New Books Network Tyesha Maddox, "A Home Away from Home: Mutual Aid, Political Activism, and Caribbean American Identity" (U Pennsylvania Press, 2024)
Mar 31, 2026
Tyesha Maddox, historian and author of A Home Away From Home, explores Caribbean American mutual aid societies and their role in building community. She discusses archival discoveries, the central role of women in these organizations, connections to African and Caribbean traditions, and how aid groups evolved into political actors. The conversation highlights migration, kinship networks, and transnational Black politics.
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Mutual Aid Societies As Settlement Hubs
- Mutual aid societies were central institutions for Caribbean immigrants in NYC, performing job, housing, credit, sickness, and burial assistance.
- Tyesha Maddox found about 66 organizations at the Schomburg and argues their broad functions made them vital to immigrant settlement.
Mutual Aid Rooted In African And Caribbean Lineages
- Caribbean friendly societies trace to West African title societies and post-emancipation Caribbean organizations, showing mutual aid as a long-standing African diasporic tradition.
- Maddox connects West Africa, the Caribbean, and the U.S. to refute the idea these groups were mere imitations of other immigrant mutual aids.
Cross Community Alliances With African Americans
- Mutual aid societies fostered both Pan-Caribbean identity and alliances with African-American groups, visible in shared meetings and leadership overlap.
- Maddox cites cooperation with the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and members serving on both Caribbean and Black union boards.
