It’s impossible to create an exhaustive list of notable Caribbean Americans. Whether they’re first-generation or second-generation immigrants, Caribbean Americans have shaped the country and in many cases, their influence has extended beyond the US borders.
June is National Caribbean American Heritage Month. Over the month’s 30 days, the United States of America celebrates its rich Caribbean heritage. The Caribbean is more than one of the US’s closest neighbors, Caribbean immigrants and Americans of Caribbean heritage play important roles in American society and have been instrumental in shaping the country throughout its history.
There is no one Caribbean culture. Instead, the culture is a combination of cosmopolitan cuisines, religions, beliefs, and customs. The community is a combination of those forced into migration, due to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade bringing native Africans to the Caribbean, combined with those who voluntarily moved as Caribbean nationals migrating from their homes to the States seeking better opportunities.
This Caribbean American Heritage Month is the 17th annual since it was officially recognized in a proclamation by then-President George W. Bush on June 6th, 2006. The campaign was devised by Dr. Claire Nelson, a lifelong advocate for the continued development of relationships between the US and the Caribbean, and sponsored by Congresswoman Barbara-Lee who has done invaluable work strengthening ties between the two territories. In his written address at the start of the month, President Joe Biden took the time to highlight the renewed importance of strengthening the US ties with the Caribbean.
“Beyond our borders, we are working with our Caribbean partners to expand opportunity and keep the region safe so more of our neighbors can build lives at home,” the President stated. “We partnered with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in November 2022 to launch the Crime Gun Intelligence Unit and disrupt firearms trafficking in the region. We are also working to improve access to development financing and advance clean energy projects across the Caribbean through the United States-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis 2030.”
It’s safe to say that the US as we know it today would be completely different, and even worse off, without its rich Caribbean heritage.
Notable Caribbean Americans
Here is a list of just a few of the many Caribbean Americans who have made a notable stamp on American life, culture and history.
Vice President Kamala Harris
The current Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, is the first woman, first Black and first Indian-American to hold the post. Born in Oakland to parents who immigrated from India and Jamaica, the Vice President has spent her entire career in public service. She has served her state as the District Attorney of San Francisco, the California Attorney General, and as a US Senator.
James Weldon Johnson
You might not recognize the name, but you probably recognize James Weldon Johnson’s work.
His seminal work “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was composed with his brother J. Rosamond Johnson as a prayer of thanksgiving for faithfulness and freedom. James Weldon Johnson was a writer, poet, activist, and songwriter, and led the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for 10 years. Johnson’s mother was born in Nassau, Bahamas, and his maternal great-grandmother escaped from Haiti in 1802 during the revolution. Johnson was a key figure in the Civil Rights movement.
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Sheryl Lee Ralph is a golden singer and actress, enjoying a late-career renaissance as crowd favorite Barbara Howard on the hit award-winning sitcom “Abbott Elementary.”
This year she performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at the Super Bowl pre-show. At 68, she’s been in the entertainment industry for over 50 years, working in music, theater, film, and television. As a stalwart and luminary in many fields, many performers credit the polymath as an incredible pillar of the African American entertainment industry. Sheryl Lee Ralph was born in Waterbury, Connecticut to Ivy Ralph, the designer of the famous Jamaican Kariba suit. She spent her childhood between Mandeville, Jamaica, and Long Island, New York.
