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Socially responsible investing
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Alternative Energy: One of many forms of sustainable investing
Socially responsible investing (SRI), or social investment, also known as sustainable, socially conscious, "green" or ethical investing, is any investment strategy which seeks to consider both financial return and social/environmental good to bring about a positive change.
Recently, it has also become known as "sustainable investing" or "responsible investing". There is also a subset of SRI known as "impact investing", devoted to the conscious creation of social impact through investment.
In general, socially responsible investors encourage corporate practices that promote environmental stewardship, consumer protection, human rights, and diversity. Some avoid businesses involved in alcohol, tobacco, fast food, gambling, pornography, weapons, contraception/abortifacients/abortion, fossil fuel production or the military.[1] The areas of concern recognized by the SRI practitioners are sometimes summarized under the heading of ESG issues: environment, social justice, and corporate governance.
"Socially responsible investing" is one of several related concepts and approaches that influence and, in some cases govern, how asset managers invest portfolios.[2] The term "socially responsible investing" sometimes narrowly refers to practices that seek to avoid harm by screening companies included in an investment portfolio.[3] However, the term is also used more broadly to include more proactive practices such as impact investing, shareholder advocacy and community investing.[4] According to investor Amy Domini, shareholder advocacy and community investing are pillars of socially responsible investing, while doing only negative screening is inadequate.[5]
Contents
[hide]
1 History
2 Current strategies
2.1 Government-controlled funds
2.2 Mutual funds and ETFs
2.3 Separately managed accounts
2.4 Shareholder advocacy
2.5 Community investing
3 Investing strategies
3.1 Investing in capital markets
3.1.1 Negative screening
3.1.2 Divestment
3.1.3 Shareholder activism
3.1.4 Shareholder engagement
3.1.5 Positive investing
3.1.6 Impact investing
3.2 Community investment
4 Global context
5 Ethical investment in the UK
6 In higher education
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
History[edit]
The origins of socially responsible investing may date back to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). In 1758, the Quaker Philadelphia Yearly Meeting prohibited members from participating in the slave trade – buying or selling humans.
One of the most articulate early adopters of SRI was John Wesley (1703–1791), one of the founders of Methodism. Wesley's sermon "The Use of Money" outlined his basic tenets of social investing – i.e. not to harm your neighbor through your business practices and to avoid industries like tanning and chemical production, which can harm the health of workers. Some of the best-known applications of socially responsible investing were religiously motivated. Investors would avoid “sinful” companies, such as those associated with products such as guns, liquor, and tobacco.
The modern era of socially responsible investing evolved during the political climate of the 1960s. During this time, socially concerned investors increasingly sought to address equality for women, civil rights, and labor issues. Economic development projects started or managed by Dr. Martin Luther King, like the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Operation Breadbasket Project in Chicago, established the beginning model for socially responsible investing efforts. King combined ongoing dialog with boycotts and direct action targeting specific corporations. Concerns about the Vietnam War were incorporated by some social investors.[6][7] Many people living during the era remember a picture in June 1972 of a naked nine-year-old girl, Phan Thị Kim Phúc, running towards a photographer screaming, her back burning from the napalm dropped on her village. That photograph channeled outrage against Dow Chemical,[8] the manufacturer of napalm, and prompted protests across the country against Dow Chemical and other companies profiting from the Vietnam War.
During the 1950s and 1960s, trade unions deployed multi-employer pension fund monies for targeted investments. For example, the United Mine Workers fund invested in medical facilities, and the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) financed union-built housing projects.[9] Labor unions also sought to leverage pension stocks for shareholder activism on proxy fights and shareholder resolutions. In 1978, SRI efforts by pension funds was spurred by The North will Rise Again: Pensions, Politics, and Power in the 1980s and the subsequent organizing efforts of authors Jeremy Rifkin and Randy Barber. By 1980, presidential candidates Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and Jerry Brown advocated some type of social orientation for pension investments.[10]
SRI had an important role in ending the apartheid government in South Africa. International opposition to apartheid strengthened after the 1960 Sharpeville massacre. In 1971, Reverend Leon Sullivan (at the time a board member for General Motors) drafted a code of conduct for practicing business in South Africa which became known as the Sullivan Principles. However, reports documenting the application of the Sullivan Principles said that US companies were not trying to lessen discrimination in South Africa. Due to these reports and mounting political pressure, cities, states, colleges, faith-based groups and pension funds throughout the US began divesting from companies operating in South Africa. In 1976, the United Nations imposed a mandatory arms embargo against South Africa. From the 1970s to the early 1990s, large institutions avoided investment in South Africa under apartheid. The subsequent negative flow of investment eventually forced a group of businesses, representing 75% of South African employers, to draft a charter calling for an end to apartheid. While the SRI efforts alone did not bring an end to apartheid, it did focus persuasive international pressure on the South African business community.
The mid and late 1990s saw the rise of SRI’s focus on a diverse range of other issues, including tobacco stocks, mutual fund proxy disclosure, and other diverse focuses.
Since the late 1990s, SRI has become increasingly defined as a means to promote environmentally sustainable development.[11] Many investors consider effects of global climate change a significant business and investment risk. CERES was founded in 1989 by Joan Bavaria and Dennis Hayes, coordinator of the first Earth Day, as a network for investors, environmental organizations, and other public interest groups interested in working with companies to address environmental concerns.[12]
In 1989, representatives from the SRI industry gathered at the first SRI in the Rockies Conference to exchange ideas and gain momentum for new initiatives. The name has since changed to The SRI Conference which meets annually at Green Building certified establishments and has attracted over 550 persons annually since 2006.[13] This conference is produced by First Affirmative Financial Network, an investment advisory firm that works with advisors nationwide providing portfolios specialized in sustainable and responsible investing.
The first sell-side brokerage in the world to offer SRI research was the Brazilian bank Unibanco. The service was launched in January 2001 by Unibanco SRI analyst Christopher Wells from the São Paulo headquarters of the bank. It was targeted at SRI funds in Europe and the US, although it was sent to non-SRI funds both in and out of Brazil. The research was about environmental and social issues (but not governance issues) regarding companies listed in Brazil. It was sent for free to Unibanco's clients. The service lasted until mid-2002.
