In June 2005, the House of Representatives unanimously adopted H. Con. Res. 71, sponsored by Congresswoman Barbara Lee, recognizing the significance of Caribbean people and their descendants in the history and culture of the United States. On February 14, 2006, the resolution similarly passed the Senate, culminating a two-year, bipartisan and bicameral effort. The Proclamation was issued by President George W. Bush on June 6, 2006.
Since the declaration, the White House has issued an annual proclamation recognizing June as Caribbean-American Heritage Month. This year marks the fourteenth celebration of June as National Caribbean American Heritage Month.
The campaign to designate June as National Caribbean American Heritage Month was spearheaded by Dr. Claire Nelson, Founder, and President of the Institute of Caribbean Studies. Through the commemoration of this month, we hope to ensure that America is reminded that its greatness lies in its diversity, with Caribbean immigrants from founding father Alexander Hamilton, to journalist Malcolm Gladwell, who have shaped the American dream.
READ
Caribbean American Heritage Month History - CAHM Website
The Hard Story of Caribbean Immigrants and The American Dream - News@Northeastern
“Caught between their parents’ traditions and the pressure to assimilate to a new culture, second-generation immigrants face specific challenges. These challenges are made more complex for the children of Caribbean immigrants in the United States, according to a group of scholars who discussed the topic last week at Northeastern.”
These Ghosts Are Family - Maisy Card
“Stanford Solomon’s shocking, thirty-year-old secret is about to change the lives of everyone around him. Stanford has done something no one could ever imagine. He is a man who faked his own death and stole the identity of his best friend. Stanford Solomon is actually Abel Paisley… These Ghosts Are Family revolves around the consequences of Abel’s decision and tells the story of the Paisley family from colonial Jamaica to present-day Harlem… This “rich and layered story” (Kirkus Reviews) explores the ways each character wrestles with their ghosts and struggles to forge independent identities outside of the family and their trauma. The result is a “beguiling…vividly drawn, and compelling” (BookPage, starred review) portrait of a family and individuals caught in the sweep of history, slavery, migration, and the more personal dramas of infidelity, lost love, and regret.”
Augustown - Kei Miller
“Ma Taffy may be blind but she sees everything. So when her great-nephew Kaia comes home from school in tears, what she senses sends a deep fear running through her. A teacher has cut off Kaia’s dreadlocks—a violation of the family’s Rastafari beliefs—and this single impulsive action will have ramifications that stretch throughout the entire community. Kaia’s story brings back memories from Ma Taffy’s youth, including the legend of the flying preacher man and his ties to the history of Jamaican oppression and resistance—all of which will reverberate forward to the present and change Augustown forever… Vividly bringing to life Jamaica in the 1980s, Augustown follows one family’s struggle to rise above the brutal vicissitudes of history, race, class, collective memory, violence, and myth.”
WATCH
Mala Mala - Amazon Prime
“Mala Mala is an immediate eye-opener and provides a glimpse of what the transgender community experiences in Puerto Rico. Directed by Antonio Santini (of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent) and Dan Sickles, the documentary is transformatively told through nine trans-identifying individuals.”
Espejuelos Oscuros - Amazon Prime
“With this film, I’m sending a message about… how women are consistently held back,” Cuban filmmaker Jessica Rodríguez told Miami New Times ahead of the film’s release. Espejuelos oscuros (Dark Glasses) tells the tales of fearless women throughout three periods of Cuban history, but it’s how the story is told that sets an unusual tone.”
They Are We - Apple TV or Amazon Prime
THEY ARE WE is the story of a remarkable reunion, 170 or so years after a family was driven apart by the ravages of the transatlantic slave trade.
“This is a unique and sentimental story of a group of Cubans connecting their traditions and roots back to Africa with the help of director and ethnologist Emma Christopher. The audience learns about the Gangá-Longobá people, a small group of Afro-Cubans in Perico, Matanzas Province, who have preserved and passed on various songs and dances through generations. It’s an incredible reunion of descendants who recognize each other’s similarities through music and dance.”
