 President Eric Adams prior to his stint as the mayor of New York. So it's only fitting that he moved uptown and I followed him. So here I am with you guys once again. I would like to welcome all our elected officials, members of the Diplomatic Corps, and a warm, warm, sunny welcome to each and every one of you. It's an honor and a privilege to greet you all again. And once again I am not on a burr hall, makeshift stage, we are on a real stage. So this is really an honor and a privilege and I thank Eric Adams so much for this opportunity. I want to just give you all a background on Caribbean Heritage Month because we do have a lot of people who are not Caribbean and perhaps never attended our event in Brooklyn. Seventeen years ago in 2006 Caribbean American Heritage Month was approved by the Congress and the Senate and eventually signed into law by George Bush, well former President George Bush. And we have been celebrating this in Brooklyn for a long time. It is the first time that it's come to Gracie's Mansion, the first time it's come to Manhattan and it's no small measure that we have an almost Caribbean mayor, Eric Adams, that have brought it here for us. And to quote a French poet, Victor Hugo, Victor Hugo said, no force on earth can stop an idea whose time has come. And here we are, our first Caribbean celebration at Gracie's Mansion. Yes, here it is and certainly not all would like to introduce our reverend who will move us in prayer. I'm going to introduce Pastor Patrick Perrin from the, he's the interim pastor of the Jane United Methodist Church. But while he's making his way, I would like to ask for us to just stay calm for just a moment of silence for those Caribbean trailblazers that have transitioned. We have some local ones from Brooklyn, Roy Hastick, Conrad Bakery Eiffel, Joyce Quamina, Martin Duggie Douglas, and on a more international, a more statewide state we have General Colin Powell who is from Jamaica and Sidney Poitier from the Bahamas. So I will now introduce our reverend, Patrick Perrin from the Jane United Methodist Church. Thank you, Mr. Ceremonies, a moment of silence please for those who have transitioned. Mr. Ceremonies, Honorable Eric Adams, Mayor, Honorees, and other distinguished guests, friends all, this is going to be my last official act as pastor of the Jane's United Methodist Church in Brooklyn because at midnight tonight I will be entering my status of retirement for a second time. On behalf of the people of Jane's, especially our beloved Norma Harris, on behalf of the pastor emeritus Dr. Robert Simpson, and our new pastor as of midnight tonight Dr. Laurie Hartman, and on behalf of my wife, Pansy, who is here with me along with her friend Dr. Charlotte Brown, thanks for your invitation. It's indeed an honor and a privilege for us to be here. Let us pray. Loving God, creator of all and creator of the universe in all its beauty and diversity, we acknowledge your glory and your majesty. Our words of praise fall far short as we invoke your presence in our midst. We thank you for the journeying mercies that have brought us safely here and we'll see us return safely to our homes. We thank you for our gathering in this historic place as we showcase the variety of ways in which you have blessed the coastlands and islands washed by the waters of the beautiful Caribbean Sea and especially the cultural heritage for which we are all well and widely known. Take charge of this evening and everything that we do and say so that all may be done to your honor and glory. Bless all those who have worked in every way and in any way to make this evening a reality. We ask a special blessing on our horse, the honorable Eric Adams, America's new mayor, and for his staff, and for this great city of New York that has become our home. Bless also the distinguished honorees and their families and associates. And now I close with the words borrowed from the anthem of the people of the Republic of Finland and Antobago, and I make apologies for some poetic license. Forge from the love of liberty, in the fires of hope and prayer, with boundless faith in our destiny, we solemnly declare, side by side we stand, islands and coastlands of the blue Caribbean Sea. May God bless our native lands, we pledge our lives to thee. Hear every creed and race find an equal place, and may God bless our nations. Hear every creed and race find an equal place, and may God bless our nations. Wishes God may this be so. In your strong and powerful name we pray and say amen. Thank you, Reverend Perrin, and as a Trinidad and Tobago national, I must say that I was moved by those words. We now will introduce Sesame Flyers that will be playing for us the national anthem, and I just want to say a little bit about Sesame Flyers before I introduce them. Sesame Flyers has a motto, love a kid today and every day. That is a beautiful motto, and I think more of us need to adopt that. They're known for their presence in the summer youth program, Beacon School, Labor Day Carnival, Dance Company, Sealpan Orchestra, and they're currently celebrating 39 years in Brooklyn as a community service organization. So without further ado, Sesame Flyers will play the national anthem for us. Sealpan. I'm sure many of you have never heard that on pen before. Thank you, Sesame Flyers. I'm about to introduce our keynote speaker right now. I'm about to introduce a young lady who started her career