When I think of Labor Day, as a Jamaican immigrant, I automatically begin to sing the lyrics to the song "It's Carnival" by soca artists Machel Montano and Destra. Encouraged by the rhythm, I beat the tune on my imaginary steel pan drum while waving whatever object within reach in the air that symbolizes a flag or a rag. The 2020 Labor Day Parade, also known as the West Indian Carnival, which is held yearly on American Labor Day, has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA) plans to host the festivities virtually. The online carnival starts at 9:00 AM EST on Monday, September 7, 2020. The admission is free, and you can register here.   

Although there has always been an element of celebration, Labor Day hasn't always been associated with West Indian Americans, Caribbean heritage, vibrant colored feathered costumes, jerk chicken, roti, soca, and reggae music. The First Labor Day parade in 1882, consisted of 10,000 workers marching from City Hall to 42nd Street and focused on various union activities. Jessie Waddell, a Trinidadian immigrant, is responsible for pioneering the West Indian Parade in Harlem from the late 1940s until it transferred to Brooklyn in the early 1960s and is now managed by WIADCA. 

While you won't be able to attend the Labor Day Parade in person this year and party with millions of spectators and participants, you can jump start your virtual carnival by checking out the resources below. Immerse yourself in Caribbean culture, take a virtual tour of the various Caribbean islands, try a new recipe while jamming to the latest soca or reggae album. But, most of all, have fun and wave your flag! 

Newspapers.com

Newspapers.com is the largest online newspaper archive consisting of 300+ million pages of historical newspapers from 11,100+ newspapers from around the United States and beyond, with a special focus on full runs and portions of runs of well-known, regional and state titles in addition to small local newspapers. The collection includes a broad range of dates, mostly covering the 19th and 20th centuries. (Access to this resource has been temporarily expanded to NYPL cardholders working from home, courtesy of ProQuest and its partner Newspapers.com.)

The Caribbean: 7 Days  (available to stream via NYPL)

Haiti is the starting point of this journey in the Caribbean. Since the time of Columbus it has been the European idyll of paradise set amid a distant ocean.

One Love adapted by Cedella Marley, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Adapted from one of Bob Marley's most beloved songs, One Love brings the joyful spirit and unforgettable lyrics of his music to life for a new generation. Readers will delight in dancing to the beat and feeling the positive groove of change when one girl enlists her community to help transform her neighborhood for the better. 

Pepperpot: Best New Stories from the Caribbean

"This wonderful anthology of fresh voices . . . includes writers from Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago." —Booklist

Jerk from Jamaica: Barbecue Caribbean Style by Helen Willinsky

In love with fire and spice, barbecue fans and food lovers of all stripes have discovered the addictive flavors of Jamaican jerk seasoning and Caribbean cooking in general.

Afro-vegan: Farm-Fresh African, Caribbean & Southern Flavors Remixed by Bryant Terr

Blending African, Carribean, and southern cuisines results in delicious recipes like Smashed Potatoes, Peas, and Corn with Chile-Garlic Oil, a recipe inspired by the Kenyan dish irio, and Cinnamon-Soaked Wheat Berry Salad with dried apricots, carrots, and almonds, which is based on a Moroccan tagine.

Soca Gold 2019

Soca Gold is the annual collection of today's best soca music hits. 

Strictly the Best. Vol. 60.

Strictly the best includes selections from top names and emerging stars in the genre of lover's rock, roots reggae and dancehall. 

The Steel Pan Man of Harlem by Colin Bootman

A mysterious man appears in Harlem and promises to rid the city of its rats by playing the steel pan drum, in a retelling of "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" set during the Harlem Renaissance.

Constructing Black Selves: Caribbean American Narratives and the Second Generation by Diane McGill

Constructing Black Selves explores the cultural production of second-generation Caribbean immigrants in the United States after World War II as a prism for understanding the formation of Caribbean American identity. Lisa D. McGill pays particular attention to music, literature, and film, centering her study around the figures of singer-actor Harry Belafonte, writers Paule Marshall, Audre Lorde, and Piri Thomas, and meringue-hip-hop group Proyecto Uno.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!

Some summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.