June is Caribbean-American Heritage Month at TCI

CARIBBEAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH: Many nations, one people. One people, many nations.

Caribbean people have been contributing to the well-being of American society since its founding. Alexander Hamilton, the First Secretary of the Treasury was from the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. We count among our famous sons and daughters, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Cicely Tyson, WEB Dubois, James Weldon Johnson, Malcolm X, Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier to name just a few.

Caribbean countries
While only a some of these countries are located within the Caribbean Sea, the following countries have been significantly influenced by the Caribbean culture and have geographical importance.

A

*
[+] Anguilla
*
[+] Antigua and Barbuda
*
[+] Aruba

B

*
[+] Bahamas
*
[+] Barbados
*
[+] Belize

Bermuda
*
[+] British Virgin Islands

C

*
[+] Cayman Islands
*
[+] Colombia
*
[+] Costa Rica
*
[+] Cuba


D

*
[+] Dominica
*
[+] Dominican Republic

G

*
[+] Grenada
*
[+] Guadeloupe
*
[+] Guyana

H

*
[+] Haiti
*
[+] Honduras

J

*
[+] Jamaica

M

*
[+] Martinique
*
[+] Mexico
*
[+] Montserrat

N

*
[+] Netherlands Antilles


*
[+] Nicaragua

P

*
[+] Panama
*
[+] Puerto Rico

S

*
[+] Saint Barthélemy
*
[+] Saint Kitts and Nevis
*
[+] Saint Lucia
*
[+] Saint Martin (France)
*
[+] Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

T

*
[+] Trinidad and Tobago
*
[+] Turks and Caicos Islands

U

*
[+] United States Virgin Islands

V

*
[+] Venezuela


HISTORY

The National Campaign for Caribbean American Heritage Month Campaign began in 2004. The Bill House Resolution 71 was entered into Congress by Congresswoman Barbara Lee, with language provided by ICS Founder and President, Dr. Claire Nelson. Since 2000, ICS has been leading the celebration of June as Caribbean American Heritage Month, taking up from where an Ad-Hoc Group of Caribbean Americans left off celebrating Caribbean Heritage Month in Washington DC in 1999. The Bill passed the Congress in June of 2005, the US Senate in 2006, and a Proclamation making it official was signed by President Bush on June 5, 2006.

VISION

National Caribbean American Heritage Month has been established to recognize the historic relationship between the people of the Caribbean and the people of the United States as well as to recognize the many contributions of Caribbean immigrants and their descendants to the well-being of America. From founding father Alexander Hamilton to Hip Hop star Wyclef Jean, National Caribbean American Heritage Month provides a focal point for ingathering of the diverse voices and peoples that constitute Caribbean America – a Mosaic of Cultures… a Montage of Peoples.

TIMELINE

1994 ICS institutes the Caribbean American Heritage Awards to recognize and celebrate the contributions of Caribbean Americans
1999 ICS organizes first White House Briefing on Caribbean American issues.
Ad-Hoc Caribbean Council of Washington DC (led by Doreen Thompson),organizes first Caribbean Heritage Month in Washington DC. ICS asked to join.
ICS initiates process with Clinton White House to issue a proclamation for Caribbean American Heritage Month.
2000 AdHoc Caribbean Council disbands.
ICS takes over leadership of celebrating June as Caribbean American Heritage Month (CAHM) in Washington DC, organizing Children’s Carnival Workshop
2001 ICS organizes first DC Caribbean Film Festival to commemorate June
2004 ICS works with the Office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee to craft language of legislation.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee sponsors initial Bill House Resolution 517 ICS hosts reception on June 1 on Capitol Hill to commemorate the month.
2005 Congresswoman Barbara Lee reintroduces Bill as House Concurrent Resolution 71.
ICS hosts second reception on Capitol Hill to promote awareness of the Bill.
Congressman Charles Rangel commends ICS in the Congressional Records
US Congress passed House Con. Res. 71 on June 27, 2005
2006 Senator Schumer introduces Bill in the Senate, which passes on February 14, 2006
President Bush signs proclamation on June 5, 2006


Famous Caribbean Americans to be honored this month:
Solanges Vivens, of Haitian heritage, will receive the Award for Outstanding Entrepreneurship. Dr. Vivens is CEO of VMT Long Term Care Management, Inc., listed among the top 100 employers in DC. The Minority & Business Professionals Network has recognized Dr. Vivens as one of the 50 Most Influential Minority Business Persons in America.

John Blake, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, will receive the Award for Excellence in the Media. As host of “The Caribbean Experience” on Howard University Radio WHUR FM, the radio pioneer’s weekly program has been the longest running Caribbean radio program in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.
Ato Boldon, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, will receive the Award for Excellence in Sports. Mr. Bolden, a four time Olympic medalist has continued to make history serving as coach of Saudi Arabia's Olympic sprint team, and is making rave reviews in sports broadcasting.

George C. Fraser, of Guyanese heritage, will receive the TrailBlazer Award. As Chairman & CEO of FraserNet Inc. the author of “Success Runs In Our Race: The Complete Guide to Effective Networking in the African American Community”, has been named one of “Top 50 power brokers in Black America”.

Raymond Goulbourne, of Jamaica, will receive the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Corporate America. As Executive Vice President for Broadcast Media Sales at Black Entertainment Television, he has helped to usher BET’s status as rising star in the VIACOM constellation of companies.

Maria Kong, of Jamaica, will receive the Outstanding Community Service Award. As President of the 35,000 member National Association of Real Estate Brokers, she is the first Caribbean American and second woman to head the 60 year old trade organization.

Frank Ross, of St. Kitts and Nevis, will receive the Marcus Garvey Lifetime Achievement Award. The first Black managing partner of accounting giant KPMG, and one of the Founders of the National Association of Black Accountants, is currently the Director of the Center for Accounting Education at Howard University; where KPMG has named a Chair in his honor.

Cardinal Warde Ph.D., of Barbados, will receive the Award for Excellence in Science and Technology. The MIT professor of electrical engineering, one of the world's leading experts on materials, devices and systems for optical information processing, holds ten key patents related to manufacture of transparent liquid-crystal VLSI micro-displays for digital cameras.

Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert, of Jamaica will receive the Luminary Award. The reggae legend who has a history of over forty years in the industry is widely credited with having coined the word ‘reggay’ in 1968. An icon of the ‘roots reggae’ movement, Toots fans includes musical greats such as Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Shaggy, winning a Grammy in 2005 for his album ‘True Love’.

Dr. Muriel Petioni, a native of Trinidad & Tobago, a 1919 Ellis Island immigrant, will provide Special Remarks and will be presented with a Special Award. Since earning a medical degree from Howard University in 1937, Dr. Petioni is recognized nationally as an icon for Black women physicians, and is credited with establishing the Medical Women of the National Medical Association, which is now called the Council for the Consensus of Women. Dr. Petioni’s professional affiliations, honors, and achievements are numerous, and exemplify her extraordinary and indefatigable commitment and devotion to community medicine on the highest levels.

Maureen Bunyan, of Guyanese & Aruban heritage, Anchor, WJLA (ABC) TV 7, Washington DC
Neki Mohan, of Trinidadian heritage, Anchor, WPLG (ABC) TV 10, Miami