By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 16, 2023 –Bahamas Consul General in New York the Hon. Leroy F. Major and staff members of the Bahamas Consulate joined other members of New York City’s Caribbean community at Bowling Green Park in downtown Manhattan on Thursday, June 15, for a special flag raising celebration commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
New York City Mayor Eric Adams; one of the speakers at the event, noted that New York City “currently has the largest population of our Caribbean communities across the board.”
Mayor Adams was introduced by his Chief of Staff, Camille Joseph Varlack, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago.
“I’m proud today to be representing the great people of Trinidad and Tobago at today’s flag raising celebrating Caribbean Heritage Month,” Ms. Varlack said. “I was born in Trinidad and Tobago, the granddaughter of a Baptist minister and a midwife. Like many immigrants, my mother and I immigrated to the United States so that she could pursue her dreams and give her children opportunities. Her tireless work ethic shows the characteristics of the people that make up our community.”
Ms. Varlack added, “I know there are many different countries and islands across the Caribbean represented here today, but despite all of our differences, there are two things that everybody knows is true about the Caribbean. One. Clearly, we have the best food. Whether it’s curry, fry or jerk, everyone knows that the Caribbean knows how to cook. Second, Caribbean people know the value of hard work. Our work ethic is a defining part of our character, driving us to do good by doing good.
“I am proud that at the top of this administration, we have Caribbean representation, including Chief Advisor Ingrid Lewis-Martin and First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. It is why millions and millions of immigrants have come to our nation, and specifically to New York City, in search of a better life and turn their dreams into a reality. I am proud to work in an administration as an immigrant, and I want the people here to know that you will always have a voice and representation in this administration.”
After thanking his Chief of Staff for her introduction, Mayor Adams said, “One of the most challenging and difficult days of my life is after growing up in Jamaica, Queens, I was told it did not make me a Jamaican. I think both Camille and the speakers really personified the real spirit of the Caribbean experience here in not only New York, but in America. When you look at the presence, we know that New York City currently has the largest population of our Caribbean communities across the board. And when you examine not only my administration, with mentioning the first woman of color to be a first deputy mayor, second woman of color, Trinidadian background, to be the chief of staff, the first was under David Dinkins, the first chief advisor, Panamanian ancestry. When you look at the reflection of that… Even my deputy mayor of Human Services, Deputy Mayor Williams-Iso, from Trinidad as well. When you do an examination of the heads of my agencies, you see the Caribbean experience.”
Mayor Adams added: “And it’s not because we’re trying to check the box, it’s because we clearly identified a unique characteristics that I believe personifies the Caribbean experience, as the deputy mayor stated, as the chief of staff stated, working hard, willing to go beyond the call. If it means having a full-time job and then going to school at night, if it means leaving family members at home to buy property so you could continue to invest in that property, if it means understanding that you want to start in one level of maybe washing the dishes, then eventually own a chain of restaurants, if it means just exploring the true understanding of what it means to be part of the American dream, you don’t have to abandon your ancestry of your homeland as you adopt your homeland here called America. You personify that every day. But more than that, what I really admire about my Caribbean diaspora is your belief in faith, your belief in God, your belief in the power of prayer, your belief that we don’t overcome anything if we don’t have our lives rooted in faith, and that is something that is shown throughout the Caribbean diaspora.”
Continuing, Mayor Adams said: “So we are seeing for the first time a mayor raising the flag of CARICOM here in Bowling Green. It is a signal. What we must do is not only substantive like who we have in government, but the symbolic motions also says a lot by raising the flag here today, we are saying, we see you. We acknowledge your presence; we acknowledge your contribution to the city and your country. We acknowledge all that you have offered, not only during Covid, when many people were able to social distance and to remotely work. We know you and the nurses, associations and nurses who are all over this country came from Caribbean diaspora countries in different countries, placed their lives on the line to make sure other New Yorkers were able to survive the devastation of Covid.
“We also know your presence in classroom, as you deal with the educational opportunities of our children. We know the men and women who wear bulletproof vests and protect the children and families of our city and our law enforcement community, ACS, Department of Sanitation. You show me the agency and I’ll show you the presence of the Caribbean community. You are the backbone of this city. You respect and love this city. You believe in family, small businesses, and you believe in public safety and justice. Those combined efforts are why we are here today to raise the flag…”
Noting that he is happy to be New York’s110th mayor, Mayor Adams said he is also “happy to be the second African American mayor because in our veins, and in our DNA are those who came from the continent of Africa.”
“We left maybe in slavery, but we returned with the mayoralty,” he said. “All of us have rose up to the occasion of our African ancestry in spirit. And as the consul generals, the ministers, the heads, the heads of our hospitals, the doctors, all of us are true testaments of how we are resilient and how when we come together in a unified way, we could accomplish whatever we want.”
He added, “So to all the naysayers that don’t realize how powerful we are at this moment, this administration is saying to you, ‘We are you and you are us.’ And this flag raising today is our symbol that is matching the substance that we are doing. I’m proud to be here. CARICOM, thank you for what you have done, will do and continue to do.
“So, we want to give this proclamation here at today’s ceremony in Manhattan, historic Bowling Green Park, Caribbean New Yorkers will commemorate the CARICOM’s golden anniversary by raising is distinct flag, which features the colors yellow, green, and blue to represent the sun, vegetation and the Caribbean Sea, as well as two interlocking seas, in the form of broken links in a chain signifying unity as well as the region’s break from its colonial pass. I applaud the CARICOM counselor corps in New York for its efforts to strengthen the enduring bonds between the Caribbean and our global city, and uplift members of the Caribbean diaspora in the five boroughs.
“I look forward to the many ways our vital Caribbean community will continue to make a positive difference as we take bold steps to get stuff done and forge a brighter, more inclusive and prosperous future for all. And we are going to do that through our Caribbean Advisory Board that has been run by the amazing Lamona Knight and all that she’s doing. We will make sure that she does not just focus on Barbados. We know how you the Caribbean diaspora feels, but your voice means a lot. Congratulations to an amazing, amazing group of New Yorkers and Americans.”
Commenting on the flag raising ceremony, Consul General Major thanked Mayor Adams for highlighting in his speech the contributions that the Caribbean community makes to New York and the United States, noting that New York’s top cop, Commissioner Keechany Sewell, is a descendent of The Bahamas, with roots in Andros.