in 1985 when she began working at DC 37 in the Employee Legal Service Unit. She was later elected as a Supreme Court Justice. She later served as the administrative judge for Civil Matters for three and a half years. She then served as an Associate Justice of the New York State Appellate Division. And in December 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo designated her as a member of the New York State Constitutional Bench. This year, our Mayor Eric Adams has appointed her as the 81st Corporation Council of the City of New York. Sylvia, as we fondly call her, is a true trailblazer. Not only was she the first Caribbean female administrative judge in King's County Supreme Court, Civil Tomb, she's the first Caribbean-born black female Corporation Council to serve the city. Wait for it. She is the top attorney of the City of New York, the Mayor, the City Council, and all of the city agencies, both Mayor and Hydratix. Justice Sylvia Hydratix. I'm here for a keynote address and she tells me I have two minutes. Adams to members of the administration, any elected officials, members of the Council of Clare. I am tremendously happy to be here with all you Caribbean's. I promise if you just give me a brief minute, I will be out of your way. But if you keep talking, I'm going to stay here and read all 12 pages that I have. Corporation Council of the City of New York. The first Caribbean woman, but I'm also the first black woman. I am 166 square miles called Barbados. So who figged that today I can stand before you in this position? I consider it a tremendous blessing, but I also consider it, I also consider it the gratitude that I have for this Mayor who nominated me for this position. Now Mayor Adams is the hardest working person that you will ever see. And then he tells you, this is unusual that he's not here yet, but when he tells you it's an eight o'clock meeting, it's not eight o'five, it's eight o'clock. On a serious note, I am quite aware of the fact that knowing Mayor Adams, this nomination was not because I was a first, but this nomination was because he wants me to make sure that I am not the only one. Me to understand that I stand here so little girls who look like me can understand that they can do this too. So people say to me, how did you do this? And I really have to credit my Caribbean culture. Everybody has a Caribbean story. Everybody knows of a mother who says you had better read your book. Why aren't you reading that book? Well, I had two of those parents who were so incredibly focused on education, laser focused on education, who themselves did not have a formal education, didn't know a lawyer, didn't know a judge. But I literally shaped my career on my mother's knee. Now, there was a program when I grew up on the radio where there was a female attorney who won all her cases. Every day my mother would listen to this program. And as she listened to it, she sat me on her knee. And I told her that that was what I wanted to do. And at eight years old, I decided I wanted to be a lawyer. So that tells you that we have a lot of work to do in ensuring that our children have the exposure that they need, that they know that they can be lawyers and they can be doctors. And I, you know, before I leave, I want to leave a charge with you because we're focused now on all the violence in the city and what the mayor is working so hard to do. But I want you to understand that we have a role to play. We have to take our city back and we have to take our children back. So the parents that go home tonight and the next door, the child is in the house crying. Your job is not just to call PD. Your job is to make sure that child is safe. Your job is to make sure that that child has dinner because the parents may be working two jobs. This is what we've been doing as Caribbean people for such a long time and we have to get back to it. So I want to thank you for having me. During this role, I love this administration and I love the Caribbean. So thank you. Isn't that a treat? It's sensitive to announce my next speaker right now because he's from the same country as Judge Radix. So I'm about to introduce the chair of the Consulate Corps, the Consul General from Barbados. It was not intentional that we have Barbados in the house again. But I'm going to introduce to you the holder, Consul General of Barbados. He is the chair of the Carycom Consulate Corps. I guess we'll have to give him the microphone. Barbados again. Welcome Barbados. Good evening. Are we Caribbean people? Good evening. Trinnies in the house? Barbados in the house? Lucians in the house? Dominicans? Catechians? Caribbean people? Caribbean American people? Jamaica, oh my God, Jamaicans. Can't call off, can't call off. Mayor Adams, chair Hasra, members of the diplomatic community, elected officials, city officials. It's a great pleasure to be here. We cannot be here two years ago. So as we give thanks and celebrate today, let us remember those who unfortunately are not with us. There is no underestimating the contributions of Caribbean people to American society. The truth is the history of America is the history of the Caribbean. We might not want to remember how all of this started, but it is a fact that especially black people originated from the Caribbean and have made all Caribbean people have made America, helped make America the rich cultural, stable place it is. We can count them