Caribbean American Heritage Month

Floor Speech

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Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, as we commemorate June as Caribbean American Heritage Month, I am proud to stand with our Special Order champion, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who herself is a woman of Caribbean heritage. She is from the great State of Texas, and her parents were immigrants from Jamaica. So I thank Congresswoman Jackson Lee again for leading our power, our message, and also I thank her for acknowledging the great honor I received last week.

But, Mr. Speaker, the Congresswoman did not tell you that she too was on that same program as we commemorated and celebrated Juneteenth. She had the distinct honor to present an award to an icon, Maxwell, who is so great he only needs one name. To see her walk across that stage along with another one of our colleagues, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, made me proud to share the stage with her, our other colleagues, and so many icons who have fought for justice. That ties into what we are talking about today. You will hear many of our members come and talk about the beauty of diversity, culture, and their heritage.

I also want to take a moment to celebrate the dedication and all of the work of Congresswoman Barbara Lee who led the effort to designate the month of June as Caribbean American Heritage Month. You will hear from her today, Mr. Speaker.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee is always out in the forefront when we are talking about fighting for justice or when we are talking about making sure that we educate our constituency, and, yes, America, on any topic, but tonight this is a topic she knows all so well.

You see, Mr. Speaker, when I think about Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm in Congress and Members like vice-chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Steven Horsford, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, Congressman Anthony Brown, Delegate Stacey Plaskett, Congressman G. K. Butterfield, Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, and so many others, it is a rollcall of our Members of Caribbean heritage.

So when we think of this great legacy that we are leaving, Caribbean heritage is one of the most resilient and excellent, and it is full of the tenacity of the people who come to this Congress to be the voice for the people whom they know need us most.

The Congressional Black Caucus has been a longtime fighter for the protection of immigrants of color and for the rights of people of Caribbean descent, such as the Haitian Family Reunification Parole, or better known as HFRP program, which allows eligible United States citizens and lawful permanent residents to apply for parole for their family members in Haiti.

Just think about this, Mr. Speaker, think about this: Some 50 years ago, one woman and 12 men, the founders of the Congressional Black Caucus, one woman making history, the same woman who ran for President of these United States, Shirley Chisholm. So from Shirley Chisholm to-- think about it--today in modern times Delegate Stacey Plaskett to chairwoman of the CBC's Task Force on Immigration, and the only Black woman in the New York congressional delegation, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, the contributions of Caribbean-American heritage to this democracy is alive and well, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to also take a moment to commemorate the decades of work that a Dr. Claire Nelson has displayed on behalf of the Caribbean diaspora. Dr. Nelson is the founder and president of the Institute of Caribbean Studies, ICS, the Nation's leading Caribbean-American advocacy group and a good friend to the Congressional Black Caucus and our dear friend, Congresswoman Barbara Lee. She fearlessly led the advocacy efforts that accompany Congresswoman Barbara Lee's legislation that was signed into law that we are celebrating tonight. I thank Congresswoman Barbara Lee. I remember when she came to us in the Congressional Black Caucus meeting and said: We want to make this happen.

So tonight we made it happen.

I thank the gentlewoman, and I thank all of our other Members for being here tonight.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Beatty for laying the framework of how enriched the Congressional Black Caucus is with the vast diversity of Members who have these enormous connections and heritage and to honor the leader of this legislation making June Caribbean American Heritage Month and to be astute enough to continue her work as the chair of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee on Appropriations. She has been a lifeline to the Caribbean and astute on many issues from immigration to disasters to the issues of dealing with democracy and humanity.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership. Might I add that she also has a strong heritage in Texas and was a very powerful contributor to our celebration of Juneteenth in Texas. Along with her relatives she was at the Ashton Villa site where General Granger came to announce the freedom of the slaves. She did that during Juneteenth in Texas. We were glad to have her.

Lee).

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