profile

Carry On Friends

Introducing CDEM: A New Way to Understand Caribbean Identity

Published 5 months ago • 1 min read

​

Hey Reader

As you know this year marks 10 years of Carry On Friends, and I’m proud to official introduce to the world the Caribbean Diaspora Experience Model (CDEM).

CDEM is a simple, powerful way to explore how our Caribbean identity forms, evolves, and expresses itself across generations and geographies.

Here’s a snapshot of the six core lenses:

  1. Where You Start Shapes the Journey
  2. Where You Live + What You Seek = How You Connect
  3. Cultural Anchors Keep Us Rooted
  4. Your Identity Will Shift—That’s the Point
  5. Cultural Identity Influences How We Show Up at Work
  6. You’re Not Either/Or—You’re Both/And

As I’ve reflected more deeply on our stories, I’ve added two new sub-lenses that recognize:

  • The impact of when you migrated or were born (and what was happening at that time)
  • The spectrum of how visibly or cautiously we express our culture in different spaces

In this week’s episode, I break it all down and share the personal stories behind each lens—and why it matters right now.

​
🎧 Listen to the episode ​

Which part of the model resonates with you most? Reply and let me know.

As always thank you for reading and supporting Carry On Friends. Until next time...

Walk good,
Kerry-Ann
​
Carry On Friends + Breadfruit Media

1977 Ralph Avenue, Suite 433, Brooklyn, NY 11236
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​

Carry On Friends

Your Connection to Caribbean Culture and Community

Subscribe to the Carry On Friends newsletter for unique insights on Caribbean culture, with a special focus on the Caribbean Diaspora. Stay connected with engaging updates on culture, podcasts, merch, events, and more. Perfect for those passionate about Caribbean stories and community!

Read more from Carry On Friends

Hey Reader I don’t have words for what I feel watching from afar as Hurricane Melissa devastates Jamaica. As someone living in the diaspora, it’s a strange kind of grief - being safe yet deeply shaken. My mind keeps going back and forth between prayer and action, between helplessness and hope. Montego Bay is my hometown. Seeing the devastation across the parishes in western Jamaica's Cornwall County feels personal, almost physical. And while I wasn’t there to feel the winds or experience the...

about 7 hours ago • 1 min read

Hey Reader This wasn’t the newsletter I planned to send today. But plans shift when storms come. As I write this, Hurricane Melissa is moving toward Jamaica. If you’re reading this and have family or friends on the island, this isn’t a “thoughts and prayers” kind of moment. It’s the kind of moment where we hope they've prepared the best they can and we hold space for the anxiety that comes with waiting and watching. While I was texting with a friend they noted that I hadn’t mentioned the...

7 days ago • 1 min read

Hey Reader Hope you had a good long holiday weekend. Now that we’re fully into July and summer vibes, I’m sharing a peek at what’s on my current listening and reading list: The Gift of Rejection by Nona Jones (audio/kindle) Show Your Ask by Joyel Crawford (audio/kindle) Paradise Once by Olive Senior (physical book) Honeysuckle & Bone (audiobook) Brown Girl, Brownstones by Paule Marshall (audio, ebook pending— I should've finished listening to the book but the narration is not good. So on the...

4 months ago • 1 min read