Florida’s Bahamians

On the flat, swampy farms along the eastern shore of Florida’s Lake Okeechobee, where the rich, black muck sometimes goes as deep as 20 feet, and the long green beans ripen 45 days after planting, the first group of Bahamian Negroes brought to the U.S. in World War II went to work last week.

To bring them over from their tropical islands 200 miles out in the Atlantic, the Farm Security Administration set up an air ferry service. The first two groups of 21, some dressed in dungarees, some in zoot suits, coasted in on Pan-Am Clippers. Then came a batch of 60 in a huge Army transport. Few days later, 76 arrived by boat; by week’s end 850 Bahamians were on their knees, pushing hampers between the endless rows of bean vines.

War has cut off the Bahamas’ tourist trade; most defense installations are finished. After months of unemployment, a minimum of 30¢ an hour—the prevailing rate—in the Florida vegetable fields looked mighty good to Bahamians. Florida planters, worrying about getting beans, tomatoes and sugar cane harvested, were equally delighted. Ever since last fall they had clamored for permission to import foreign labor. The War Manpower Commission turned them down, fearing a flood of cheap labor, finally okayed the plan. In the Bahamas, the Duke of Windsor did all he could to help.

Contracts call for the importation of 6,000 Bahamians; soon some 10,000 more workers will come from Jamaica.