Caribbean American Heritage Month And The Work Beyond Celebration

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Caribbean culture is everywhere, but visibility is not the same as power. As we mark Caribbean American Heritage Month this June, I want to push past the easy parts of celebration and ask a harder question: what are we building with what we know about our history, politics, and cultural practices?

In today's episode, we ground ourselves in Caribbean American Heritage Month's official recognition and why Caribbean identity in the US still fights to be seen clearly. Then we pivot to Caribbean futures: moving from global cultural recognition to structural power that sustains communities economically and politically. We talk institutions, learning across global communities, and diaspora responsibility beyond remittances. Most importantly, we want to know: what does Caribbean American Heritage Month mean to you, and what actions are you willing to take next to support our communities?

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Welcome to Strictly Facts, a Guide to Caribbean
History and Culture.
Hosted by me, Dr.
Alexandria Miller.
Strictly Facts teaches thehistory, politics, and activism
of the Caribbean and connectsthese themes to contemporary
music and popular culture.

(00:43):
Before we get into today'stopic, I just want to take a
moment to reflect on everythingthat's been happening over the
past few months.
Many of you joined us for ourStrictly Facts Women's History
Month campaign, where wehighlighted Caribbean women
across history, women whosecontributions have shaped not
only the region, but the world.

(01:04):
From artists to activists,scholars to community leaders,
it was really important for meto create a space to honor their
work in a way that feltintentional and expansive.
If you haven't had the chance toengage with our series yet, I
encourage you to head over toour website or our social media
platforms where you can find thefull list of Caribbean Women to

(01:26):
Know.
It's a powerful resource and onethat I hope to continue to grow
as we deepen our understandingof the region's history.
And don't go too far, becausethis June we're launching
another campaign that I'm reallyexcited about, a focus on
Caribbean memoirs andbiographies.
We'll be highlighting works thattell Caribbean stories through

(01:48):
personal narrative, offeringinsight into lived experiences,
identity, migration, and memory.
Trust me, you're going to wantto follow this list, so stay
tuned.
And I also want to sharesomething a little bit personal.
As of last week, I officiallygraduated with my PhD.
I submitted my final manuscripta few weeks ago.

(02:11):
And I just want to say thank youto everybody who's joined me
along this ride and listened tome talk about dissertating and
the experiences that I've hadover the last few years.
To everyone who's listened,supported, shared, and grown
with me in this platform.
This work has always beensomething about community and

(02:32):
reaching this milestone whilebuilding strictly facts
alongside it makes it that muchmore meaningful.
I'll be sharing more about myresearch, what I've been working
on, and what I've learned, andwhat's next in an upcoming
episode, so definitely staytuned for that.
Now let's get into today'sfocus, because June marks

(02:53):
Caribbean American HeritageMonth here in the US.
And this is a moment that trulydeserves both celebration and
recognition.
As we've shared in years past,Caribbean American Heritage
Month was officially recognizedin 2006 following years of
advocacy from Caribbean Americanorganizations who sought to
highlight the contributions ofCaribbean people and their

(03:16):
descendants here in the UnitedStates.
And as we know, thosecontributions are immense.
From politics to education,music to literature, labor
movements to entrepreneurship,Caribbean Americans have played
a foundational role in shapingAmerican society.
But what makes this monthparticularly important is not

(03:38):
just recognition, it'svisibility.
Because Caribbean identity inthe US is something that
sometimes gets absorbed intobroader categories that don't
fully capture the essence anddiversity of the region.
Caribbean American HeritageMonth gives us an opportunity to
celebrate our cultures, affirmour stories, and acknowledge the

(04:01):
ways Caribbean people continueto shape life in the US and
beyond.
But I also want us to thinkabout it as something more, not
just a moment of looking back,but a moment of us thinking
forward.
As strictly facts, we spend alot of time exploring the past,
recovering stories, challengingnarratives, amplifying voices.

(04:25):
But what do we do with thisknowledge?
How do we use it?
That's where our focus for thisJune comes in.
We are thinking about Caribbeanfutures, and what that means for
us to take what we know, ourhistories, our cultures, our
cultural practices andintellectual traditions and use
them to shape what comes next.

(04:48):
One thing that is undeniable isthis.
The Caribbean is globallyrecognized for our culture, be
that through music, food,language, style, our creativity.
Our culture travels, itinfluences, and it inspires.
But the question is, how do wemove from cultural recognition

(05:09):
to structural power?
How do we ensure that thesethings we are celebrated for are
also ways that we can sustainourselves economically, empower
our communities, and buildlasting systems for future
generations?
Another piece of this islearning, not just from within

(05:30):
the Caribbean, but from othercommunities across the world.
How have others builtinstitutions, preserved cultural
knowledge, leveraged creativityinto economic and political
power?
And how can we adapt theselessons in ways that remain true
to the Caribbean and ourrealities?
Because Caribbean futures arenot just built in isolation,

(05:53):
they are built throughconnection, collaboration, and
intentionality.
And for those of us in thediaspora, especially here in the
US, there's another layer.
Caribbean American HeritageMonth is not just about
identity, it's aboutresponsibility.
How do we stay connected to theregion, support development
beyond remittances, and investin ideas, institutions, and

(06:18):
communities?
Because the diaspora is notseparate from the Caribbean, we
are an extension of it.
And before we close, I couldn'thelp myself in thinking of
today's episode without sharinga little bit of our strictly
fact sounds.
Today I thought of the articleCaribbean Man in Space and Time

(06:39):
by Kamal Brathwaite.
It's a piece that Brathwaitereally reflects on the Caribbean
person as somebody constantly inmotion across geographies,
histories, and identities, andit's a powerful meditation on
how we exist not just within therecognition, not just within the
region, but also time and spaceshaping and being shaped by

(07:03):
global forces.
And then there's somethingsonic, as always, I try to.
I suggest listening to Panic inBabylon by Lee Scratch Perry.
It's layered, experimental, anddeeply reflective of the kind of
creative innovation theCaribbean is known for.
The track captures a sense ofurgency, disruption, and

(07:25):
transformation, reminding usthat even in the moments of
uncertainty, there is creation,there is movement, and there is
possibility.
Both of these works, in theirown way, push us to think about
Caribbean futures not just assomething distant, but as
something that we are activelycreating every day.
So definitely check those twoout.

(07:46):
So as we enter this moment, Iwant to leave you with a few
questions.
What does Caribbean AmericanHeritage Month mean to you?
How do you celebrate it, notjust culturally, but
intentionally?
And how can we move fromrecognition to action?
Because honoring the Caribbeanis not just about what we've

(08:07):
done.
It's also about what we'rebuilding.
And so with that, thank you somuch for tuning in to Strictly
Facts, a guide to Caribbeanhistory and culture.
Visit our website for the linksto our Strictly Facts Sounds and
other resources.
And as always, till next time,Lickle Moore.