Guyanese American
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (208,899 (±11,894)) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| New York · New Jersey · Maryland · Florida · California · Texas · Pennsylvania | |
| Languages | |
| American English · Guyanese Creole | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity · Hinduism · Islam · Obeah |
Guyanese Americans are Americans who can trace their ancestry back to Guyana.
After the independence of Guyana from Great Britain, in 1966, Guyanese immigration to the United States increased dramatically. Political and economic uncertainty, and the internal strife two years earlier as well as a radical change in US immigration policy opening up opportunities to non-Europeans prompted many Guyanese who could make the move to seek opportunities abroad.
Many of the first Guyanese immigrants to the United States were of African descent. They were women who were recruited as domestic workers or nursing assistants. Prior to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 Guyanese of Asian descent faced immigration restrictions because of existence of Asiatic Barred Zone. However, many Guyanese who had studied in the US in the mid 20th century or earlier stayed on in the US; some, like Cheddi Jagan returned to Guyana. Shirley Chisholm's father represents one of the earliest of Guyanese immigrants to the US during the 20th century; emigration from Guyana at that time was mostly to Caribbean or Commonwealth countries.
The United States has the highest number of Guyanese people outside of Guyana. The Guyanese-American community consists basically of people of Afro-Guyanese and Indo-Guyanese origins.
As of 1990, 80 percent of Guyanese Americans lived in the Northeast. A large concentration of them can be found in the neighborhoods of Richmond Hill, Queens,Irvington, New Jersey, Orange, New Jersey, East Orange, New Jersey, Flatbush, Brooklyn, East Flatbush, Brooklyn, Rockland County, New York, and Schenectady, New York.
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