Guava Island - Amazon Prime
“The musical drama tells the story of a young musician Deni (Donald Glover), who tries to liberate the island’s working class through a vibrant music festival. Despite threats and challenges from the government that refuses to give its workers a day off, Deni is eager to give the people of the island hope. The indie film takes place in Cuba, starring Rihanna and Black Panther’s Letitia Wright.”
LISTEN
Our Healing Isn’t a Luxury - Carry on Friends The Caribbean American Podcast (Apple Podcasts)
“In the bonus episode of Carry On Friends, we’re doing an episode swap with Bridge to U featuring the episode "Healing is Not a Luxury". This episode features Barbadian Dr. Charmain Jackman who discusses the idea that healing is not a luxury… Dr. Jackman is an award winning psychologist who has trained at two of the top Harvard Medical School training hospitals in the US. She has over 2 decades of mental health experience and focuses on normalizing mental health and therapy for people of color. Her mission is to increase access to mental health resources for people who have historically not had access to quality, culturally-informed care.”
Breaking Caribbean Music in America: What Needs To Be Done - Music Matters: The Caribbean Edition (Apple Podcasts)
“Laura and Nigel speak with Caribbean-American music executive Nolan Baynes on the ins and outs of the modern US music industry, as he lays out what needs to be done by Caribbean artists and music business to get a significant space in that market. They analyze a few case studies of Caribbean music entrepreneurship and creativity.
VISIT & ATTEND
Little Caribbean - NYC
“Little Caribbean is home to the largest and most diverse populations of Caribbean immigrants in the world, and site of numerous Caribbean businesses such as restaurants, bakeries and fresh markets. Little Caribbean is an initiative spearheaded by Caribbeing, a Flatbush-based cultural hub and leading presenter of all things Caribbean. Caribbeing stimulates the promotion and development of food, culture and small businesses in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Flatbush, East Flatbush, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Caribbeing also offers culinary and cultural guided tours that are bi-monthly and by appointment.”
I AM caribBEING Prospect Park: Rockers + Dre Island - NYC
“Celebrate Caribbean-American Heritage Month in Prospect Park with I AM caribBEING and Prospect Park Alliance. Brooklyn’s Backyard will be home to a month of live music, wellness, film and other special events. Enjoy Caribbean film, live music, dance, wellness and much more during this cultural celebration for Brooklynites of all ages. All participating artists and practitioners have roots in Little Caribbean NYC, and hail from Trinidad, Jamaica, Haiti and elsewhere.”
Sunday, Jun 5, 2022
7pm-10pm ET
Prospect Park
LACF Caribbean Heritage Festival - LA
Los Angeles Culture Festival & The City of LA
Free Entry (Family Affair) Kids welcomed
Live Performances, Cultural Foods & Crafts, Award Ceremony and much more
Sunday, June 26, 2022
12pm PT
Location TBA - Los Angeles
SUPPORT
Children Of The Caribbean Foundation
“Children of the Caribbean Foundation was founded on June 1, 2010 by Julien Adams and Rosie Hodge-Adams. Built on the premise that Every Child Matters, the charity provides relief and assistance to children across the globe. The Foundation’s efforts are geared to resolving the ongoing struggles that some children face every day – poverty, hunger, illiteracy and disease – and to replace these struggles with hope for the future.”
“Clara Lionel Foundation was founded in 2012 by Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty in honor of her grandparents Clara and Lionel Braithwaite.CLF is shifting how the world responds to natural disasters through emergency preparedness and community resilience projects. CLF funds groundbreaking education and emergency preparedness and response programs around the world. In March 2020, the fund donated US$5 million toward COVID-19 response efforts.”
“For more than four decades, Sandals Resorts International has been involved in giving back to the local communities in the Islands we call home. The establishment of the Sandals Foundation became a structured approach to making positive change within the areas of Education, Community and Environment.”
Caribbean American Cultural Arts Foundation
“The Caribbean American Cultural Arts Foundation is dedicated to activities that enrich the Caribbean-American community. Our funding supports initiatives that connect corporations and small businesses to offer job placement and mentorship opportunities to future global leaders.The Caribbean American Cultural Arts Foundation is dedicated to cultural educational programming and disaster relief. Our continuous efforts to assist those in need in the Caribbean region and the United States include relief shipments and fundraising efforts.”