Virgin Islands Americans are a group of West Indian Americans born in the U.S. Virgin Islands or British Virgin Islands and those individuals with ancestry from either territory who live in the U.S. states.
The U.S. Virgin Islands are an unincorporated territory of the United States. Individuals born in the U.S. Virgin Islands on or after January 17, 1917 are U.S. citizens. As a result, U.S. Virgin Islanders do not go through the legal immigration procedures that most other West Indian immigrants would. However, the British Virgin Islands are a British Overseas Territory. As a result, British Virgin Islanders are required to go through legal immigration procedures when entering the United States.
Demographics Virgin Islands Americans include those with ancestry from both the U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands. Many of them concentrate in areas with large West Indian communities, such as in New York, Florida, and Georgia.
Population by state Relative to the population of each state State/territory 2020 census: U.S. Virgin Islander % (2020) 2020 census: British Virgin Islander % (2020) 76 0.09% 2 0.0% 13 0.02% n/a n/a 76 0.09% 0 0.0% 11 0.02% n/a n/a 323 0.38% 28 0.08% 107 0.13% 3 0.0% 216 0.25% 10 0.03% 46 0.06% 4 0.02% 39 0.05% 1 0.0% 3,639 4.18% 155 0.42% Georgia 1,365 1.57% 49 0.14% 13 0.02% 0 0.0% 2 0.0% n/a n/a 94 0.11% 2 0.0% 41 0.05% 3 0.0% 15 0.02% 2 0.0% 11 0.02% 0 0.0% 40 0.05% 3 0.0% 83 0.10% 0 0.0% 13 0.02% 0 0.0% 455 0.53% 25 0.07% 297 0.35% 40 0.11% 79 0.10% 3 0.0% 39 0.05% 3 0.0% 8 0.0% 0 0.0% 23 0.03% 4 0.0% 5 0.0% 0 0.0% 6 0.0% n/a n/a 55 0.07% n/a n/a 47 0.06% n/a n/a 403 0.47% 27 0.08% 13 0.02% 2 0.0% 1,281 1.47% 135 0.37% 461 0.53% 13 0.04% 0 0.0% 1 0.0% 93 0.11% 4 0.02% 48 0.06% n/a n/a 25 0.03% 2 0.0% 439 0.51% 12 0.04% 80 0.10% 14 0.04% 44 0.06% 10 0.03% 86 0.10% 3 0.0% 4 0.0% 3 0.0% 69 0.08% 4 0.02% 913 1.05% 15 0.05% 7 0.0% n/a n/a 8 0.0% n/a n/a 391 0.45% 15 0.05% 115 0.14% 2 0.0% 6 0.0% 2 0.0% 22 0.03% 5 0.02% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 11,745 13.48% 606 1.64%
New York During the 1920s, a large influx of Virgin Islanders migrated to New York City in search of jobs and economic opportunities. In 1925, the population of native islanders in the city was 8,000 alone. However, while living in Harlem, Virgin Islanders encountered deeper racial tensions than what was felt on the islands. This led to the Harlem Renaissance, in which Casper Holstein, Hubert Harrison, Ashley Totten and Frank Crosswaith joined other Caribbean migrants to advocate for equal rights in their community. New York City is historically known to be the first stop city for Virgin Islanders, and remains so today. The 2020 census estimated that 1,281 Virgin Islanders resided in New York state.
Florida According to the 2020 census, Florida has the highest population of Virgin Islanders in any state throughout the country. New York and Georgia rank second and third. Recent data have shown Orange County particularly Metro Orlando (248), Pine Hills (189), Oak Ridge (27), and Apopka (33) to be the most settled region for Virgin Islanders not only in Florida but the entire United States. Other regions with a large Virgin Islander population include Ft. Lauderdale and Jacksonville. Many high school students from the Virgin Islands have attended Bethune–Cookman University in Daytona Beach, and many carnival troupes take part in the Orlando Carnival activities each May.
