{"id":226,"date":"2026-06-14T04:37:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T04:37:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/therenegades.org\/nyrenegades\/?p=226"},"modified":"2026-06-14T04:38:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T04:38:54","slug":"caribbean-american-heritage-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/therenegades.org\/nyrenegades\/2026\/06\/14\/caribbean-american-heritage-month\/","title":{"rendered":"Caribbean American Heritage Month"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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from https:\/\/www.schools.nyc.gov\/learning\/subjects\/social-studies\/caribbean-american-heritage-month<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Overview<\/p>\n\n\n\n

June is Caribbean American Heritage Month<\/strong>(Open external link)<\/a>! Throughout the month, we are celebrating the culture and contributions of Americans whose roots can be traced to the countries that make up the Caribbean subregion of the Americas.First federally recognized in June 2006(Open external link)<\/a>, Caribbean American Heritage Month recognizes a community that has shaped US history from its earliest days:\u00a0Alexander Hamilton,<\/strong>(Open external link)<\/a>\u00a0our nation\u2019s first Treasury Secretary was himself a migrant from the Colony of Nevis (part of today\u2019s nation of St. Kitts and Nevis) in the British Leeward Islands. Even earlier, in 1613, historical records show that\u00a0Juan Rodriguez<\/strong>(Open external link)<\/a>\u00a0from the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo (today\u2019s Dominican Republic) was the first known non-Indigenous person to settle in New Amsterdam, the area that would eventually become downtown New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not all migration to and from the Caribbean was voluntary, however. During the operation of the transatlantic slave trade from the 16th to 19th century, the British forcibly brought millions of enslaved Africans<\/strong>(Open external link)<\/a> to their Caribbean colonies. They were forced to work in the industries that supported the region\u2019s economy on enormous tobacco, sugar, and coffee plantations, replacing Indigenous Caribbeans who were killed by European diseases that they had no immunity against, like smallpox. Though the slave trade became illegal in the British Empire in 1807, the exploitation and use of forced labor continued. Later, South Asians and East Asians<\/strong>(Open external link)<\/a> were brought to present-day Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago as coerced laborers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After slavery was abolished in the US after the end of the Civil War in 1865, migration from the Caribbean grew significantly, as people fled poverty and destructive hurricanes, droughts, and floods in their homelands. While in 1850, there were only 4,000 US residents of Caribbean descent, the population grew to more than 20,000 in 1900, and almost 100,000 in 1930.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of 2019, over 13 million people living in the United States\u2014or 4% of its total population\u2014have Caribbean ancestry. Approximately 4.5 million Caribbean immigrants represent 10% of the nation\u2019s foreign-born population. Today, the largest Caribbean American groups are from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago. US citizens from Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands have also migrated to the mainland US in large numbers. These communities trace their roots back to Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, and include a mix of cultures, religions, and languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New York City boasts the largest Caribbean population(Open external link)<\/a> of all US cities. Across all boroughs, there are vibrant communities like “Little Haiti” in Brooklyn and \u201cLittle Dominican Republic\u201d in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan. In these neighborhoods, you’ll frequently hear conversations in Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole\u2014commonly spoken languages in Caribbean nations, and among the top spoken languages in the City. You’ll also always see Caribbean heritage, culture, and contributions on full display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This June, and all year long, we encourage our families to explore the resources below to learn more about Caribbean Americans and their vibrant and diverse community, and their impact on this country, and particularly the fabric of this multicultural City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Events, Exhibitions, and Places to Visit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n