Jonathan Jackson, CBC Members Celebrate Caribbean Heritage Month On The House Floor

3 months ago

During House floor remarks on Tuesday, members of the CBC spoke about Caribbean Heritage Month.

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Transcript

00:00leader. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker I ask unanimous consent

00:06that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend the remarks

00:12and include any extraneous materials on the subject of this special order. Without

00:17objection. It is with great honor that I rise today to co-anchor this

00:23Congressional Black Caucus special order hour along with my distinguished

00:27colleague the Honorable Representative Sheila Shurfelis McCormick from the

00:32great state of Florida. For the next 60 minutes members of the Congressional

00:37Black Caucus have an opportunity to speak directly to the American people on

00:42the topic of Caribbean Heritage Month. An issue of great importance to the

00:48Congressional Black Caucus, Congress, the constituents we represent and to all

00:53Americans. Now Mr. Speaker it is my privilege to yield to the Honorable

00:58Congresswoman Sheila Shurfelis McCormick from the state of Florida. Thank you Mr.

01:06Speaker. Today I rise to commemorate Caribbean American Heritage Month at a

01:12time to recognize the profound historical significance and the impact

01:16of Caribbean Americans on the history and development of the United States.

01:20Caribbean Americans have played a pivotal role since the earliest days of

01:25our nation's history. One of the most notable figures was Alexander Hamilton

01:29born in Nevis whose vision and intellect helped lay the foundations of our

01:34financial system and set forth the course for America's economic future.

01:39During the 20th century Shirley Chisholm the daughter of the

01:43Barbadian and Guyanese immigrants emerged as a trailblazer in American

01:48politics. During the same time Malcolm X a transformative civil rights leader

01:53whose roots trace back to Grenada advocated for black power and the

01:58economic autonomy. His work has inspired individuals to strive for a

02:03more just and equitable society. Next we honor the Puerto Rican American born Dr.

02:09Antonia Novella a trailblazer in the field of public health who broke

02:16barriers as a first female and first Hispanic United States Surgeon General.

02:21She worked to improve health conditions and access to medical care particularly

02:26for women children and underrepresented communities. Finally we celebrate the

02:31Cuban born Celia Cruz also known as the Queen of Salsa. Cruz not only captivated

02:38audiences but also enriched American music by popularizing salsa creating a

02:44cultural bridge that will continue to that we continue to enjoy and

02:48appreciate today. In my home state of Florida the historical significance of

02:53the Caribbean Americans is particularly evident. In the early 20th century waves

02:58of Caribbean immigrants arrived in Florida playing a crucial role in

03:02developing industries such as agriculture and tourism which remain

03:06vital to Florida's economy today. For example the construction of the

03:11Overseas Railroad in the early 1900s was made possible by the labor of many

03:16Caribbean workers. The railroad connected the Florida Keys to the mainland and

03:21transformed the region's economic landscape. Let us celebrate this heritage

03:26with the recognition it deserves and the commitment to ensuring that the

03:30contributions of Caribbean Americans continue to be acknowledged and

03:34celebrated for generations to come. I yield back to my co-anchor Jonathan

03:38Jackson. I would like to thank the Honorable co-anchor and leader the

03:43Honorable Sheila Scherflis McCormick from Florida for her remarks. Mr. Speaker

03:48I rise today to celebrate Caribbean American Heritage Month. For much of the

03:54long history of this nation it has been lost to most of our citizens the

03:59tremendous role that the nation of Haiti played in the formation of the United

04:05States of America. And what most people miss is that it was because of the

04:10Haitian Revolution that Napoleon lost interest in maintaining control over his

04:16so-called Caribbean land holdings and therefore saw no use in

04:22keeping Louisiana, prompting him to facilitate the Louisiana Purchase which

04:29doubled the size of the United States of America. The expansion of this nation

04:35west of the Mississippi was directly related to the Haitian Revolution, a

04:40point I invite my colleagues to remember the next time they wonder why members of

04:46the Congressional Black Caucus are so concerned about Haiti. And let me further

04:52remind my colleagues that the city responsible for my birth, the city of

04:57Chicago in the state of Illinois, was founded by a Haitian immigrant Jean

05:02Baptiste DuSable. And while I was growing up, if you talk about the erasure of

05:08history, there was no monument formally dedicated in the great city of Chicago

05:13to the founding father of the city of Chicago. It was first recognized in what

05:20was formerly a city jail that Dr. Margaret Burroughs turned into the

05:25African-American History Museum in the city of Chicago. And then most recently

05:31our magnificent Lakeshore Drive was renamed Jean Point Baptiste DuSable

05:36Lakeshore Drive. We have had to insert the history to make it whole because when

05:42history is not made whole it is propaganda. I was born and raised in

05:46Chicago and there would be no Chicago without a member of the Caribbean

05:51American community. It's about time the people of this nation come to terms with

05:58the immense contribution of Haiti to the United States of America. Everything

06:04that we love about New Orleans and Chicago is directly dependent upon the

06:09nation of Haiti and the children she sent around the world. The people of

06:15Haiti had as much to do with the formation of America's cultural influence

06:21as any of the descendants of Europe. And yet somehow Haitians are left out of the

06:27conversation when it comes to the contribution other nations have made to

06:33the formation of the American spirit. The father of Chicago was a Haitian man but

06:39that was a time in American, when American history, when history books

06:43would not acknowledge the ancestry of persons of African heritage. In fact there

06:49was a time in the history of Chicago when Jean Baptiste DuSable's name would

06:54never be erected on a building. We had denied the truth of Haiti's

07:00contribution and yet the reality of Haiti's indelible endowment to America

07:05lives on. Those of us who rise tonight do so because we refuse to be silent about

07:13the great contributions that African descendants from the Caribbean have made

07:17to this nation's history and this nation's future. Malcolm X once said of

07:23all of our studies history is best qualified to reward our research and yet

07:30what he meant by the statement was that is only when we discover the immovable

07:34truth of our history that we find the footing we need to leap out of the

07:40darkness and into the kind of future we deserve. A point to which I should add

07:46that Malcolm X was himself of Caribbean American descent. As his mother and her

07:52descendants hailed from Grenada. Needless to say there is a long and

07:57noble list of Americans whose ancestry goes back to the Caribbean and we would

08:02be wise to honor that history because in honoring it we honor in fact ourselves.

