Racism
The theme of racism plays an integral role in If I Survive You. As people of color coming from Kingston, Jamaica and going to Miami, Florida, Trelawny, Topper, and Sanya experience racism in their lives. They experience typical interpersonal racism. However, they also experience systematic racism. Structural systems (like the housing and healthcare systems, for example) in the U.S. cause the family to be at a disadvantage compared to their white counterparts. Despite the racism that they must contend with, though, the family does as well as they can in life.
Political violence
During their early lives, political violence was common for Trelawny, Topper, and Sanya. They came from Kingston, Jamaica, which was in turmoil. Different political factions constantly fought each other, wreaking havoc on the country. As a result of that political violence, Trelawny, Topper, and Sanya decide to move to Miami in the United States, which they see as a land of tremendous opportunity. Eventually, the family learns that they escaped physical violence and swapped it for mental violence in America.
The immigrant experience
Like so many people who immigrated to the United States from their country, Trelawny, Topper, and Sanya had to go through the so-called "immigrant experience." As a part of the immigrant experience, Trelawny, Topper, and Sanya had to acclimate to a new culture, a new area they live in, new people (whose behavior is informed by their culture) and trying to survive financially. Every immigrant's life is uprooted because they transport themselves from a place they are familiar with to a place that they are not familiar with. As a result, most immigrants initially struggle to acclimate.
