[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 90 (Wednesday, July 12, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1389]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        DEPUTY MAYOR WALCOTT CELEBRATES CARIBBEAN HERITAGE WEEK

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                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 12, 2006

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Dennis Walcott, New 
York City's Deputy Mayor for Education and Community Development for 
enthusiastically joining the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and 
envoys from Grenada, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago in celebrating the 
Caribbean Week.
  I was a co-sponsor of the recent bill (H. Con. Res. 51) that declared 
the month of June as the Caribbean Heritage Month in order to recognize 
and applaud the contributions of the Caribbean-American communities to 
the United States. I have participated in celebratory activities in the 
said communities, including those in my district, such as parades, 
carnivals and festivals to commemorate this month and present an 
opportunity to explore the diversity within the Islands.
  Mr. Walcott has joined me in this celebration. A celebrity cricket 
match, a Caribbean Gospelfest, Town Hall meetings featuring Ministers 
of tourism from the region, a Caribbean Fair at South Street Seaport, 
and cooking demonstrations by some of the region's top chefs has taken 
the city by storm. Mr. Walcott, who traces his origin to the islands of 
Barbados and St. Croix, envisions a win-win tourism relationship 
between the Islands and New York City, as well as the Nation.
  Mr. Speaker I wish to enter into the Record, the article from the 
June 27,2006 edition of The New York Carib News, titled Deputy Mayor 
Walcott Embraces Caribbean Week.

              Deputy Mayor Walcott Embraces Caribbean Week

       New York.--According to Dennis Walcott, New York City's 
     Deputy Mayor for Education and Community Development, the 
     recent Caribbean Week in New York, staged by the Caribbean 
     Tourism Organization (CTO), is deeply important to the City 
     of New York and people and nations of the Caribbean.
       Walcott underscored the importance of the Diaspora to the 
     City, and said Caribbean Week is a reinforcement of his 
     personal roots as well as a reminder of the importance of the 
     Caribbean here. Walcott, who traces his roots to the islands 
     of Barbados and St. Croix, said Caribbean-Americans are key 
     players in the running of New York City.
       Caribbean Week presents an opportunity for people to 
     understand the diversity of the Caribbean, and according to 
     Walcott appreciate the various countries that are part of the 
     Diaspora of the Caribbean. The Deputy Mayor envisions a win-
     win tourism relationship between the City of New York and CTO 
     member nations.
       A celebrity cricket match, a Caribbean Gospelfest, Town 
     Hall meetings featuring Ministers of Tourism from the region, 
     a Caribbean Fair at the South Street Seaport, the popular 
     Media Marketplace and cooking demonstrations with some of the 
     region's top chefs, were some of the exciting events that 
     took the City by storm during Caribbean Week in New York.
       Addressing a town hall meeting at Medgar Evers College in 
     the borough of Brooklyn, Ministers of Tourism from Grenada, 
     Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago told the audience about the 
     importance of tourism to their respective economies, and 
     updated nationals on crime fighting strategies in their 
     territories.
       Minister Brenda Hood unveiled plans to work with the VFR 
     (Visiting Friends and Relatives) market, and pledged her 
     commitment to review proposals from the Diaspora media and 
     communications community to promote Grenada, Carriacou and 
     Petite Martinique in the marketplace.

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