Immigrant Interview Valma Bass
The person I interviewed is a woman from the first national women olympics team, Valma Bass, also known as my aunt. She originated from St. Kitts and migrated to the U.S. Virgin Islands to get a better life and to be a part of what, at the time, was known as the “American Dream”. My family wanted to remain in the islands but still have the benefits of being an American Citizen. Education in America was easier to work with than the Eastern Caribbean standardized courses and my aunt received a better education and scholarships which essentially led her to get accepted into LSU and compete in the Olympics multiple times. A few blockages my family had when moving to the US Virgin Islands was the process of gaining the correct legal documentation, the process was costly and my family had money saved up but it wasn’t enough to cover all essential needs and wants due to the difference in currency value. At the time the Eastern Caribbean dollar to the US dollar was $2.50:$1 ($1 being the US dollar). Another blockage my family had during this process was that my grandfather, also known as my aunt's father, was an entrepreneurial immigrant and was working as a self employed mechanic to save up more money to exceed the US dollar which wasn’t what he was used to, though he is always able to adapt and persevere.
From a personal perspective, I’ve met lots of people in St Thomas who are from St Kitts, which gives me the idea that there’s a chain migration and cumulative causation aspect of living in St Thomas. ST Thomas is still so close to home while not having to move to the states. My family’s immigrant story is a bit different than others but still completely valid. I even learned about my own family through this interview. What I've concluded from this interview is that there should be more hometown associations for the people in St Thomas who have moved from St Kitts. This should be a universal aspect of migration