[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 45 (Thursday, March 15, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E566-E568]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE CARIBBEAN AMERICAN POPULATION OF
THE UNITED STATES
______
HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL
of new york
in the house of representatives
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to enter into the Record an
opinion editorial published in the Carib News newspaper the week ending
February 27, 2007, titled ``Black History Month: The Hand of People
From the Caribbean Seen in Every Aspect of Human Development''; as well
as an article appearing the same week in the CaribNews paper, entitled,
``A Celebration of the Caribbean-American Contribution to Black
History: Achievement and Hard-Won Successes Caribbean-Americans Have
Added to the Rich Cultural Tapestry of the United States,'' by Michael
D. Roberts. I cannot agree more with the author. Now is the time to
reflect on past achievements of immigrants of Caribbean descent and
their impact on our country, as well as look to the future with an
abundance of hope that their continual contributions to the United
States will resonate through eternity.
Since the abolition of slavery in 1834, the Caribbean has provided
the primary source of the growth of the Black population in the U.S.
Today many Caribbean workers residing in the U.S. are entrepreneurs and
small business owners. They can be found working in hospitals, at
construction sites and in technology and communication industries. They
act as agents of social change in this country by participating in
local, State and Federal Government, representing their communities
while simultaneously inspiring others abroad to strive for stability
and democracy in the homeland. Caribbean-Americans represent a large
part of my district and have made a substantial contribution to the
fabric of New York City's economy and they contribute to the diversity
that characterizes the United States of America.
I ask my colleagues to join me in recognition of the contributions of
the Caribbean-American population in the U.S.
Black History Month: The Hand of People From the Caribbean Seen in
Every Aspect of Human Development
``When the great day of our liberation comes, we will find
the West Indian foremost in the ranks of those fighting with
his armor on and his sword raised aloft.''
Fenton Johnson, an African-American editor, poet and
political activist in Chicago was looking back while keeping
his eyes on the prize ahead of him in 1919.
``In every industry, in every profession, in every trade,
we find this son of the islands holding aloft the banner of
Ethiopia,'' he added.
Although much of what he had in mind: the black political,
cultural and economic awakening, has been achieved, a lot
remains to be done.
But as we celebrate Black History Month and the
achievements of African-Americans, some things are quite
clear: African Americans and people from the Caribbean have
been consistent allies. Secondly, there is need for even more
trust in each other.
Frederick Douglass, the ex-slave and the golden trombone of
the 19th century anti-slavery movement and one of the leaders
of the abolition crusade recognized the need for this united
effort when more than 170 years
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ago he said: ``Let no American, especially no colored
American, withhold a generous recognition of this stupendous
achievement.''
The great achievement he had in mind as he addressed
immigrants from the Caribbean islands in Elmira in New York
was the impact of emancipation of slaves in the West Indies
in the 1830s.
``Emancipation in the West Indies was the first bright star
in the stormy sky,'' was the way he put it in Elmira, New
York in 1880.
It was more than that.
(It was) ``The first ray of hope'' for African slaves in
America, he insisted, was a reason to continue to fight,
agitate, revolt and runaway from atrocities perpetrated
across the land by white slave owners who considered four
million people nothing more than ``beasts of burden.''
But emancipation in the Caribbean, which spawned
expressions of joy and happiness, came at a price, thousands
of lives lost in the revolts against the brutality of
European domination.
As Douglass pointed out, ``the emancipation of our brothers
in the West Indies came home to us and stirs our hearts and
fills our souls with grateful sentiments which link mankind
in a common brotherhood.''
That's why it is so important to recognize the
contributions of people from the Caribbean to the development
of human civilization long before and after slavery was
abolished.
The contributions were recorded in all areas of human
endeavor and they have had an impact on the wide range of
emotions--exhilaration after outstanding successes, sadness
over the loss of life during the struggle for freedom and
hope for what may be ahead. From the fight for freedom from
British colonialism in North America and the Caribbean, the
growth of agriculture, including the sugar industry, the rule
of law, and the struggle for independence and sovereignty to
the outstanding educational advancement, literary
accomplishments, global recognition as an incubator for
sports stars, entertainment, and social and economic
development, the Caribbean and its people have made their
mark on society.
Dr. Winston James, a history professor at Columbia
University in New York, listed some of them in his book,
``Holding Aloft the Banner of Ethiopia,'' which should be
read by those searching for factual information about how we
got where we are today.
Denmark Vesey, who organized a Black uprising in Charleston
in 1832, was from the Virgin Islands. John Russwurm, a
Jamaican, was among the first Blacks to graduate from an
American college and in the Spring of 1827, a year after he
left Bowdoin College in Maine, he joined forces with the Rev.
