National Caribbean-American Heritage Month, 2019

Proclamation 9899 of May 31, 2019

National Caribbean-American Heritage Month, 2019

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

During National Caribbean-American Heritage Month, we
acknowledge the significant ways Caribbean Americans
have shaped our culture and heritage. Americans with
roots in the Caribbean have greatly enriched our
society, contributing to the arts, business,
journalism, technology, government, religion, the
military, sports, and many other fields.

Through his dedication to his faith, Joseph Sandiford
Atwell exemplified the unyielding spirit of Caribbean
Americans. Born in Barbados in 1831, Atwell moved to
the United States in 1863 and attended the Philadelphia
Divinity School. Following the Civil War, he went to
spread God's message of hope and love to the
emancipated slaves in the South. Due to the strength of
his ministry, he became the first black Episcopal
deacon ordained in the Diocese of Kentucky and went on
to become the first black Episcopal priest in the
Diocese of Virginia.

Earlier this year, I met with the leaders of the
Commonwealth of The Bahamas, the Dominican Republic,
the Republic of Haiti, Jamaica, and Saint Lucia to
reaffirm our partnership with the Caribbean. We
discussed how we can bring greater prosperity to this
important region, including potential opportunities for
energy investment and enhanced trade partnerships. We
made tremendous progress, and we will build on these
discussions to strengthen further the relationship we
share with our Caribbean neighbors.

This month, we recognize the vibrant culture and
patriotism of Caribbean Americans that continue to
bolster our country and enrich our lives, and we pay
tribute to the strong friendship between the United
States and the countries of the Caribbean.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim June 2019 as National
Caribbean-American Heritage Month. I encourage all
Americans to join in celebrating the history, culture,
and achievements of Caribbean Americans with
appropriate ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two
thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
third.