Two good things came out this research:
The idea was picked up by Mike Tyrrell, who worked at Jupiter, an SRI fund manager in London, and who developed it into something much bigger and better at HSBC and then Citigroup.
ABN AMRO's operation in Brazil used this research to create the first SRI fund in an emerging market, launched in November 2001. As of late 2008, this fund, called Fundo Ethical, was the Brazilian operation's biggest and best performing stock fund of any kind. (ABN AMRO's operation in Brazil was bought by Santander in 2007.)
Drawing on the industry's experience using divestment as a tool against apartheid, the Sudan Divestment Task Force was established in 2006 in response to the genocide occurring in the Darfur region of the Sudan.[14] Support from the US government followed with the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007.
More recently, some social investors have sought to address the rights of indigenous peoples around the world who are affected by the business practices of various companies. The 2007, SRI in the Rockies Conference held a special pre-conference specifically to address the concerns of indigenous peoples. Healthy working conditions, fair wages, product safety, and equal opportunity employment also remain headline concerns for many social investors.[15] In the mid-2010s, some funds developed gender lens investing strategies to promote workplace equity and general welfare of women and girls.[16]
Current strategies[edit]
Socially responsible investing is a growing market in both the US and Europe. In particular, it has become an important principle guiding the investment strategies of various funds and accounts.[17]
Government-controlled funds[edit]
Government-controlled funds such as pension funds are often very large players in the investment field, and are being pressured by the citizenry and by activist groups to adopt investment policies which encourage ethical corporate behavior, respect the rights of workers, consider environmental concerns, and avoid violations of human rights. One outstanding endorsement of such policies is The Government Pension Fund of Norway, which is mandated to avoid "investments which constitute an unacceptable risk that the Fund may contribute to unethical acts or omissions, such as violations of fundamental humanitarian principles, serious violations of human rights, gross corruption or severe environmental damages."[18]
Many pension funds are currently under pressure to disinvest from the arms company BAE Systems, partially due to a campaign run by the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT).[19] Liverpool City Council has passed a successful resolution to disinvest from the company,[20] but a similar attempt by the Scottish Green Party in Edinburgh City Council was blocked by the Liberal Democrats.[21]
Mutual funds and ETFs[edit]
Socially responsible mutual funds counted by the 2014 Trends Report increased in number to 415 in 2014, up from 333 in 2012, 250 in 2010, 173 in 2005 & 2007, 189 in 2003, and 167 in 2001. The overall number of mutual funds incorporating environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) has increased four-fold increase since 2012. Additionally, 20 exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that incorporate ESG criteria were identified with $3.5 billion in assets at the end of 2011, an increase from the 8 ETFs with $2.25 billion in net assets identified in its 2007 report—the first Trends report to track ETFs [11]. Unlike the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), which severely limits the extent to which socially responsible goals can be considered in managing corporate and Taft-Hartley pension assets (due to ERISA's overriding goal of protecting employees' pensions),[22] registered investment companies can take these factors into account so long as the disclosure and other requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940 are met.[23] US SIF maintains charts describing the socially responsible mutual funds offered by its member firms.

Key: X = No investment; P = Positive investment; R = Restricted investment; NS = No screens.
Fund Alcohol Tobacco Gambling Defense/ Weapons Animal Testing Products/ Services Environment Human Rights Labor Relations Employment/ Equality Community Investment Proxy Voting
Access Capital Strategies Community Investment Fund[24] NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS P X
AHA Balanced Fund - Instiutional Class NS X NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS V
AHA Diversified Equity Fund - Institutional Class NS X NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS V
AHA Diversified Equity Fund - N Class NS X NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS V
AHA Full Maturity Fixed Income Fund - Institutional Class NS X NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS V
AHA Full Maturity Fixed Income Fund - N Class NS X NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS V
AHA Limited Maturity Fixed Income Fund - Institutional Class NS X NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS V
AHA Limited Maturity Fixed Income Fund - N Class NS X NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS V
AHA Socially Responsible Equity I X X X X NS P P P P P NS V
AHA Socially Responsible Equity N X X X X NS P P P P P NS V
Appleseed Fund[1] R R R R NS NS P P P NS P V
Ariel Appreciation Fund [2] NS X NS X NS NS NS NS NS NS NS V
Ariel Focus Fund NS X NS X NS NS NS NS NS NS NS V
Ariel Fund NS X NS X NS NS NS NS NS NS NS V
Azzad Ethical Income Fund [3] X X X X NS NS NS NS NS NS NS V
Azzad Ethical Mid Cap Fund X X X X NS NS NS NS NS NS NS V
Brighter Student Fund [4] X X X X X X X X X P X X
'Fund' Alcohol Tobacco Gambling Defense/ Weapons Animal Testing Products/ Services Environment Human Rights Labor Relations Employment/ Equality Community Investment Proxy Voting
Calvert Aggressive Allocation Fund [5] X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Capital Accumulation A [6] X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Capital Accumulation B [7] X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Capital Accumulation C [8] X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Conservative Allocation Fund [9] X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Global Alternative Energy Fund A [10] NS NS NS NS NS P P P P P NS V
Calvert Global Water Fund [11] X NS NS X NS X NS P NS NS NS V
Calvert International Opportunities Fund [12] R R NS NS NS P P P P P NS V
Calvert Large Cap Growth A X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Large Cap Growth B X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Large Cap Growth C X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Large Cap Growth I X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Mid Cap Value Fund X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Moderate Allocation Fund X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert New Vision Small Cap A X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert New Vision Small Cap B X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert New Vision Small Cap C X X X R R P P P P P P V
