Hurricane Dean

On the Weather Channel right now, I am watching highlights and updates of people getting ready for Hurricane Dean in Jamaica. It is nice to see that for the most part people are taking this seriously. Somehow I am getting a bad feeling here but will continue to pray for my fellow Jamaicans of my island home. I can't help but to think that with this major catastrophe seemingly hours away from the shores and elections due a little over a week away that this will have major implications on the island.

My prayers are that we can bring out the truth in the popular expression "wi likkle but tallawah" and come through this period stronger.

Along the same lines, I received an email yesterday from the Jamaican Diaspora representative Marlon Hill, Esq with information about Hurricane aid for Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. I will post this letter here in a separate post for anyone who wants to offer help.

Thanks to Marlon and the Diaspora movement as well as the Jamaican Consulate General for being proactive about this situation.

Caribbean Heritage Month

We are right in the middle of Caribbean Heritage month. June is chock full of activities here in the South Florida area and across the US. Recently there was Unifest which is basically a festival of Caribbean nations designed to celebrate our heritage. This is one of the sweet moments when people from different Caribbean nations come together.

Later this month, there will be a Caribbean forum in Washington DC where Caribbean Diaspora representatives will talk with various leaders here in the United States about issues affecting the Diaspora. This is wonderful and I look forward to learning more about what the outcomes of these discussions are.

Also, below is the letter by Hill to Caribbean Americans. I think it is heart-warming and a call to action for us Caribbean Americans to realize our potential and economic, political and social terms. Read on:

Jamaican Diaspora Southern United States
CELEBRATING CARIBBEAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH


Dear Fellow Caribbean-Americans and friends of the Caribbean:

In this second year of the commemoration of Caribbean-American Heritage Month, we have much to be thankful for and so much more to work towards. With the population of Americans of Caribbean descent on the rise exponentially, what do we do with all this energy and positive vibes?

Our time has arrived to take full advantage of our rightful place in the social fabric of America. Neither our color, religious affinity, dialect, language nor heritage should preclude us from continuing to make a significant contribution to the prosperity of America. We must pay homage to those Caribbean-American immigrants who traveled to America in numbers at the turn of the century and laid the table for others to feast on the bounties of hard labor. We must pay homage to other Americans, whose path may not have stopped temporarily in the Caribbean, that helped us to receive some of the blessings of a life in the United States.

This common bond of our Caribbean-American heritage should not be taken for granted. We must ensure that the next generation of Caribbean-Americans has an intimate understanding of their self-identity. They must know more about those individuals and organizations that have sacrificed and excelled in the areas of academia, education, healthcare, public service, arts & entertainment, and other aspects of life in America.

Most importantly, the time has come for all Caribbean-Americans to individually take up the torch of citizenship and to be more actively engaged in our democracy. We cannot afford to be grandstand spectators. It is time! It is time that we call on our Congress to deliver a comprehensive immigration bill that will preserve the foundation of keeping our families together and be fair to status of working Caribbean-Americans.

I hope that you will find time to celebrate the month with friends and family at the numerous scheduled events attached.

Connect! Strengthen! Act! and
Celebrate Caribbean-American Heritage Month!
Vier Caribisch Amerikaans Erfgoed Maand!
¡Celebre Mes Americano Caribe de Herencia!
Viens Célébrer le Mois de l'Héritage Antillais-Américain!
Ann fete mwa selebrasyon patrimwàn Karayibeyen Ameriken!


Marlon A. Hill, Esq.
Advisory Board Member
Jamaican Diaspora Southern United States
786-349-2584; 876-621-0102 (Jamaica) ● Facsimile: 786-551-0785
info@marlonhill.com