President Barack Obama declared June as Caribbean Heritage Month on May 29, 2015.
Friday June 5, 2015 Brooklyn’s Borough President Eric L. Adams kicked off his office’s month-long celebration featuring an array of Caribbean-fused activities.
Joined by his Deputy Borough President Diana Reyna, the first Dominican-American to serve in that capacity, both expressed the importance of celebrating Caribbean-American contributions in Brooklyn and beyond.
“Recognizing the significance of the Caribbean people and their descendants and the history and culture in the United States. As I’ve said, Brooklyn is the center of that cultural history. You cannot say Brooklyn without speaking on all of our Caribbean islands,” Adams said during the press conference kick-off.
“This is an exciting time where color is vibrant and we are visible. It is important that we are at the table reminding New York City how diverse we are and the richness of that diversity,” Reyna added.
Adams was sure to mention that this is Caribbean Heritage Month’s 10th anniversary of congressional adoption. Focusing much on the Caribbean American’s contribution, majorly to small business creation throughout the borough.
“Many of our small business are ran by our Caribbean-American’s entrepreneurial spirit,” Adams said.
The conference featured a female-dominated committee responsible for curating the event series. Headed by Sandra Chapman, chief program officer, featured speaker Dr. Roy A. Hastick — president and founder of Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (CACCI) an official sponsor of the event series — mentioned that this is just a representation of the type of women living in Brooklyn.
“So many ladies on the committee and not too many men but Brooklyn is a borough not only of the Caribbean-Americans but also of distinguished women like Diana Reyna.”
Boasting a 2.6 million population, Brooklyn stands as the hub of the Caribbean-American community. “Brooklyn is the home of Caribbean-Americans,” Adams said.
Direcltly following the press conference was a “Bring Your Own Lunch” film screening presented by La “V” En Rose Productions and CaribBeing.
Every Friday this month, head over to Brooklyn’s Borough Hall for free events including screenings, a fashion show, food tastings, art expos and more. Visit brook