'Fund' Alcohol Tobacco Gambling Defense/ Weapons Animal Testing Products/ Services Environment Human Rights Labor Relations Employment/ Equality Community Investment Proxy Voting
Calvert Small Cap Value Fund X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Social Index A X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Social Index B X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Social Index C X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Social Index I X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Social Investment Balanced A X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Social Investment Balanced C X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Social Investment Bond A X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Social Investment Enhanced Equity A X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Social Investment Enhanced Equity B X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Social Investment Enhanced Equity C X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Social Investment Equity A X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Social Investment Equity C X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert Social Investment Equity I X X X R R P P P P P P V
Calvert World Values International A X X NS R NS P P P P P P V
Calvert World Values International C X X NS R NS P P P P P P V
CRA Qualified Investment [13] NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS P X
'Fund' Alcohol Tobacco Gambling Defense/ Weapons Animal Testing Products/ Services Environment Human Rights Labor Relations Employment/ Equality Community Investment Proxy Voting
Domini European PacAsia Social Equity A [14] X X X X NS P P P P P NS V
Domini European PacAsia Social Equity I [15] X X X X P P P P P P NS V
Domini European Social Equity A X X X X NS P P P P P NS V
Domini European Social Equity I X X X X NS P P P P P NS V
Domini Institutional Social Equity X X X X NS P P P P P NS V
Domini PacAsia Social Equity A X X X X NS P P P P P NS V
Domini PacAsia Social Equity I X X X X NS P P P P P NS V
Domini Social Bond [16] X X X X NS P P P P P P V
Domini Social Equity A X X X X NS P P P P P NS V
Domini Social Equity I X X X X NS P P P P P NS V
Epiphany Faith and Family Values 100 Fund - A Class [17][18] R R R R NS NS P P P P NS V
Epiphany Faith and Family Values 100 Fund - C Class R R R R NS NS P P P P NS V
Epiphany Faith and Family Values 100 Fund - N Class R R R R NS NS P P P P NS V
Gabelli SRI Green Fund Inc A[25] R R R X NS P P NS NS NS NS V
Gabelli SRI Green Fund Inc AAA [25] R R R X NS P P NS NS NS NS V
Gabelli SRI Green Fund Inc C R R R X NS P P NS NS NS NS V
Gabelli SRI Green Fund Inc I R R R X NS P P NS NS NS NS V
Green Century Balanced [19] NS X NS R R P P NS NS NS NS V
Green Century Equity X X X R NS P P P P P NS V
Integrity Growth and Income Fund [20] X X X NS R NS P R R R NS V
'Fund' Alcohol Tobacco Gambling Defense/ Weapons Animal Testing Products/ Services Environment Human Rights Labor Relations Employment/ Equality Community Investment Proxy Voting
Legg Mason Prt Social Awareness Fund A NS R NS R NS NS P P P P NS V
Legg Mason Prt Social Awareness Fund B NS R NS R NS NS P P P P NS V
Legg Mason Prt Social Awareness Fund C NS R NS R NS NS P P P P NS V
Praxis Growth Index Fund A [21] X X X X NS P P P P P P V
Praxis Growth Index Fund I X X X X NS P P P P P P V
Praxis Impact Bond Fund A X X X X NS P P P P P P V
Praxis Impact Bond Fund I X X X X NS P P P P P P V
Praxis International Index Fund A X X X X NS P P P P P P V
Praxis International Index Fund I X X X X NS P P P P P P V
Praxis Small Cap Index Fund A X X X X NS P P P P P P V
Praxis Small Cap Index Fund I X X X X NS P P P P P P V
Praxis Value Index Fund A X X X X NS P P P P P P V
Praxis Value Index Fund I X X X X NS P P P P P P V
Neuberger Berman Socially Resp Inv [22] X X X X R P P P P P NS V
New Alternatives Fund [23] X X X X X P P P P P P X
'Fund' Alcohol Tobacco Gambling Defense/ Weapons Animal Testing Products/ Services Environment Human Rights Labor Relations Employment/ Equality Community Investment Proxy Voting
Parnassus Core Equity Fund [24] X X X X R P P P P P NS V
Parnassus Fund [25] X X X X R P X P P P P V
Parnassus Income Fixed Income [26] X X X X R P X P P P NS V
Parnassus Mid Cap Fund [27] X X X X R P P P P P P V
Parnassus Small Cap Fund X X X X R P X P P P P V
Parnassus Endeavor Fund X X X X R P X P P P P V
Pax World Balanced R X R R R P P P P P P V
Pax World Growth R X R R R P P P P P NS V
Pax World High Yield R X R R R P P P P P P V
Pax World Value Fund - Individual Investor NS X R X R P P P P P NS V
Pax World Value Fund - Institutional Class NS X R X R P P P P P NS V
Pax World Women's Equity Fund - Individual Investor NS X R X R R R NS R R NS V
Pax World Women's Equity Fund - Institutional Class NS X R X R R R R R R NS V
Portfolio 21 [28] NS X R R R P P R R R P V
Portfolio 21 Institutional [29] NS X R R R P P R R R NS V
Sentinel Sustainable Core Opportunities Fund [30] X X X R R P P P P P NS V
Sentinel Sustainable Emerging Companies Fund X X X R R P P P P P NS V
SPDR Gender Diversity Index ETF (SHE) X X X X X X X P P P NS V
TIAA-CREF R R R R NS P P P P P NS V
Flex Total Return Utilities Fund [31] X X X X X P P NS P P NS V
Vanguard FTSE Social Index Fund
Walden Social Balanced Fund X X R X R P P P P P P V
Walden Social Equity Fund X X R X R P P P R P X V
Winslow Green Growth Fund [32] R R R R R P P NS NS NS NS V
xRussell 3000[26] NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS X
Separately managed accounts[edit]
According to the 2014 Report on US Sustainable, Responsible and Impact Investing Trends, among separate account managers, 214 distinctive separate account vehicles or strategies, with $433 billion in assets, incorporated ESG factors into investment analysis. Where a separate account is subject to ERISA, there are legal limitations on the extent to which investment decisions can be based on factors other than maximizing plan participants' economic returns.[22]
Shareholder advocacy[edit]
Shareholder resolutions are filed by a wide variety of institutional investors, including public pension funds, faith-based investors, socially responsible mutual funds, and labor unions. In 2004, faith-based organizations filed 129 resolutions, while socially responsible funds filed 56 resolutions.[27]
Regulations governing shareholder resolutions vary from country to country. In the United States, they are determined primarily by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which regulates mutual funds and applies the 1940 Act[28] and by the Department of Labor, which regulates certain plans and applies ERISA.[29]
These regulatory regimes require pension plans and mutual funds to disclose how they voted on behalf of their investors.[30] U.S. shareholders have organized various groups to facilitate jointly filing resolutions. These include the Council of Institutional Investors, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, and the US SIF.
From 2012 to 2014, more than 200 US institutions and investment management firms filed or co-filed proposals. These institutions and money managers collectively controlled $1.72 trillion in assets at the end of 2013. The top categories of environmental and social issues from 2012 to 2014 were political contributions and climate change and environmental issues.[31]
Community investing[edit]
Community investing, a subset of socially responsible investing, allows for investment directly into community-based organizations. Community investing institutions use investor capital to finance or guarantee loans to individuals and organizations that have historically been denied access to capital by traditional financial institutions. These loans are used for housing, small business creation, and education or personal development in the US and UK[32], or are made available to local financial institutions abroad to finance international community development. The community investing institution typically provides training and other types of support and expertise to ensure the success of the loan and its returns for investors.[33]
Community investing grew almost 5% from 2012 to 2014. Assets held and invested locally by community development financial institutions (CDFIs) based in the US totaled $64.3 billion at the start of 2014, up from $61.4 billion in 2012.
Investing strategies[edit]
Investing in capital markets[edit]
Social investors use several strategies to maximize financial return and attempt to maximize social good. These strategies seek to create change by shifting the cost of capital down for sustainable firm and up for the non-sustainable ones. The proponents argue that access to capital is what drives the future direction of development.
Negative screening[edit]
Negative screening excludes certain securities from investment consideration based on social or environmental criteria. For example, many socially responsible investors screen out tobacco company investments.
The longest-running SRI index, the Domini 400—now the MSCI KLD 400—was started in May 1990. It has continued to perform competitively —with average annualized total returns of 9.51% through December 2009 compared with 8.66% for the S&P 500.[34]
Despite this impressive growth, it has long been commonly perceived that SRI brings smaller returns than unrestricted investing. So-called "sin stocks", including purveyors of tobacco, alcohol, gambling and defense contractors, were banned from portfolios on moral or ethical grounds. And shutting out entire industries hurts performance, the critics said.[35] However, in a comprehensive study, financial economists Lobe, Roithmeier, and Walkshäusl taking the position of the advocatus diaboli, answer the question whether to invest in a socially responsible way – or not? They create a set of global and domestic sin indexes consisting of 755 publicly traded socially irresponsible stocks around the world belonging to the Sextet of Sin: adult entertainment, alcohol, gambling, nuclear power, tobacco, and weapons. They compare their stock market performance directly with a set of virtue comparables consisting of the most important international socially responsible investment indexes. They find no compelling evidence that ethical and unethical screens lead to a significant difference in their financial performance, which is in contrast with the results of prior studies on sinful investing.[36]
Divestment[edit]
Divesting is the act of removing stocks from a portfolio based on mainly ethical, non-financial objections to certain business activities of a corporation. Recently, CalSTRS (California State Teachers' Retirement System) announced the removal of more than $237 million in tobacco holdings from its investment portfolio after 6 months of financial analysis and deliberations.
Shareholder activism[edit]
Shareholder activism efforts attempt to positively influence corporate behavior[37]. These efforts include initiating conversations with corporate management on issues of concern, and submitting and voting proxy resolutions. These activities are undertaken with the belief that social investors, working cooperatively, can steer management on a course that will improve financial performance over time and enhance the well being of the stockholders, customers, employees, vendors, and communities. Recent movements have also been reported of "investor relations activism", in which investor relations firms assist groups of shareholder activists in an organized push for change within a corporation; this is done typically by leveraging their enhanced knowledge of the corporation, its management (often via direct relationships), and the securities laws as a whole.[38] Hedge funds are also major activist investors; while some pursue socially responsible investing goals, many simply are seeking to maximize fund returns.[39] Pension plans subject to ERISA are somewhat more constrained in their ability to engage in shareholder activism or the use of plan assets to promote public policy positions; any expenditure of plan assets must be aimed at enhancing participants' retirement income.[40]
Shareholder engagement[edit]
A less vocal subtype of shareholder activism, shareholder engagement requires extensive monitoring of the non-financial performance of all portfolio companies. In shareholder engagement dialogues, investees receive constructive feedback on how to improve ESG issues within their sphere of influence.[41]
Positive investing[edit]
Positive investing is the new generation of socially responsible investing.[35] It involves making investments in activities and companies believed to have a positive social impact. Positive investing suggested a broad revamping of the industry's methodology for driving change through investments.[42] This investment approach allows investors to positively express their values on corporate behavior issues such as social justice and the environment through stock selection – without sacrificing portfolio diversification or long-term performance.[43] Positive screening pushes the idea of sustainability, not just in the narrow environmental or humanitarian sense, but also in the sense of a company's long-term potential to compete and succeed.[35] In 2015, Morgan Stanley conducted a review of 10,000 funds and concluded "strong sustainability" investments outperformed weak sustainability investments,[44] tackling the idea of a trade-off between positive impact and financial return.[45] while the Global Impact Investing Network's 2015 report on benchmarks and returns in impact investing in private equity and venture capital found market-rate or market-beating returns were common in impact investments.[46]
Impact investing[edit]
Impact Investing is the alternative investment (ie private equity) approach to Positive investing. In 2014, the UK's presidency of the G8 created a Social Impact Investment Task Force which produced a series of reports that defined impact investing as "those that intentionally target specific social objectives along with a financial return and measure the achievement of both."[47] Impact investing, capitalizes businesses that potentially provide social or environmental impact at a scale that purely philanthropic interventions usually cannot reach.[48] This capital may be in a range of forms including private equity, debt, working capital lines of credit, and loan guarantees. Examples in recent decades include many investments in microfinance, community development finance, and clean technology. Impacting investing has its roots in the venture capital community, and an investor will often take active role mentoring or leading the growth of the company or start-up.
