[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17968]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     CONGRATULATING THE IMAGE BAND

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN

                         of the virgin islands

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 21, 2013

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Image Band 
of the Washington, DC Metro Area on their celebration of their 35th 
anniversary this week. The Image Band is not just any other Caribbean 
band, they are a band with roots in my district, the U.S. Virgin 
Islands, who for the past 35 years have kept the sounds of home alive 
and vibrant for Virgin Islanders and Caribbean people who have migrated 
here and for people like me who work here and sometimes need to enjoy 
the cultural flavor of home.
  Mr. Speaker, the Image Band returns to the islands regularly to 
perform there, most notably New Year's Eve on St. Croix and in other 
East Coast cities, Canada, and the Caribbean, where the Virgin Islands-
Caribbean diaspora resides to entertain and excite and to provoke 
cultural memory. They have fulfilled their founding mission to 
``reproduce, propagate, and improve the dynamism of the Caribbean 
musical form.'' The Image Band was the first group to win the Best 
Musical Band Award presented by the DC Carnival and they have been 
crowned Brass-O-Rama champions at the Trinidad and Tobago Days in the 
Park in Baltimore. The Washington Post has featured their involvement 
with the Caribbean Fest Live at the Carter Baron Amphitheatre.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of the Virgin Islands and the 
entire Caribbean and Caribbean diaspora, I want to say thank you to the 
Image Band, led by Sarge for their many contributions to the culture of 
the Caribbean and for many memorable, enjoyable, moments that they have 
provided for so many of us.

                          ____________________