On Monday, June 2, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and Special Assistant to the Borough President Yvonne Graham joined Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke and other elected officials, songwriter Irving Burgie (“The Banana Boat Song (Day-O)” and “Jamaica Farewell”) and leaders of the Caribbean-American community to announce the kickoff of the third annual National Caribbean-American Heritage Month observance in Brooklyn. This year, for the first time ever, Brooklyn and New York City will host the annual Caribbean Community (CARICOM) conference in June.

A series of events honoring Caribbean-American heritage will be held throughout Brooklyn during June, with observances at Brooklyn Borough Hall on June 19. Activities at Borough Hall Plaza include a cultural exhibit, music and dance presentations and a restaurant tasting featuring foods of the Caribbean nations. Home to the renowned West Indian American Day Carnival and Parade and our nation’s largest Caribbean population, Brooklyn is known as the “Caribbean Capital of the USA.”

The historic CARICOM summit will focus on the growth and development of the Caribbean Community from a regional perspective. The conference will be held June 19-20 in New York City and will feature heads of state and government from fourteen member states of CARICOM, policy makers, members of international organizations and financial agencies, the academic community, the private sector, and people of the Caribbean and of the United States. During the conference, the heads of government of CARICOM will meet with New York Governor David Paterson, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Congressman Charles Rangel and Borough President Markowitz.

The two-day gathering will include trade presentations, roundtable discussions and meetings on such core issues as trade, investment and education. A symposium on strengthening ties between institutions of higher education in the Caribbean and the United States will take place at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge in Downtown Brooklyn on June 19.