Caribbean Culture in the Classic City: Students, Residents Reflect on Their Experiences in Athens

Even though it’s hundreds of miles away physically, Caribbean culture can be found in the Classic City.

Caribbean students at the University of Georgia make up a small population of the majority white student body. Despite this, residents and students get creative to find Caribbean culture in Athens. 

The Caribbean is made up of several islands and territories, but the main Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is made up of 15 member states and 5 associate members.  As of Jan. 26, 2026, the Trump Administration put immigrant visa suspensions on 11 of the 15 CARICOM states including family-sponsored and employment-based applications. This has raised concerns for Caribbean communities not just in Athens, but across the country. 

While UGA and Athens Clarke-County do not have specific data on their Caribbean population, about 10% of foreign born Georgia residents in 2023 reported being born in the Caribbean. This can make it hard for Caribbean students and residents to find people similar to them and find parts of their culture at UGA or Athens.

Here are perspectives from students and residents who are trying to navigate the Classic City.

Caleb Angus

Caleb Angus is the community service chair for the Caribbean Student Association (CaribSA) at UGA. He has a Jamaican background with his father being from Jamaica.

Q: What was your experience like starting at UGA? 

A: I was worried. In high school, I went to a majority Black high school, so I wasn’t used to seeing that many white people. So obviously when I came to UGA, it was like, oh, it’s definitely a shift. I was wondering how I was going to fit in basically. However, I knew the Caribbean Student Association existed.

Q:  What role do you think CaribSA plays at a predominantly white institution like UGA?

A: It’s so big. So with my first year E-board (executive board), it kind of created like a strong friend group because it was like all cool people, and it’s not just Black, because it’s Caribbean obviously, like it’s a wide range of people. Also sometimes if you feel like you need to perform when you’re around people that aren’t from your same background. So it kind of gives, like, a relief. I can kind of show my full self. 

Lee Alleyne

Lee Alleyne is a member of the Caribbean Student Association at UGA. Her background is Jamaican and Bajan with her mother’s side of the family being from Jamaica, and her father’s side of the family being from Barbados.

Q: What kind of diversity do you see within the Caribbean Student Association? 

A: It’s really a lot because I feel like when people say Caribbean they only really think of like Jamaica or Trinidad and everything like that, but it is so much more — a lot of LatinX communities. While the majority of the people there do have Jamaican descent, just learning about people from Puerto Rico or Dominican republic, we have some people from the Bahamas and Trini (Trinidad) and Haiti. So it’s kind of cool to be like, the Caribbean is all similar because people got there the same way.

Makenzie Joseph

Mackenzie Joseph is the external vice president of the Caribbean Student Association. She is a United States Virgin Islander with her father being born on St. Thomas and growing up on St. Croix and her mother being born and raised on St. Croix.

Q: What role has CaribSA played for you on campus?

A: I think that our role is appealing to those who aren’t African-American, because I think as Caribbean kids, even though I grew up here in the States, I think that even as a Caribbean-American my upbringing was very, very different from an African-American student, even though I am Black and I did grow up in America, so I am African-American, my home life was very, very different. 

Q: Do you think UGA is supportive of CaribSA and Caribbean culture on campus?

A: Yes, I think they actually do a very, very, very good job in allowing us and making it feasible for us to do it. Like We have CSE, Cultural Student Engagement forum and they do a very good job of making sure that we feel supported in our events as well as letting us know what we have like requirements to throw certain events.

Kelbourne “Kelly” Codling

Kelly Codling is the owner of Kelly’s Authentic Jamaican Food located on South Lumpkin Street near Five Points in Athens. He was born in Jamaica and has now been serving the Athens community for about 27 years, making himself a staple amongst the few Caribbean restaurants in the area. 

Q: Before opening your restaurant, did you see much Caribbean culture in Athens?

A: Well no, not really. I spoke with my friend and I told them I said, I don’t think there’s a lot of Jamaican or Caribbean people in Athens for me. Because in Stone Mountain (Georgia), it had a vast amount of Caribbean people. So you know, it was all good for me to have a restaurant there. So when I came here, there wasn’t that much Caribbean. 

Q: What do you feel your restaurant provides for Caribbean people in Athens?

A: It provides not just the food, but the service, the culture. But they come and they love what is here. For example, you have the CaribSA which is the Caribbean Student Association, so whenever they want something, we provide it for them. So it brings, you know, a lot of Caribbean.

Comments trimmed for length and clarity.

Noah Gessner is a senior majoring in journalism at the University of Georgia.