Community investment[edit]
By investing directly in an institution, rather than purchasing stock, an investor is able to create a greater social impact: money spent purchasing stock in the secondary market accrues to the stock's previous owner and may not generate social good, while money invested in a community institution is put to work. For example, money invested in a Community Development Financial Institution may be used by that institution to alleviate poverty or inequality, spread access to capital to under-served communities, support economic development or green business, or create other social good. In 1984, Trillium Asset Management's founder, Joan Bavaria, invited Chuck Matthei of the Institute for Community Economics (ICE), an organization that helps communities create and sustain land trusts, to a meeting of US SIF. It is likely that this was the first time a nonprofit organization with a loan fund would meet directly with SRI managers. Trillium clients began investing in ICE later that year.
Global context[edit]
Socially responsible investing is a global phenomenon. With the international scope of business itself, social investors frequently invest in companies with international operations. As international investment products and opportunities have expanded, so have international SRI products. The ranks of social investors are growing throughout developed and developing countries. In 2006, the United Nations Environment Programme launched its Principles for Responsible Investment which provide a framework for investors to incorporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into the investment process. PRI has more than 1,500 signatories managing more than US$60 trillion of assets.[49]
Ethical investment in the UK[edit]
In 1985, Friends Provident launched the first ethically screened investment fund with criteria which excluded tobacco, arms, alcohol and oppressive regimes.[50] Since 1985, over 90 investment funds have launched offering a wide range of investment criteria; both negatively screened and with positive investment criteria i.e. investing into companies involved in promoting sustainability.
Since 1985, most of the major investment organizations have launched ethical and socially responsible funds, although this has led to a great deal of discussion and debate over the use of the term "ethical" investment.[51] This is because each of the fund management organizations tend to apply a slightly different approach to running their funds.
In recent years there has been growth in the market for high social impact investments; this is a style of investing where the businesses receiving investment have social or environmental goals as a primary purpose.[citation needed]
UK institutions are also getting more involved in social investing through impact investing funds, with those such as Deutsche Bank and NESTA, alongside other institutions such as Big Issue Invest, which is part of The Big Issue group.
As of June 2014, EIRIS estimated that there was over £13.5 billion invested in Britain’s green and ethical retail funds. This estimate is based on around 85 UK domiciled green or ethical retail funds and it seeks to not include UK money invested in ethical funds domiciled outside of the UK.[52]
In higher education[edit]
In 2007, the Dwight Hall organization at Yale University launched the first undergraduate-run socially responsible investment fund in the United States, known as the Dwight Hall Socially Responsible Investment Fund.[53][54]
See also[edit]
Business ethics
Development impact bond
Community wind energy
Corporate social responsibility
Disinvestment
Eco-investing
Ethical banking
Fossil fuel divestment
Integrated reporting
Impact investing
Microfinance
Sharia investments
Social finance
Social impact bond
Social responsibility
Sustainable development
Terror-free investing
Vice Fund
References[edit]
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Jump up ^ Lemke and Lins, Regulation of Investment Advisers §2:158 (Thomson West, 2014).
Jump up ^ "Ethical Guidelines for the Government Pension Fund — Global". Archived from the original on 3 September 2007. Retrieved 19 September 2007.
Jump up ^ "CAAT Campaigns - Clean Investment launch 2007". Caat.org.uk. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
Jump up ^ EthicalInvestmentedinburgh (2007-11-09). "Ethical Investment Blog: Liverpool Council Disinvests from BAE". Ethicalinvestmentedinburgh.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
Jump up ^ Greens, Edinburgh. "Edinburgh and Midlothian Greens » Blog Archive » Greens continue fight for ethical pensions – Lib Dem councillors under fire for ignoring party policy". Edinburghgreens.org.uk. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
^ Jump up to: a b Lemke and Lins, ERISA for Money Managers §§2:122 - 2:124 (Thomson West, 2014).
Jump up ^ Lemke, Lins and Smith, Regulation of Investment Companies §5.02[2] (Matthew Bender, 2014).
Jump up ^ "Voyageur - About Access Capital Strategies". Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
^ Jump up to: a b "The Gabelli SRI Green Fund". Archived from the original on June 15, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
Jump up ^ "Socially Responsible Mutual Fund Charts: Fund Profiles - Russel 3000". Archived from the original on July 23, 2012.
Jump up ^ "185 Religious / Social Investor Proxy Resolutions". Iccr.org. Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility. 2004-02-03. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
Jump up ^ Lemke, Lins and Smith, Regulation of Investment Companies (Matthew Bender, 2014)
Jump up ^ Lemke and Lins, ERISA for Money Managers (Thomson West, 2014).
Jump up ^ "ICCR Advocate eNewsletter – February 2007" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 14, 2007. Retrieved May 15, 2007.
Jump up ^ "US Sustainable, Responsible and Impact Investing Trends" (PDF). US SIF. 2014.
Jump up ^ "Social investment". www.cafonline.org. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
Jump up ^ "US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment: Community Investing". Ussif.org. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
Jump up ^ "Socially Responsible Investing Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions and Answers" (PDF). Ussif.org. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
^ Jump up to: a b c Wine, Elisabeth (1 August 2009). "SRI Plows the Path to Profitability". On Wall Street. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011.
Jump up ^ Lobe, Sebastian, Roithmeier, Stefan and Walkshäusl, Christian (7 August 2009). "Vice vs. Virtue Investing Around the World". Ssrn.com. SSRN 1089827  . Missing or empty |url= (help); |access-date= requires |url= (help)CS1 maint: Uses authors parameter (link)
Jump up ^ Cundill, Smart & Wilson (2018). "Non-financial Shareholder Activism: A Process Model for Influencing Corporate Environmental and Social Performance*". International Journal of Management Reviews. 20: 606–626.
