The world Caribbean refers to a region of the world where many islands are positioned in close proximity. The Caribben countries in this part of the world are situated in the Caribbean Sea, which splits the Atlantic Ocean in two. The continent of Africa lies to the east of the Caribbean, and the Caribbean Sea extends as far west as Central America.
The Caribbean countries are all islands, considering the fact that they are not part of any mainland. If you include every single country that is part of the Caribbean, you would discover that there are thirteen Caribbean countries in total.
The Countries in the Caribbean Islands:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Cuba.
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Grenada
- Haiti
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Jamaica
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
Caribbean-American Heritage Month
National Caribbean American Month is celebrated every June to honor America’s rich and diverse culture, which also includes the Caribbean-American population. People from this community have not only evolved the American culture but have also contributed greatly to the development of the Nation in areas of science and medicine. There are also numerous Caribbean Americans whose services the U.S is grateful for even today. This month aims to recognize the contributions of all Caribbean-American people and to teach people more about their culture and history.
The month was founded by Dr. Claire Nelson and was celebrated across the nation for the first time by the Institute of Caribbean Studies in 2000. However, the move to officially declare June as National Caribbean American Month started in 2004 when a legislative bill was passed by Congresswoman Barbara Lee. The resolution was made official in 2006 when President George W. Bush signed the proclamation, naming June as National Caribbean American Month.
During this month, knowledge regarding the contributions of the Caribbean is pushed to the forefront, and people are also reminded of the great Caribbean cuisine, their music, and the majestic annual parades of the Caribbean Americans.
Caribbean Heritage Month commemoration was adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2005 to recognize the significance of Caribbean people and their descendants in the history and culture of the United States. The resolution passed the Senate in Feb. 2006, and President George H.W. Bush issued the proclamation in June 2006.
Since the declaration, the White House has issued an annual proclamation recognizing June as Caribbean-American Heritage Month.
Some of the Caribbean immigrants, from founding father Alexander Hamilton to journalist Malcolm Gladwell, have helped to shape the American dream, Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black American of Jamaican heritage to hold this high office. We are also honored to celebrate alongside brilliant and dedicated public servants of Caribbean heritage — including Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, and Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice.
In addition, public servants like our Nation’s first Supreme Court Justice of Puerto Rican descent, Sonia Sotomayor, and the late General Colin Powell, the son of Jamaican immigrants and the first Black Secretary of State, have made essential contributions to American society and blazed new trails in service to the American people. Caribbean American entrepreneurs, scientists, medical professionals, teachers, artists, police officers, athletes, and contributors in every field have also left a lasting impact on our society.
In spite of innumerable achievements and undeniable contributions, too many Caribbean Americans continue to face systemic barriers to success. Caribbean Americans have been impacted by systemic racism and disparities in opportunity. My Administration has taken a whole-of-government approach to advance racial justice and equity in order to begin healing those wounds and strengthening opportunities for all. We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to ensure that every American — no matter who they are or where they come from — has equal access to the American dream.
On June 30th, 2022 took place Caribbean Heritage Celebration event. It was organized by Mayor, Eric Adams at Gracie Mention in New York City.
It was a pleasure to meet Commissioner, Manuel Castro, who himself is an immigrant.
As a child, Castro crossed the Mexican border with his mother. He was part of the early generation of undocumented activists known as DREAMers fighting for the right to an education and legal status.
Mr. Manuel was appointed by Mayor Eric Adams as Commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) in January of 2022. He is responsible for running a City agency dedicated to supporting more than 3.2 million immigrant New Yorkers. MOIA works to ensure immigrants access culturally and linguistically responsive services in partnership with agencies across the city and community partners.
It makes me so happy to see so many not only women but as well minority and immigrant women being in charge and making decisions for all of us. From left: Ms. Sylvia Hinds-Radix, NYC Corporation Counsel, A strong and powerful woman, Ms. Ingrid Lewis-Martin a Chief Advisor to the Mayor.
“People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” —George Orwell
A big thank you to all the Policewomen and Policeman who are keeping us safe and sane. It is such an honor to be on the picture with you.
From Facebook friends to real life. Finally after 2 years of following and getting to know each other online, our paths crossed in person with Dr. Sima Karetnaya and Sohail Rana.
It was truly an honor to meet those two, who give so much to the community. They live mission is to make the world a better place and they do it every single day.
Over 500 distinguished guests attended the Caribbean Heritage Celebration.
Fashion Week Brooklyn is coming this fall. Visit here to learn more.
In blue: Ms. Sylvia Hinds-Radix, NYC Corporation Counsel. She is the first Caribbean-born woman to hold the post.
A 1984 Howard University School of Law graduate who was born in Barbados. Sylvia began her legal career with District Council 37, New York City’s largest public-sector union, and remained there until she was elected to the Civil Court bench in 2001.
Did you know that approximately 4.4 million Caribbean immigrants reside in the United States, accounting for 10 percent of the nation’s 44.5 million immigrants?! And their accomplishments are very significant for the United States.
This was my first encounter with the immigrant Caribbean community and I was simply wowed by their hospitality and open hearts.
After all, we have to remember that we are all people, who want to be happy, who have hopes and dreams.
There is only one way of behaving – we need to treat others as we would like to be treated and the Caribbean community can be an example that we can learn from.