Carib News, from its very inception and its mission for 42 years beginning in 1982, was to advance the recognition, interests and influence of the Caribbean American community, a mission that sparked the founding of Carib News, the first regular weekly newspaper for the Caribbean American community and whose mission was to pull together the region in a cohesive manner. Also in 1995 some 29 years ago Carib News organized the annual Caribbean Multi- National Business Conference (CMBC) as it is now known; it was to cement the interest of the Caribbean region, the Caribbean American community and the community of African American stakeholders to work together in the interest of inviting members of the US Congress to the Caribbean annually to experience and understand and to build better alliances that would augur to the benefit of all people and certainly a better sense of the Caribbean American community and its contribution.
This effort through the years and the agenda, was the recognition of the Caribbean American steady and historic contribution that Carib News has called a ‘partnership for progress’- it laid out the historical contribution of the Caribbean immigrants to the United States’ own development, from the war of independence through current contribution in so many critical areas of progress. Year after year at the CMBC meeting in the Caribbean a number of Members of Congress attended and the idea of a
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Caribbean Heritage Month was always raised, and with members of the CBC who would have the power and influence to make it happen. It was certainly good to see other organizations and individuals taking up support for the concept of a Caribbean Heritage Month and joining in the effort to push that concept. It was however at the CMBC conference in the Caribbean when a meeting of the Congressional Black Caucus members present endorsed the concept formally and Congress member Barbara Lee was charged with the implementation of the Caribbean heritage month effort; we were delighted then when the realization of the Caribbean Heritage month was accepted and when in fact the President issued a proclamation of the Caribbean Heritage month; it took decades of effort building alliances, creating the awareness in a consistent manner over time with determination that brought about the success and the declaration of the Caribbean heritage month, so as we celebrate Caribbean Heritage month 2024 with all of the challenges that we face in the region, in the Caribbean American community in the United states, and the need for understanding, collaboration and alliances – it is an even stronger drive for us to build on the alliance that brought about the Caribbean Heritage month and keep focus on what we can do when we work together, looking at the historical contribution of Caribbean Americans, looking at how we have worked together in the past, what we achieved and in today’s world how we must work together to overcome the challenges and the opposition that we face as a people.
So, while we celebrate Caribbean Heritage month with its cultural vibrance and our people’s achievement we must also look to the contribution that we must make, and have made in the past, from the creation of the city of Chicago by the Haitian du Sable to Marcus Garvey who led the awareness of the Black movement and Black economic power, to Harry Belafonte who was the bedrock of the Civil Rights Movement in the United State; the work against apartheid in South Africa and a stable contributor to humanity; Clarence Baker- Motley from Saint Kitts who was the sleeping giant that helped to bring about so many advances for Blacks in the United States; Shirley Chisholm who set the pace for Black women in the US Congress and the advancement of the Black agenda; to today where Kamala Harris with her Jamaican background serves as the Vice President of these United States; Carl Heastie from the Bahamas is the first Black elected Speaker of the New York State Assembly; Stephen Horsford with Trinidadian roots now chairs the Congressional Black Caucus and just so many more.
In today’s issue of Carib News we have what we call the Caribbean American Power 100, people who are creating excellence in today’s world and making a difference; we are saluting them in their various areas at various levels working and making a difference and that is what Caribbean Heritage month means, how we can contribute.
The bonds between the United States and the Caribbean remain strong rooted in similar legacies, trials and triumph, oppression and liberation, narratives of advancement on similar parts of progress driven forward by our sheer dedication to fostering opportunities and forging a brighter future for all. We can work jointly, collaboratively to advance the empowerment positions of the Caribbean American community and the Caribbean region and we recognize that it has to be done working together with our partners of color in the United States, so during the time when we celebrate the achievement of millions of Caribbean Americans, and we should do that, we should work to and commit ourselves to work collaboratively with our African American friends who in the same month of June celebrate Juneteenth; they fight for their own freedom and we must be supportive of each other as we face the same problems and issues and we must take ownership for the leadership of community and hold them to the task; we cannot outsource leadership, we have to come together in our own best self-interest working collaboratively with those of common heritage.
We have to be united among ourselves even when there are differences in terms of island and country, but we must be aware of the common heritage; we know and respect the common mission, we know we have to find common solutions, so let Caribbean Heritage month serve as a catalyst to pull us together, to work together, and be stronger together.
