

Writing, Literature & Publishing assistant professor Rajiv Mohabir shares why he will never celebrate Indian Arrival Day in an opinion column on Indian Spice.

My family came to the Western hemisphere as laborers in need of sustenance. But while my family’s migration story might sound like it began with agency, this narrative devolves into one of dispossession and terror, with the lingering effects of colonization haunting us today. This familial haunting, this legacy leads me to ask myself and my community, why should we celebrate the beginnings of our oppression in the Caribbean while we still feel the effects of violent colonization?