08:08It is only when we honor the truth that we tear down the low-bearing walls of

08:13falsehood, hatred, and bigotry. The days when we could be in denial about the

08:19unique and important contribution of marginalized parts of the world to the

08:23formation of America are over. Mr. Speaker the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther

08:28King Jr. once said that before you leave the house in the morning you've already

08:34depended on half the world to clothe you, to feed you, and provide you with a cup

08:39of coffee to wake you up. I submit to the members of this body that America is

08:45better when we are about the business of acknowledging the long-standing

08:49connection that our pursuit for freedom has with other parts of the world. I know

08:55sometimes certain populations in America would like to believe the mythical lie

09:00of a regular American and American individualism. I understand that there

09:05are those who would rather think that this country pulled itself up by its

09:09bootstraps without any assistance from anybody anywhere, but regrettably nothing

09:16could be further from the truth. And America is not a weaker country because

09:21nations such as Haiti assisted us and directly benefited us, but rather we are

09:27stronger because the truth will set you free. Mr. Speaker this is the 220th

09:33anniversary of the Republic of Haiti. Haiti is America's longest, oldest,

09:39democratic partner. Haiti now celebrates 220 years and I'd like to remind this

09:46body on its 200th year anniversary, their democratically elected president was

09:52hijacked, kidnapped, and taken out with US assistance from their homeland to an

09:58African city. Now Mr. Speaker, this is a time where the Haitians certainly

10:06need our assistance. Haiti is not a debtor country. Haiti is a creditor

10:11country to the United States. Haitians supported America during the

10:16Irrevelationary War in Savannah where a statue still arises from those ashes. So

10:23let us celebrate this Caribbean Heritage Month. Let us let us celebrate all of

10:29those that have been erased from history that have committed such great and noble

10:35works to us. Mr. Speaker, it is now my privilege to yield back to my

10:41distinguished colleague and co-anchor of this Congressional Black Caucus Hour,

10:45the Honorable Sheila Shurfelis McCormick. Thank you so much, especially to my

10:49co-anchor who has been, I think he's an honorary Haitian for all his advocacy,

10:55Mr. Jonathan, Representative Jonathan Jackson. Mr. Speaker, today we come

11:01celebrating Caribbean American Heritage Month is a time to honor the Caribbean

11:05Americans, vibrant culture, and invaluable contributions to our nation. It is a

11:11significant in my home state of Florida where the Caribbean diaspora thrives and

11:16flourishes. As someone of Haitian descent, my heritage provides me with strength

11:20and resilience, traits passed down through the generations of Caribbean

11:24people who have faced and conquered tremendous challenges. Caribbean Americans

11:31have been at the forefront of advocacy and leadership in politics. From city

11:36councils to the halls of Congress, we have raised our voices to champion civil

11:40rights and social justice and equality for all. Moreover, Caribbean Americans are

11:47innovators and pioneers. From the groundbreaking research of Dr. Patricia

11:52Bath, a pioneer of ophthalmologists of Trinidadian descent, to the literary

11:57genius of Jamaica Kincaid from Antigua, our contributions to science, literature,

12:02and the arts have profoundly impacted the entire world. These achievements are

12:08a testament to the ingenuity and creativity that are hallmarks of our

12:12heritage. In recognizing the importance of the Caribbean American Heritage Month,

12:18we acknowledge that our diversity is in fact our strength. It is a reminder that

12:23the United States thrives when we embrace and celebrate the unique

12:27cultures and histories that make up of our entire nations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker,

12:33and I yield back to my co-anchor, Representative Jonathan Jackson. I'd like

12:38to thank the Honorable Congresswoman Sheila Shurfless McCormick, co-anchor of

12:43this Congressional Black Caucus Hour. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I'd like to share

12:49that Haiti has a rich and a very vibrant history, and it pains me deeply to see

12:55that people look at Haiti as a beggar nation. Haiti has gone through one of the

13:00most horrendous stories in mankind. After the Haitian people gallantly fought off

13:07those that enslaved them, American powers and European powers forced those that

13:14had been enslaved, kidnapped, raped, and robbed to pay reparations back to France

13:20up until the 1940s. The Haitian people are vibrant people and honorable people,

13:26and Haitians deserve our help and support. And for me to be in this great

13:32body and to think that the United States has to ask the Kenyan government to

13:37support the Haitian people to now gain back control by the citizens for their

13:44rightful democracy, when we very well as the world's most powerful

13:48country should be able to send our forces down, assist those people so they

13:54can build back their country. We owe them a development plan. We cannot be the

13:59greatest nation having the poorest country in the world off of our shores.

14:05Haitians have been our best ally, our longest democratic partners, and we can

14:10do better. Mr. Speaker, thank you so much. You've heard from my distinguished

14:15colleagues and the Honorable Sheila McCormick all great issues important to

14:21the Congressional Black Caucus, our constituents, Congress, and all Americans

14:27tonight. With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back.

14:32Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 9th, 2023, the Chair recognizes

14:38the gentleman from Arizona.

Jonathan Jackson, CBC Members Celebrate Caribbean Heritage Month On The House Floor

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