# Black America in Jamaica  
One of the more controversial recent additions to the Jamaican cultural and educational scene has been the recognition of Black History Month in February. During the mid- to late-1990s, many cultural commentators viewed local interest in this African American commemoration as further evidence of Jamaicans' interest in adopting anything emanating from the United States. For example, Basil Walters, a frequent contributor to the Daily Observer, ${ }^{6}$ argued that 'it has always been a part of  
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[^0]:    6 The Jamaica Gleaner is the country's premiere daily paper, and is the longest continuously published newspaper in the western hemisphere. Owned by a family whose holdings include longstanding sugar interests, the paper tends to reflect a more conservative position on many issues having to do with national development. The Observer, Jamaica's other morning daily, tended at the time this article was originally written to be more left-leaning, and reported more often on American (and African American) topics, including sporting events such as the NBA Finals, scandals such as the Jayson Blair fraud and the Kobe Bryant case, and musical collaborations between hip-hop and dancehall artistes. The Observer had also been more consistently critical of Colin Powell, who as an African American with Caribbean roots was expected to stand up for the region as a whole but who disappointed many West Indians by playing a role in Aristide's removal from Haiti, in ignoring CARICOM's collective stand against the U.S.-led war in Iraq, and in undermining support for the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.