individually. So we can go from Marcus Garvey down to the great, great Rihanna and everyone in between. But it is much more than that. It is people like you who make the Caribbean proud every single day. By the way, you conduct yourselves. By our culture, by our warmth. And for those, I'm going to take you on a little history lesson. Little Barbados, colonized South Carolina and parts of North Carolina. For those of you who doubt that, if you go to Charleston, the architecture is from Spike Stone in St. Peter. And the Gulagichi people are direct descendants of Barbadians. That, that, that isn't all. The only country that your first president visited was Barbados. And if he didn't, history might have been different. He caught small parts in Barbados, became immune and when the epidemic came through America, he survived. More importantly, he stayed by what was then the garrison, the British garrison. And he learned everything about military operations which helped him win the War of Independence. And I'll give you one more little fact. Your Charter of Independence was actually taken from something called the Charter of Oistings in Barbados. And if there's anyone in here who hasn't been to Barbados, isn't there anyone in here who has not been to Barbados? And the Council General speaks. He will just be a few minutes. If you haven't been to Barbados, you're depriving yourself. If you haven't been to the Caribbean, pick any country. You will not be disappointed. So we're here today to celebrate Caribbean American Heritage Month. And that is a good thing. But I also feel it is a thank for us to look at where we are and see where we are going. Most of the celebrations around Caribbean Heritage Month are like this. There are social occasions. But we feel in the Caribbean Consulate Court that this month should be the backdrop for serious dialogue about the things that affect our people and our country. Whether it is immigration, gun violence, climate change, equity, whatever. Because if the last two years have taught us anything, it is that we all stand together or we all fall together. So I am happy to say that the Core Caribbean Consulate Court had a very dynamic meeting with Mayor Adams. And there are good things in store for next year for the Caribbean Heritage Month and for all other things that relate to Caribbean people. Because you know you have your families back home. And if you're not doing well here, our countries are not doing well there. So today, let this be the start of something new. Do not let us enjoy the cuisine and the shows and the culture by their serious issues facing our country. Mayor Adams is in there and he's getting success. Let us all join together, people. Let us all join together. Let us celebrate, of course. Let us sing the praises of our ancestors who helped build this country. Let us uplift our excellent people, my fellow Barbadian judge addicts. And every country can go through and call one, two, ten individuals who have succeeded tremendously in America and built it. I should just say that the first female black transplant surgeon, you got a Barbadian. Yeah. So as we go forward, we're happy to part with the mayor's office and any of you, business people, culture, teachers, lawyers, doctors, we don't care. Unless you're Caribbean people, you're friends of the Caribbean, you're interested in the Caribbean, reach out either to the mayor's office directly to any office of any of the islands in the Caribbean and we will embrace you as we always do because the one thing you will definitely get in the Caribbean is a warm embrace. There's no place like it. I am proud to be a Barbadian. Privilege to be here. Thank you. Judge Counsel General McKee, some very, very wise word and as somebody who loves history, I was very pleased to get that little lesson about Carolina. So moving us along, I actually have two microphones, don't know why. I'm going to introduce someone, a wonderful lady that I have met almost 15 years ago when our mayor was just a state senator. She was at that time his chief of staff and she has followed his career throughout. I'm very proud to introduce my friend, my sister, and a chief advisor to the mayor of the New York City, Ingrid. Ingrid Leuth Martin. Excuse me. Excuse me. Excuse me as well. And when we are here for a purpose, we have to be respectful and listen. I don't want to be long. I want to be to the point and correct. So it's indeed an honor for me to be here. I'll wait a minute. I will wait a minute taking my time because my audience is being disrespectful, but we love you. So it's indeed an honor for me to be here. Come, Hasra, with my sister, Hasra Ali and the entire committee who helped to put this awesome event together. Before the mayor comes, yes, please, give Hasra a big up. Again, we are here for a purpose. And part of tonight's purpose is to recognize those individuals from the Caribbean and Caribbean community who have done awesome work. And we would like to do that with three such individuals, but we need your attention in order to do it appropriately. We have certificates which Hasra and I have the honor of presenting on behalf of our mayor. Hasra will recall the name of the individual who will come up and I will do the presentation. We're first going to call Mr. Sherwin H. Johnson, better known as Junior Michelle's Bar and Lounge on Bedford. No, Michelle's Bar. My family. Everybody, they caught me by surprise with this. But let me say it, I'm deeply, deeply honored to be a recipient of this from our good mayor, Eric Adams, who I've been supporting for years and also the Caribbean organization with the yearly stuff from Franklin Avenue. I'm sorry, Eastern Parkway. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm a foreigner just like you. I'm from Panama and I know what it's like to be here in this foreign country trying to do the best that we can. And we have done a great job. Thank you so much for being a supporter. Thanks again and thanks to the mayor. Corum, have respect. Let's not lose out with the Corum. It is Mr. Lamar Joseph, the dancer that just entertained you with sparrow. Thank you so much to mayor Eric Adams, Ms. Ingrid Lewis Martin, Ms. Hazra Ali. Thank you so much for trusting me to perform tonight. And thank you to all of the, I normally just stay quiet, but thank you so much. I would like to thank all of my father as well as my mother for teaching me my Caribbean and Trinidadian roots. I would like to thank all of the artists I've worked with throughout New York City, such as Something Positive, Forces of Nature, Harambe Dance Theater, as well as a lot of my mentors, such as Michael Manswell, Obadiah Wright, Melvin Black, Ellen Dahl Barnes, so many different teachers and legends who have poured so much into me that you were able to see tonight. We dance together. And I would like to thank again Mayor Adams as well as Ms. Hazra Ali and Ingrid Lewis Martin. Thank you so much, ladies. We have another individual that we will present a certificate to. Excuse me, my brothers and my dear sisters, you know I love you. And so we were entertained by Errol Johnny Osbon, the grandfather of Dance Hall. So Johnny, would you come up? Yes, good evening. Well, you don't know. From humble beginnings, I look to get to you from Western Kingston. I'm humbled and honored for this award, so you don't know after over 50 years of work in this reggae industry. I want to say thanks and thank my Caribbean people for supporting, give thanks. The pleasure of presenting our mayor, pardon me, my brothers and my dear sisters, pardon me, my brothers and my dear sisters, pardon me, my brothers and my dear sisters, you shh. So before I get the pleasure of presenting our mayor, it will be my absolute pleasure to thank the sponsors for this awesome event. I'm going to ask you to please hold your applause until I name all of the sponsors. We had a number of sponsors tonight who made this event exactly what it is. Awesome. Big thanks to our sponsors. Bahatia Development, Allen's Bakery, Barcello Rum. I got to say one thing, George Holtz is always in the house, emblem health, always. Every event that I've been to, George Holtz, has been a sponsor. Iberia Foods, Lamont Joseph and Johnny Osborn, they were also honorees. Sesame Flyers, Curtis Assoyou, Ricardo Jerome, who is volunteering his service. The members of, okay, you can make noise for this one. The members of the Caribbean American Heritage Committee. So you need to give me, did I say that right? You did, I did say it right. All right, they got to get a round of applause, too. Coming up. Yeah, but listen, Gracie Manchin's team led by Jason and Jasmine and Chef Phil Bertha and of course our mayor. Now, ladies and gentlemen, you already know you have decorum and I trust that your decorum will be 100% in place because today would not have happened, first of all, without you because of you, you all elected our 100... Look at this house. Look at this house. Now, be honest. Phil Jubbalesio never had a jacket like this. Listen, you know, welcome to your house and Hazra, come on back out, Hazra. Hazra wrote hard when we were in Brooklyn. George, you know, always making sure we have this amazing event in Brooklyn coming here to City Hall, joining here in City Hall. She just moved up town with you. And she just continued. Come on, give it up for her. Give it up to this community, to this community. Listen, I'm clear. You go back and you look at the maps. Look at where my votes came from. People said it was impossible not to win certain parts of the city and win city-wide. I knew something differently. When people were unsure about how we were going to become the 110th mayor, I knew already I sold the seeds, based on years of commitment and dedication and standing up for a community that said, if you stand for us, we will stand with you and never abandon you. If it was on the road, the radio with David Levy rocking you, rocking you. If it was stomping up the parkway on the Caribbean Day Parade. If it was going into your houses of worship. If it was being at your Independence Day flag raising year after year after year. If it was supporting every issue that was important to this community, you knew that you had someone that was connected to you in a real way. And when the time was challenging and other people turned their backs, you said it's not happening. You're going straight ahead and because of that, we are in the lawn of Gracie Mansion. This is your mansion. This is your victory. You made it happy. And we just started. Six months in. I know it's hard for some people to realize it's only been six months. But six months in, we went after for the first time in history when we talk about childcare that we're giving childcare vouchers to immigrant families and children. So they would be able to participate. