The Culture of the Caribbean on Display on Eastern Parkway (Labor Day)

What a glorious expression, once the collective culture of the Caribbean region takes over on Labor Day in a joint and creative spirit the culture of the region is on display in its fullness on Eastern Parkway –the music,  the food, and the general atmosphere of connectivity.

Carnival in the Caribbean and especially in Trinidad and Tobago is known as a leveling event meaning that everybody is one and on the same level for Carnival;  doctors, lawyers are on the Parkway alongside teachers, janitors and mechanics and a mix from the community comes together and titles disappear,  the culture takes over and it’s just a joyous time for celebration. for connecting on a deep level of the creative spirit.

 Working, living, dancing, singing, side by side enjoying each other whether we are Black, White, Brown, or Indian,  it’s all a togetherness at carnival and that’s the beauty of carnival.

So when this celebration has blossomed into the largest one-day festival in the United States it comes with deep meaning that offers our own spirit of connectivity and an invitation to our friends and neighbors to come and enjoy the culture,  come and be with us on Eastern Parkway; it is not a festival, it’s not a parade it’s a combination of both and it is just a joyous occasion. We are just delighted to see the spirit of the Caribbean on Eastern Parkway but that has moved on to other parts of the metropolitan areas and of course internationally,  Canada, UK and in other States,  New Jersey,  Atlanta and Miami.

So let us celebrate the culture for the best in the culture, the best  of connecting us and showing how we can work and live together in peace and harmony, and to also show that we go deeper than just the music and the food,  the spiritual and creative connection goes at all levels and that comes out at carnival and that’s what should be celebrated.

All are invited to partake in this festival of culture and connection, even the politicians,  and we want them to come and enjoy the culture, enjoy the people and enjoy themselves. We have to safeguard the carnival becoming a political one where it’s politicized just for what is seen as profiling and not of substance and seemed as vote getting and not understanding the true spirit of carnival. We are all one and we’re all on the same level so we must be mindful of that as we continue to express the culture of the region, that its richness and its value and its mission of bringing people together should be maintained;  let us let the joy of coming together and sharing go beyond just  Labor Day into other activities. Carnival can be a very strong source of connection coming from the region glazed with our culture.  

Happy Caribbean Carnival on Labor Day and let us all have fun.