Senator Parker Celebrates June 2013 as the Fifth Annual Caribbean-American Heritage Month

Senator Parker Celebrates June 2013 as the Fifth Annual Caribbean-American Heritage Month

(Brooklyn, NY)  Senator Kevin Parker (D-21) today announced that June of 2013 is the fifth annual Caribbean-American Heritage month.

“From government officials like Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and Secretary of State Colin Powell, to entertainers like Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier, and to academics like W.E.B. DuBois and James Weldon Johnson, Caribbean-Americans have played a vital role in shaping New York and Brooklyn from Colonial times to the present,” said Senator Parker. “The Caribbean-American heritage is not only the story of America, it is our story, and in June we celebrate that heritage and honor the contributions that Caribbean-Americans have made to our community.”

Acting at the urging of Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Congress adopted June as Caribbean-American Heritage Month in 2006, as a way of recognizing the significance of Caribbean-Americans and their descendants to the history and culture of the United States. Influential Caribbean-Americans include U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, and Cicely Tyson.

“As Brooklynites, we know that June is a great time to enjoy the Caribbean food, music, literature, history and communities help make Brooklyn special,” continued the Senator. “The countries and inhabitants of the Caribbean are not merely neighbors, it is impossible to imagine New York and particularly Brooklyn without the vibrant presence of the 600,000 immigrants of Caribbean descent who are our families, friends and treasured partners in the prosperity and quality of life of our community.

The importance of Caribbean-American immigrants in New York’s history is one of the many obvious reasons passing the Dream Act and comprehensive immigration reform is so important.

“Our ties with the Caribbean have always benefited New York. It is time we provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, and give their children have a path to success through education, by passing comprehensive immigration reform and the Dream Act now. That is why I have worked to pass the Dream Act for years, and why I have pushed for federal immigration reform and many other reforms to enhance our immigrants’ quality of life,” said the Senator.

About Senator Kevin Parker

Senator Kevin S. Parker is intimately familiar with the needs of his ethnically diverse Brooklyn community that consists of 318,000 constituents in Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Ditmas Park, Kensington, Windsor Terrace, and Park Slope. He is the Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee, Assistant Democratic Leader for Intergovernmental Affairs, and Chair of the Democratic Task Force on New Americans.