For a history of Afro-Caribbean people in the UK, see British African Caribbean community.
Afro-Caribbean history (or African-Caribbean history) is the portion of Caribbean history that specifically discusses the Afro-Caribbean or Black racial (or ethnic) populations of the Caribbean region. Most Afro-Caribbean People are the descendants of captive Africans held in the Caribbean from 1502 to 1886 during the era of the Atlantic slave trade.
Black people from the Caribbean who have migrated (voluntarily, or by force) to the U.S., Canada, Europe, Africa and elsewhere add a significant Diaspora element to Afro-Caribbean history. Because of the complex history of the region, many people who identify as Afro-Caribbean also have European, Middle Eastern, Taino, Chinese and/or East Indian genealogies.
It is these peoples, who in the past were referred to and self-identified collectively as Coloured, Black or Negro West Indians, who now generally consider themselves to be black, mixed heritage, creole or African descendant people in the Caribbean and its Diasporas. Their history has been studied by historians such as C. L. R. James (author of The Black Jacobins), Eric Williams and Peter Fryer (Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain) – and it is their history that is the focus of this article.