Jump up ^ Carther, Shauna (18 September 2009). "Socially Responsible Mutual Funds". Investopedia.com. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
Jump up ^ Lemke, Lins, Hoenig and Rube, Hedge Funds and Other Private Funds §6:43 (Thomson West, 2014).
Jump up ^ Lemke and Lins, ERISA for Money Managers §§2:94 - 2:96 (Thomson West, 2014).
Jump up ^ One of the SRI labels of French research centre Novethic is for engagement funds, like the funds initiated by Fondation Guilé.
Jump up ^ Lewis, Geoff (1 June 2005). "Advocacy Investing – Catnip for Wealthy Clients?". Overland Park: Registered Rep. Retrieved 12 May 2005.
Jump up ^ Wells, Angela (July 2004). "New Financial Study Shows Stocks Can Reflect Investor Values without Sacrificing Performance". Sunnyvale: Yahoo Finance. Retrieved 12 May 2005.
Jump up ^ Morgan Stanley. "Sustainable Investing Performance?". Retrieved 14 July 2015.
Jump up ^ "Does Social Impact Demand Financial Sacrifice?". Wharton. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
Jump up ^ "Introducing the Impact Investing Benchmark" (PDF). GIIN. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
Jump up ^ G8 Social Impact Investment Task Force, Investing for Social and Environmental Impact, January 2009.
Jump up ^ Monitor Institute, Impact Investment, the Invisible Heart of Markets, September 2014.
Jump up ^ "PRI AR 2016 | PRI at 10". annualreport.unpri.org. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
Jump up ^ "Ethical Investment: What it is and how it works (or doesn't)". Corporate Watch Magazine. Corporate Watch Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
Jump up ^ Denham, Annabel. "Ethical investment can be a risky business". City AM. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
Jump up ^ EIRIS | Key facts & statistics http://www.eiris.org/news/statistics.html
Jump up ^ • Jerilyn Klein Bier (2010-12-01). "College Students Drive SRI Efforts". Fa-mag.com. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
Jump up ^ "First Investment of Dwight Hall at Yale SRI Fund (press release)". Csrwire.com. 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
External links[edit]
UN Principles for Responsible Investment
Moskowitz Prize -Quantitative Research in the field of Socially Responsible Investing
Socially Responsible Investing at Appropedia
Socially Responsible Investing facts from the Social Investment Forum
The World Bank, (2010) Water and Climate Change: Understanding the Risks and Making Climate-Smart Investment Decisions.
Invest with Values - The Investor's Gateway to Socially Responsible Investing resources, topics and organizations
The Money and Impact Investing Directory A guide to major topics, organizations and resources related to Socially Responsible investing
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Virgin Islands Creole
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For the Dutch-based creole that was once spoken in the Danish West Indies, now the U.S. Virgin Islands, see Negerhollands.
Virgin Islands Creole
Netherlands Antilles Creole English
Native to
British Virgin Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rican Virgin Islands, Saba, Saint Martin, Sint Eustatius, Virgin Islands and SSS islands diaspora
Native speakers
(76,000 cited 1980–2011)[1]
Language family
English Creole
Atlantic
Eastern
Southern
Virgin Islands Creole
Language codes
ISO 639-3
vic
Glottolog
virg1240[2]
Linguasphere
52-AAB-apa to -ape and 52-AAB-apg to api (SSS varieties)
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.
Virgin Islands Creole, or Virgin Islands Creole English, is an English-based creole consisting of several varieties spoken in the Virgin Islands and the nearby SSS islands of Saba, Saint Martin and Sint Eustatius, where it is known as Saban English, Saint Martin English, and Statian English, respectively.[3]
The term "Virgin Islands Creole" is formal terminology used by scholars and academics, and is rarely used in everyday speech. Informally, the creole is known by the term dialect, as the creole is often perceived by locals as a dialect variety of English instead of an English creole language.[4] However, academic sociohistorical and linguistic research suggests that it is in fact an English creole language.[5]
Because there are several varieties of Virgin Islands Creole, it is also colloquially known by the specific island on which it is spoken: Crucian dialect, Thomian dialect, Tortolian dialect, Saint Martin dialect, Saba dialect, Statia dialect.
Contents
[hide]
1 History
2 Varieties
3 Language use and perceptions
4 Grammatical structure and pronunciation
4.1 Differences from English
4.2 Variations in grammar and speech among islands
5 Examples of Virgin Islands Creole Proverbs
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
History[edit]
The creole was formed when enslaved Africans, unable to communicate with each other and their European owners due to being taken from different regions of West Africa with different languages, created an English-based pidgin with West African-derived words and grammatical structure. This was creolized as it was passed on to subsequent generations as their native tongue.
St. Thomas and St. John, although Danish colonies, had a European population of mainly Dutch origin, which led to enslaved Africans first creating a Dutch-based creole, known as Negerhollands (now considered a dead language, although there may be a few who recall some of the vocabulary and may have passed it down to the next generation[citation needed]). Negerhollands was in mainstream usage on St. Thomas and St. John up until the 19th century, when the British occupied the Danish West Indies from 1801 to 1802 and 1807 to 1815. In addition, as English became preferred as a trade and business language in the busy port of Charlotte Amalie, Virgin Islands Creole became established in preference to Negerhollands. Some of the population continued to use Negerhollands well into the 20th century.
Unlike the continental European population of the other Danish West Indian islands, that of St. Croix was mostly of English, Irish and Scottish origin, which led to African slaves developing an English-based creole throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. By the 19th century, Virgin Islands Creole was spoken on St. Thomas and St. John, as Negerhollands was fading away. By the end of the 19th century, English creole completely replaced Negerhollands as the native dialect of St. Thomas and St. John.
The creole had also been developing in the present-day British Virgin Islands. The British took over the islands from the Dutch in 1672. Enslaved Africans were brought to work on plantations on the islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke where they, like those enslaved on St. Croix over 40 miles away, developed an English-based creole. Although the U.S. and British Virgin Islands are politically separate, they share a common Virgin Islands culture, similar history based on colonialism and slavery, and some common bloodlines.
