In part one of our series celebrating Caribbean-American heritage month, we introduced UAB’s own, Pauline Ford.

Pauline is the Program Coordinator for the Department of Radiology’s Neuroradiology Fellowship program. Outside of that, she is the founder of the Central Alabama Caribbean American Organization (CACAO).

Born in Jamaica, Pauline looks back with gratitude at her upbringing. She explains, “Many people don’t understand the Caribbean is multiracial, multiethnic, and multicultural. When I went to school, my friends were Indian, Chinese, Black, White, and many other backgrounds. But we didn’t see each other like that—we were all just Jamaican. It wasn’t until I moved to the United States with my parents that I learned the significant role race played in every aspect of life. The irony being that for people who tried to live outside the box, now had to be defined by checking a box.”

For Pauline, this time came when she was 15, and her family moved to New Jersey. While being the only Jamaican made her an object of curiosity—others always requesting that she “say something”—having grown up with diversity, she was able to acclimate quickly to her new home. For Pauline, one of the most memorable differences was that in Jamaica, schooling was more formal and the teachers were highly respected. In fact, children would stand when a teacher entered the room. Pauline added, “It took some time getting used to that. I would look around and be the only person standing.”

After Pauline moved to Birmingham in 2005 to be closer to her daughters, she began to feel slightly isolated from the Caribbean American community. She began to wonder if there were other Jamaicans in the city. Inclined to help, coworkers and friends introduced her to another colleague from Jamaica. Soon, she was introduced to three other Jamaicans and one Trinidadian. Before she knew it, a small group began to form organically.

In 2010 Pauline organized a social, expecting 20 people in attendance. And to her surprise, 60 people of varying Caribbean backgrounds came to the event. With a clear passion for bringing people together and sharing her culture, Pauline officially launched CACAO in 2011 with their first meeting at the UAB Smolian International House.

When describing the organization, Pauline says, “I was very mindful of putting the board together. In Jamaica, alumni organizations are powerful. I wanted this organization to be similar to that—a community where people could give back and rely on one another.” Currently, board members consist of representatives from Jamaica, Panama, Barbados, Guyana, U.S., Bahamas, Dominica, and Trinidad and Tobago.

She adds, “For example, one of our members recently lost her mother. With no other family here, CACAO stepped in to comfort and help her through this difficult time. These moments are impactful for everyone because it reinforces the importance of community.”

Over the past ten years, CACAO developed to become a social organization of about 200 people whose primary purpose is to be a resource for students from the Caribbean who have chosen to pursue their education at one of the many universities in central Alabama. While fulfilling this mission, the organization aims to share the best of Caribbean culture with the local community.

Two of the most impactful ways this is done are through annual scholarship awards, which will be the focus on another blog post—and the CACAO Festival.

The CACAO Festival is traditionally held annually in June at Linn Park. However, the most recent in-person festival was held at Bessemer’s DeBardeleben Park in 2019, with over 5000 people in attendance. Pauline says, “The key to throwing such a big festival is to have something in the program for everybody. We host a family-friendly event that doesn’t have alcohol, but we offer lots of music, dancing, and activities for the little ones. We even had an officer with the Bessemer police department dancing and having a good time!”

Due to COVID, the in-person event was canceled in 2020 and a virtual festival was held in its place. This year, on June 12, CACAO will host their second virtual celebration that can be streamed from their Facebook account and includes music, giveaways, and guest speakers—one being Ulato Sam, a graduate of Morehouse College and UCLA School of Drama. Ulato Sam has also toured with Tony Robbins, Oprah Winfrey, and more.

Looking at the future of CACAO, Pauline hopes to continue building its network of members and students. For the festival, the group plans to return in person in 2022 and to continue working with the Alabama Bureau of Tourism—where it is already listed—to build the event into a travel destination that will drive revenue to the Birmingham area.