BP MARKOWITZ TO KICK OFF FIRST
NATIONAL CARIBBEAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

11:00 A.M.
FRIDAY, JUNE 2
BROOKLYN BOROUGH HALL PLAZA
209 JORALEMON STREET
BETWEEN COURT & ADAMS STREETS
DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN

On Friday, June 2, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz will kick off America’s first-ever National Caribbean-American Heritage Month in Brooklyn, the Caribbean capital of not only New York City but all of America. A national bill creating the month was passed on February 15, 2006.

Borough President Markowitz will be joined by Dr. Claire Nelson from the Institute for Caribbean Studies, a non-profit organization dedicated to Caribbean-American issues, and New York elected officials of Caribbean descent, including Deputy Borough President Yvonne Graham, a Jamaican native, to inaugurate America’s celebration of Caribbean heritage, which will take place every June. The Institute for Caribbean Studies was instrumental in drafting the legislation presented in the House of Representatives by Barbara Lee (D-CA) and guided through the Senate by New York Senator Charles Schumer.

More than three million Caribbean-Americans contribute to the fabric of America and have impacted every segment of our society, culture, and economy. Whether they hail from Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic, or any number of proud Caribbean capitals Caribbean culture is Brooklyn culture, and Borough President Markowitz will proudly welcome the launch of this nationwide celebration at Borough Hall.