Samuel Cornish and launched the Freedom Journal, the first
Black newspaper in the country.
Robert Elliott, one of the most erudite 19th century
members of the U.S. House of Representatives and a strong
advocate of civil rights in the Reconstruction era was also
from Jamaica. Crispus Attucks, the first person to give his
life fighting for the independence of the United States, was
from Barbados and Prince Hall, also a Barbadian founded the
Black Masonic lodge and led the struggle in Massachusetts to
educate Blacks in the country. Marcus Garvey, the leader of
the greatest Black mass movement of the 20th century, was
also from the West Indies. Derek Walcott and Prof. Sir Arthur
Lewis, two of the great Nobel Laureates, came from St. Lucia.
Today political, social and business leaders from almost
every Caribbean country are carrying on that tradition of
accomplishment at home in the Caribbean, in England,
continental Europe, Africa, Latin America and other regions
of the world.
That rich history of making a difference on the stage of
life and of setting examples that the rest of the world can
follow is undeniable and underscores the value of Black
History Month and the need to examine the role of people from
the Caribbean. This is a time to reflect on past achievements
and look to the future with an abundance of hope.
A Celebration of the Caribbean-American Contribution to Black History:
Achievement and Hard-Won Successes Caribbean-Americans Have Added to
the Rich Cultural Tapestry of the United States
(By Michael D. Roberts)
Today, nobody can doubt the sterling contribution of
Caribbean-Americans to the growth and development of America.
And it's been a long history of proven commitment for those
who have made this country their adopted homeland.
That our ancestry from Africa labored without reward or
recompense in the dark days of slavery underscores the stake
that Caribbean-Americans have here in 2007. And for the
ignorant and uninformed few who consider Caribbean-Americans
outsiders, just sponging off the legacy of American
hospitality, I say this--read your history.
But not so long ago, it used to be the politically correct
thing to deny one's Caribbean-American roots. Indeed, early
Caribbean immigrants only wanted to assimilate into the
American mainstream. Don't rock the boat. Hide your Caribbean
identity; speak ``yankee'' in a few days. Never speak in
public about the ``old country.''
But even with this sentiment finding favor among certain
sections of the growing Caribbean community, Caribbean
nationals, later to be fully assimilated into American life
by the honorific name ``Caribbean-Americans,'' formed
alliances, and remained at the vanguard of the Black struggle
in their adopted homeland.
Today, the term ``Caribbean-American'' is synonymous with
hard work, a growing community of highly literate and skilled
people, a landed immigrant community taking hold of and
fashioning with a true ``Caribbean flavor'' all those areas
of American infrastructure--from government to religion. And
while there is still some way to go before we can truly say
that this community has ``come of age,'' that should never
diminish the contribution that these immigrants from the
Caribbean have made and continue to make on the American
scene.
Still, many stories are told even today about the early
Caribbean immigrants who waged those initial struggles to be
accepted by both Black and white America alike and for
economic well-being. For the most part, these early
immigrants, many of whom came from the middle and
professional classes in their various Caribbean island
homelands, were forced to take low-paying, menial jobs on the
way up the social and economic ladder. They drove taxis,
tended bar, worked in people's kitchens as housemaids, and
did two jobs, and sometimes three, to help the family here
and ``back home.''
And in today's climate of xenophobia, and the sustained
attack on the immigrant community, Caribbean-Americans living
here must be reminded that they are not all ``wards of the
state,'' and recipients of the legacy of white folks. Indeed,
the Caribbean-American experience and achievement in the
United States, and their unequalled penchant for hard work,
is chronicled in the pages of Black History. And there can be
absolutely no doubt that starting with the American War of
Independence, Caribbean-Americans have been involved and at
the forefront of every major struggle in the liberation of
Black America.
From the War of Independence to the New Deal to the Civil
Rights Era, the Caribbean-American record in their adopted
homeland is one of which generations yet unborn can be very
proud. Beginning with Crispus Attucks, the Barbadian man who
was the first casualty of the War of Independence, to modern
day leaders all over the country, Caribbean-Americans have
excelled. Hard work, dedication, and a commitment to
excellence at all and every level have marked their sojourn
in America. Today this large, dynamic and growing community
is recognized as one of the most affluent, educated, and
upwardly mobile ones within the wider Black and immigrant
communities--and the American society as a whole.