Like those in the Virgin Islands, African slaves were brought to the SSS islands of Saba, Sint Eustatius and Saint Martin. The prevalence of Europeans from the British Isles on these islands, as well as the SSS islands' proximity and trade with nearby English-speaking islands, resulted in an English creole being spoken in the SSS islands. Due to the heavy importation of workers from Saint Martin after the 1848 emancipation in the Danish West Indies, as well as a tendency for wealthy planters to own plantations in both the Virgin Islands and SSS islands, the "ancestral" inhabitants (descendants of the original African slaves and European colonists) of the SSS islands share common bloodlines and a common culture with those of the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.
Varieties[edit]
Today the creole is native to the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and the nearby "SSS islands" of Saba, Saint Martin (both French and Dutch sides) and Sint Eustatius. Though not called by the same name, the Virgin Islands and SSS varieties are considered by linguists to be the same creole.
There are slight variations from island to island. The speech of St. Croix (known as Crucian) is the most distinct, sharing many similarities with the English creoles of Belize and Panama. This is perhaps due to migration from St. Croix to Panama during the building of the Panama Canal. The speech of the SSS islands is slightly closer to that of the British Virgin Islands than the speech of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The speech of St. Thomas and St. John share distinct similarities with both the Crucian and British Virgin Islands variants.
Language use and perceptions[edit]
Virgin Islands Creole does not have the status of an official language. The language of government, education and the media is American English in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Queen's English in the British Virgin Islands, both Dutch and English on Saba, Sint Eustatius and the Dutch side of Saint Martin, and French on the French side of Saint Martin.
Like most Anglophone Caribbean islands, a post-creole speech continuum exists, in which there are two extremes — standard English (known as the acrolect) and the creole in its most distinct, or raw, form (known as the basilect).
Due to the constant contact between standard English and Virgin Islands Creole in local society, there are many in-between speech varieties as well (known as mesolects). Most native Virgin Islanders can easily maneuver this continuum depending on their mood, subject matter, or addressee.
In recent decades, the basilect form of the creole is typically only spoken among older islanders. Although the basilect is no longer in common use among the younger population, it has still been preserved by way of historical plays, folk songs and local literature. The variety spoken by middle-aged and younger Virgin Islanders today is of a mesolectal form[6] that still retains numerous creole features, yet is slightly closer to standard English than the basilect spoken by older islanders.
Virgin Islands Creole has different forms that vary by the age of the speaker, as many words and expressions are known only by older islanders, while there are also relatively newer words and expressions known only to younger islanders. The creole continues to undergo changes in a post-creole environment. Its most modern mesolectal form is mainly derived from traditional Virgin Islands Creole terms, idioms, proverbs and sentence structure, with influences from African-American and Jamaican idioms, due to the prevalence of African-American and Jamaican mainstream pop culture in the Leeward Islands region. The variant of Virgin Islands Creole spoken on St. Croix, known as Crucian, contains many Spanish-derived words due to St. Croix's large ethnic Puerto Rican population.[7] In addition, due to long-standing historical and family ties between St. Croix and the nearby Puerto Rican islands of Vieques and Culebra, many Vieques and Culebra locals of Crucian descent also speak Crucian dialect.
As in other Caribbean creoles, proverbs are prevalent in Virgin Islands Creole. However, in 2004, a linguistic study group in cooperation with the University of Puerto Rico’s Rio Piedras campus found that many old proverbs in the Crucian dialect, common among older generations, have faded away and are not generally known among many young Crucians.[8] Many Virgin Islanders who migrate to the United States often return with American-influenced speech patterns (colloquially known as yankin') that influence local speech of their peer groups. These changes, as well as the perception held by many older Virgin Islanders that the dialect is currently undergoing decreolization, have inspired debates on whether the dialect spoken by young Virgin Islanders today is in fact the true Virgin Islands Creole.
Like most Caribbean creoles, the use of Virgin Islands Creole can vary depending on socioeconomic class. The middle and upper classes tend to speak it informally among friends and at home, but code switch to Standard English in the professional sphere. The lower socioeconomic classes tend to use the dialect in almost every aspect of daily life.
In the U.S. Virgin Islands, there has been an underlying negative pressure on Virgin Islanders to eliminate their dialect due to Americanization since the 1960s.[4] Although the United States acquired the islands from Denmark in 1917, American influence did not arrive until the early 1960s. Standard American English is associated with social mobility, as it is widely used in business and professional circles. Virgin Islands Creole, although appreciated for its cultural value and widely used informally, is often seen as an impediment to economic and educational progress.[9]
The majority of Virgin Islanders speak Virgin Islands Creole. However, due to immigration from the rest of the Caribbean and the United States, some Virgin Islands residents do not speak it. Most non-native longtime residents can understand spoken Virgin Islands Creole, even if not fluent in speaking themselves. In local vernacular, Virgin Islands Creole is rarely referred to as a creole, as locally, "creole" (as well as "patois") usually refers to the French-based creoles spoken by St. Lucian, Dominican (Dominica) and Haitian immigrants. Instead, Virgin Islanders tend to refer to the dialect by their native island (i.e. "Crucian dialect", "Thomian dialect", "Tolian dialect", etc.)
As with other Caribbean creoles, Virgin Islands Creole is generally unwritten. However, local authors often write in the creole, and young Virgin Islanders tend to write in it when communicating over the Internet. Because no standard spelling system exists in Virgin Islands Creole, those who attempt to write it use English orthography.
The prevailing sentiment is that Virgin Islands Creole cannot be learned like a standard language, but acquired only through having spent one's formative years in the Virgin Islands. Attempts by Virgin Islands non-native residents to speak the dialect, even out of respect, are often met with disapproval. A notable exception applies to immigrants who cannot speak English upon arrival. For example, persons from the Dominican Republic and Haiti, lacking fluency in English upon arrival, often learn Virgin Islands Creole before they are able to master standard English. In nearby French St. Martin, there are persons from France and the French West Indies who, lacking fluency in English upon arrival in St. Martin, learn the local variety of Saint Martin English spoken by the native population.
