Black and Blue

In 1996, Cadogan left Kingston to attend college in New Orleans. He hoped to explore and discover the city that was called “the northernmost Caribbean city.” New Orleans was a mix of cultures and people. Cadogan wanted to see what new adventures were in store for him. On his first day, well-meaning university staff warned him about crime in New Orleans. They suggested he only walk in areas deemed safe for tourists. He dismissed this because crime was worse in Kingston. No one told him that because of his blackness, he would be perceived as a threat.

In New Orleans, white people clearly perceived Cadogan as a danger. They clutched their bags. They crossed to the other side of the street. They stared suspiciously. Cadogan was not prepared for this. In Jamaica, everyone looked like him, so he had never encountered anti-black racism. His black college friends mentioned that they got “The Talk,” a conversation during which parents would tell their black children how to behave around the police. Cadogan had to create his own survival tactics. He soon learned that an Oxford shirt and khaki pants was an outfit that projected innocence. If stopped, he knew to mention his college quickly and to thicken his Jamaican accent. These additional steps and the added danger of the police took away some of the joy of walking. One night, eight years after his arrival in New Orleans, Cadogan smiled and waved at a cop. The officer put him in handcuffs saying his greeting was suspicious.