Despite many hardships, Caribbean-Americans have focused on
getting ahead. Now the early generation of immigrants is
almost retired, own their own homes, and have sent their
children to college. They have also educated themselves along
the way. This rising middle class has only now begun to flex
its political muscle since the economic and social tasks have
now been completed. First and second generations of
Caribbean-Americans, those born here in America, have helped
this community put down its roots, thus becoming an important
part of American life. These new torchbearers will build and
solidify the foundations started by the tremendous hard work,
sacrifices and tenacity that their grandfathers and fathers
have built.
On their journey Caribbean-Americans have drawn on the
achievements of many who traced their roots to the Caribbean
region in the persons of Hulan Jack, legendary trade unionist
Raymond Jones, ``The Fox of Harlem,'' and one of the first
Caribbean-American members of New York's City Council, the
king-maker Fred Samuels.
Upon the shoulders of these pioneering Caribbean-American
leaders now stands a modern generation of new leaders in all
areas of American life. The entertainment industry is
littered with the names and achievements of Caribbean-
American actors like Cecily Tyson, whose portrayal of Harriet
Tubman, the legendary Black freedom fighter is considered a
classic; Harry Belafonte, singer, actor, activist, and
ambassador of goodwill; and Sydney Poitier, exquisite actor
of film and television. Today's crop of actors who trace
their roots to the Caribbean are no less impressive: Sheryl
Ralph and Delroy Lindo from Jamaica.
Two Caribbean-Americans, former Congresswoman Shirley
Chisholm, the first elected Black woman to the United States
Congress, and Trinidadian Congressman Mervyn Dymally, were
indefatigable fighters for the cause of Blacks. Both have
made their marks on national and international politics. As
did the deceased former Stokely Carmichael, now Kwame Toure,
who was born in Trinidad and Tobago, and who excelled during
the Civil Rights/Black Power era in the United States. Of
course, the work and dedication of the late Cleveland
Robinson, a Jamaican who marched with Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr., and who helped him plot the course of the Civil
Rights struggle, also stands out, as well as his lifelong
commitment to workers' rights in the trade union movement.
Retired General Colin Powell, the youngest Chief of Staff
of the United States Armed Forces and former United States
Secretary of State, was blessed by having a Jamaican mother
and father. Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of the powerful
and influential Nation of Islam, traces his roots to the tiny
Caribbean island of St. Kitts. And the legendary Malcolm X's
mother came from the revolutionary island of Grenada, while
his father was a Jamaican.
Today, New York is home to a little over two million
Caribbean-Americans and while
[[Page E568]]
there is still some way to go, Caribbean-Americans have
prospered and excelled. Indeed the impressive list of
achievements reflects strong and bold strides in every area
in the fight for social and economic justice. Caribbean-
Americans have partnered with African-Americans in forging a
common understanding and a need to work in each other's
interests. Not only that, Caribbean-Americans have reached
out to other immigrant communities to broaden the base of the
socio-economic and political struggle.
This natural dynamic has spawned the likes of Congresswoman
Yvette Clarke, Assemblyman Nick Perry, Former City
Councilwoman Una Clarke, Councilman Dr. Kendall B. Stewart,
deceased Assemblywoman Pauline Rhodd Cummings, former City
Councilman Rev. Lloyd Henry and State Senator John Sampson,
in the present political arena. Social and educational
interaction has produced Nobel Prize winner, the St. Lucian
playwright Derek Walcott, the novelist Paulie Marshall, the
basketball stars, Patrick Ewing and Tim Duncan and many, many
others.
So this record of not remaining aloof from the fracas that
is American life and politics is clearly outlined in Black
historical records. Caribbean-Americans have also had to
contend with similar problems faced by African-Americans, and
then some more. They have had to deal with the problems of
racism and discrimination. They have been used as handy
scapegoats when opportunistic politicians needed a vulnerable
group of people to beat up on. And they have been used as an
unwitting tool against each other in the devious tactic of
divide, rule and conquer.
Recent problems of having to come to grips with a
horrendous xenophobic climate and some very draconian
immigration laws which all but say to immigrants, ``You are
not welcomed here,'' has literally placed this community
under siege. And compounding these problems is the pervasive
nature of neo-racism which hits all Blacks--not only
Caribbean-Americans. For many Caribbean-Americans, like their
African-American brothers and sisters, education is the key
to liberation and thousands have taken advantage of these
opportunities in the United States.
They have succeeded despite the constant changing of the
rules and the shifting of the bar to perpetuate a program of
exclusion.
The Caribbean-American contribution to Black and American
history is a saga of struggle, dedication and commitment to
success. Caribbean-Americans have defied all odds and
surmounted every obstacle along the way.
They have formed alliances and forged new partnerships to
defend and protect common interests.
They have brought their political savviness to the Black
liberation struggle. And they have made America richer for
the experience.
____________________