Caribbean Heritage Month events proceed across US without White House proclamation

NEW YORK: Caribbean Heritage Month is being observed by Caribbean communities in several American states, with June activities scheduled across the United States. For a second consecutive year, however, the Trump administration has not issued a White House proclamation recognising the month.

Dr Claire Nelson, who organises Caribbean Heritage Month, said the administration has opted not to make proclamations for observances of this nature.

Among the major items on the calendar is a two-day policy forum involving elected members of the US Senate and the US House of Representatives. The discussions are expected to examine how US-Caribbean relations are being influenced by overlapping issues, including security, trade, finance, infrastructure, migration, disaster resilience, health systems and geopolitical rivalry.

"The Caribbean is not a distant policy concern. It is America's third border, connected to the United States through trade, tourism, migration, financial systems, workforce mobility, and shared security interests," said Nelson, founder and president of the Institute of Caribbean Studies.

Nelson said the forum is intended to push the conversation past narrow, disconnected policy responses and look at ways the United States and the Caribbean can build stronger resilience across linked systems.

A central thread running through the meeting will be the move away from traditional development-aid thinking and towards a model based on resilience, risk management, investment and strategic partnership.

Participants are expected to consider how the Caribbean and the United States can jointly reinforce security, finance, infrastructure, health, workforce, disaster preparation and recovery, regional governance and cooperation systems.

The opening day will deal with security, trade, development finance, energy and strategic infrastructure. The second day will turn to financial resilience, disaster recovery, health systems, migration, workforce mobility and the future direction of US-Caribbean engagement.

Cultural events are also part of the month’s programme. At the Jamaican Embassy in Washington, DC, organisers staged a movie night featuring The Harder They Come.

Several cities have held flag-raising ceremonies, while a number of mayors and governors across different states have issued their own proclamations in honour of Caribbean Heritage Month.