Caribbean American Heritage Month

Floor Speech

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Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of Caribbean American Heritage Month.

First, I want to give credit where credit is due and thank Congresswoman Barbara Lee for her leadership which made this designation possible beginning in 2006. I have to thank Caribbean American Shirley Chisholm who was the first Black woman to serve in Congress. I would not be here today if she had not blazed a trail.

Throughout the month of June, we come together to uplift and celebrate the remarkable contributions, radiant culture, and deep history of our Caribbean siblings, some who are the descendants of those who were forced into migration due to the transatlantic slave trade and those who migrated as Caribbean nationals.

I represent the Massachusetts Seventh which is the third largest Caribbean population in the United States.

Dominicans, Jamaicans, Trinidadians, Bajans, Haitians, and more shape our community and contribute to our economy, culture, and civic life.

Whether we are experiencing Caribbean Carnival, the third largest in North America in Boston, or at the policy table working to mitigate the impacts of climate change on our island neighbors, I am deeply grateful to and for them all.

In honoring Caribbean American Heritage Month, I reaffirm my commitment to my Caribbean neighbors throughout the United States.

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