Grammatical structure and pronunciation[edit]
As with other Caribbean creoles, Virgin Islands Creole has a smaller set of pronouns than English, and conjugations occur less often. For example, the English phrase "I gave it to her" would translate to "Ah gi'e it toh she" in Virgin Islands Creole. Another common pattern found in Virgin Islands Creole is the absence of the letter "s" in the plural, possessive and third person present tense.[10] For example, "my eyes" would translate to "ma eye dem."
Differences from English[edit]
The pronunciation differs from Standard English in various ways. Virgin Islands and "SSS islands" accents are somewhat similar to those of other Caribbean countries, especially Guyana, the Cayman Islands, Belize and Panama, but are also unique in many ways.
As in most Anglophone Caribbean dialects, in Virgin Islands Creole, dental fricatives (the "-th" sound) are often omitted from speech, and replaced by dental stops (the "-t" sound). The vowel pronunciation of Virgin Islands Creole can widely differ from Standard English. For example, in Virgin Islands Creole (as well as most other Anglophone Caribbean creoles), the suffix "er" in English, /ər/ in Standard English, is pronounced /æ/ (for example: computer is pronounced [kompuːtæ] ("computah"), and never is pronounced [nevæ] ("nevah")). Not all words ending in "er" however, are pronounced in this way.
Like many other Caribbean islands, the "oi" sound in Standard English is replaced with long I (/aɪ/). For example, the English word "join" would be pronounced jine. Such anomalies have their roots in 17th and 18th century England, where such vowel sounds were pronounced similarly.
Virgin Islands Creole also displays similarities to the English-based pidgin and creole languages of West Africa, due to their common descent from the blending of African substrate languages with English as the superstrate language.
Variations in grammar and speech among islands[edit]
Local speech varies among each of the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. It is commonplace for such differences to be pointed out in jest when Virgin Islanders of different islands congregate. For example, the pronunciation of the standard English phrase "come here" would be come ya on St. Croix and come heh on St. Thomas, St. John and the British Virgin Islands. On the neighboring island of Saint Martin, it is pronounced come hyuh. In addition, the Virgin Islands Creole form of the word "car" is cyar on St. Croix and cah on St. Thomas, St. John and the British Virgin Islands. These two anomalies are due to Irish influence on St. Croix during the Danish colonial period.
Vowel sounds can also widely differ between islands. For example, the word "special" is usually pronounced speshahl on St. Croix and speshuhl on St. Thomas, St. John, the British Virgin Islands, and St. Martin. "Island" is usually pronounced islahn' on St. Croix and isluhn' on St. Thomas, St. John, the British Virgin Islands, and St. Martin.
Another commonly cited example of linguistic differences between the islands is the usage of the term deh, the Virgin Islands Creole form of the standard English adverb "there". On St. Croix, an additional deh is often added, forming the phrase deh-deh. Such usage is found in many Caribbean islands outside the Virgin Islands, as well. There are many instances where words and phrases (especially slang) that exist on one island may not exist on another. In addition, the Virgin Islands Creole spoken on St. Croix is often described as being more raw, or distant from standard English, than those of the other Virgin Islands.
Examples of Virgin Islands Creole Proverbs[edit]
"Who don't hear does feel."[11]
"What yoh do in de dark does come to light."[11]
"Time longer dan twine."[11]
"Every skin teeth ain' a grin."[11]
"Monkey know wha' tree to clime."[11]
"Do for do ain' no obeah"[citation needed]
"When the wind blow foul batty does show"
See also[edit]
Nigerian Pidgin English
Krio language
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Virgin Islands Creole at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
Jump up ^ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Virgin Islands Creole English". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
Jump up ^ Ethnologue Report for language code: vic. Ethnologue
^ Jump up to: a b Wiltshire, Shari (January 28–29, 2007). "Crucian: Dialect or a language? Professor at UVI to publish dictionary". St. Croix Avis
Jump up ^ "Virgin Islands Creoles"
Jump up ^ "What can you find on YouTube that’s Sociolinguistically Interesting?", Society for Caribbean Linguistics - Abstracts and Profiles
Jump up ^ "My People … Reflections of the Hispanic Contribution to the Virgin Islands", Virgin Islands Humanities
Jump up ^ "University of the Virgin Islands Magazine", 2004 Edition
Jump up ^ "Culture of the United States Virgin Islands", Countries and Their Cultures
Jump up ^ English Creole – The Spoken Word on St. John. St. John Historical Society
^ Jump up to: a b c d e Bennerson & Child Rearing
External links[edit]
American Virgin Islands Creole Assorted information on Virgin Islands Creole, as well as Negerhollands. Includes section on surviving Africanisms in traditional Virgin Islands Creole.
British Virgin Islands Dictionary Wiwords.com – a cross-referencing West Indian dictionary
Crucian Dictionary Cruciandictionary.com – an online dictionary on the Crucian dialect – the form of Virgin Islands Creole spoken on St. Croix.
Domino 60 Traditional Children's Songs, Games, Proverbs, and Culture From the United States Virgin Islands by Karen Ellis©1990 plus 45 minute Live Sound Field Recording ©1979 Registration Number TXu 822-111
Linguistics, American Virgin Islands Creole Kraal Cultural Manual and Virgin Islands English
St. Maarten Talk Series A multi-chapter series on YouTube on the English creole spoken on the French-Dutch island of St. Martin.
The Indigenous Folksong Reading Curriculum Includes, on page 6, an excerpt in which a teacher accounts her experiences teaching standard English to Crucian dialect speakers on St. Croix.
US Virgin Islands Dictionary Wiwords.com – a cross-referencing West Indian dictionary.
VI Creole 101 A documentary on YouTube on the English creole spoken in the Virgin Islands.
Zoop Zoop Zoop: Traditional Music and Folklore of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John Includes many songs in Virgin Islands Creole.
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