[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 100 (Wednesday, June 20, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1354-E1355]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF NATIONAL CARRIBEAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE 
                                 MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 18, 2007

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the House is considering 
today, my resolution H. Con. Res. 148, recognizing the significance of 
Caribbean-American Heritage month. This resolution acknowledges the 
contributions of Caribbean-Americans from the inception of our country 
to the present and it is my hope that my colleagues in the House and 
the Senate will join me in celebrating this strong, rich history.
  Alexander Hamilton, Hazel Scott, Sidney Poitier, Jean Michel 
Basquiat, Eric Holder, Colin Powell, Edwidge Danticat, Jean Baptiste 
Point du Sable, Sidney Ponson, Maryse Conde, Harry Belafonte, Sidney 
Poitier, Roberto Clemente, Celia Cruz, and former Congressman Mervyn 
Dymally, are just a few of the many Caribbean-Americans who helped 
shape American government, politics, business, arts, education, 
science, and culture, and are joined by modern day figures like Alicia 
Keys, Lenny Kravitz, Bobby Cannavale,

[[Page E1355]]

Cameron Diaz, Wyclef Jean, Elizabeth Vargas, Esmeralda Santiago, and 
Miguel Pinero.
  One outstanding Caribbean-American was former Congresswoman Shirley 
Anita Chisholm. My political career began as a volunteer in her 
historic Presidential campaign in 1972. Chisholm was the first African-
American woman to serve in Congress, the first African-American and the 
first woman to campaign on a major party ticket, an advocate for civil 
rights and equal rights, and a daughter of the Caribbean. Her tenacity 
and principled nature are inspirations to us all.
  While we've been fortunate to have Caribbean Americans serve in 
Congress, it's important for us to realize that Caribbean Americans 
reside throughout our Nation.
  Oftentimes, Congress will focus on ``hot spots'' in the Caribbean--
such as Cuba and Haiti, and forget that we have many constituents with 
roots from Jamaica to Trinidad and Tobago and from the Dominican 
Republic to Guyana. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee's 
subcommittee on Foreign Operations and the bi-partisan Caribbean 
Caucus, I believe it is of vital importance to monitor and shape 
policies to improve relations with our Caribbean neighbors throughout 
the region.
  I'd like to thank my colleagues who brought this legislation forward, 
particularly Congressman John Tierney, and his staff Kevin McDermott, 
who helped move the resolution through the House Oversight and 
Government Reform Committee. On that note, I'd also like to thank 
Chairman Henry Waxman and the rest of the Oversight and Government 
Reform Committee for expeditious consideration of this resolution.
  I'd like to close by mentioning that this resolution could not have 
come to the floor of this House at a better time, as members of the 
Caribbean Community, or CARICOM, are gathering here in Washington, DC, 
for their conference, which will run through the rest of the week. 
Heads of State and other leaders of the many nations that are part of 
CARICOM, representing the nations of Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, 
Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, 
Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the 
Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as nations that 
are Associate Members and Observers of CARICOM. It is my hope that this 
conference will not only allow these nations to help move the Caribbean 
as a whole, forward, but also provide the opportunity for us to meet 
with and discuss issues important to growing the relationship between 
the U.S. and the nations along our Third Border.
  I ask all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in 
supporting this measure to honor the Caribbean-American community.

                          ____________________