Notable people
Actors Wayne Brady (born 1972), actor; born in Georgia Lisa Canning (born 1966), television actress; born on St. Thomas Kelsey Grammer (born 1955), actor; born on St. Thomas Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (born 1953), actor; born in New York City Hannah Jeter (born 1990), model and television host; born on St. Thomas Jasmin St. Claire (born 1972), adult film actress; born in Christiansted, St. Croix Joan Smalls (born 1988), model and television personality; father from St. Thomas Karrine Steffans (born 1978), New York Times bestselling author, former hip hop music video performer, actress; born on St. Thomas
Artists Fraser Kershaw, philanthropist, film artist
Athletes Raja Bell (born 1976), basketball player; born on St. Croix Tombi Bell (born 1979), basketball player, who last played for the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA; born on St. Croix Aliyah Boston (born 2001), basketball player currently with the Indiana Fever of the WNBA; born on St. Thomas Joe Christopher (born 1935), the first Virgin Islander to play in Major League Baseball; born in Frederiksted, St. Croix Midre Cummings (born 1971), baseball player; born on St. Croix Tim Duncan (born 1976), Hall of Fame basketball player who spent his entire NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs; born in Christiansted, St. Croix Emile Griffith (1938–2013), boxer; born on St. Thomas Elrod Hendricks (1940–2005), Minor League Baseball player and coach; born in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas Julian Jackson (born 1960), boxer; born on St. Thomas Alex McFarlane (born 2001), Major League Baseball player; born on St. Thomas Calvin Pickering (born 1976), baseball player; born on St. Thomas J'Wan Roberts (born 2001), basketball player with Houston Cougars of the Big 12 Conference; born on St. Thomas Sugar Ray Seales (born 1952), 1972 Olympic gold medalist (139 lbs.) boxer; born on St. Croix Darnell Sweeney (born 1991), Major League Baseball player; father born in the British Virgin Islands
Musicians Alton Adams (1889–1987), musician, first black bandmaster in the United States Navy; born in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas Bennie Benjamin (1907–1989), composer, songwriter, philanthropist; born in Christiansted, St. Croix Jon Lucien, jazz musician; born on Tortola, raised on St. Thomas Rock City, a musical duo of composed brothers Timothy and Theron Thomas, born on St. Thomas Sonny Rollins, jazz musician; born in New York, of St. Thomas (mother) and St. Croix (father) descent Verse Simmonds, singer, rapper, and producer; born in Puerto Rico, raised on St. Thomas
Political leaders Judah P. Benjamin (1811–1884), Secretary of the Treasury, Confederate States of America; born in Christiansted, St. Croix Frank Rudolph Crosswaith (1892–1965), socialist and labor leader; born in Frederiksted, St. Croix Donna Christensen (born 1945), former US House delegate for the U.S. Virgin Islands; born in New Jersey Octavius C. Granady (1885-1928), lawyer, civil rights activist, and politician; born in Christiansted, St. Croix Alexander Hamilton (1755–1804), first United States Secretary of the Treasury, an American "Founding Father", economist, and political philosopher; born in Nevis, raised on St. Croix Hubert Henry Harrison (1883–1927), orator, political activist; born in St. Croix Elizabeth Anna Hendrickson (1884–1946), civil rights leader; born in St. Croix Casper Holstein (born 1888), humanitarian; born in St. Croix Roy Innis (born 1934), African-American activist, civil rights leader; born in St. Croix Kenneth Mapp (born 1955), former governor, lieutenant governor and senator of the U.S. Virgin Islands; born in New York City J. Raymond Jones (1899–1991), political leader, humanitarian; born in St. Thomas John de Jongh (born 1957), past governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, former financial executive; born in St. Thomas Neville James, former senator of the U.S. Virgin Islands from St. Croix; born in New York City William Leidesdorff (1810–1848), entrepreneur; born in St. Croix Ruby Margaret Rouss (1921–1988) first black woman to be elected to preside over a state legislature; born in St. Croix Stacey Plaskett (born 1966), current US House delegate for the U.S. Virgin Islands; born in New York City Usie Richards (born 1956), former senator of the U.S. Virgin Islands from St. Croix; born in New York City Terence Todman (born 1926), ambassador; born in the U.S. Virgin Islands Denmark Vesey (1767–1822), slave revolt leader; born on St. Thomas David Levy Yulee (1810–1886), U.S. Senator; born on St. Thomas
Writers and intellectuals Barbara Christian (1943–2000), educator, feminist critic; born on St. Thomas Cadwell Turnbull (born 1987), writer; grew up in St. Thomas, parents from St. Thomas Tiphanie Yanique (born 1978), fiction writer, poet, essayist; born on St. Thomas
News media personalities Candace Owens (born 1989), conservative news commentator, Turning Point USA co-founder, YouTube personality; grandmother from St. Thomas
See also West Indian Americans Stateside Puerto Ricans
References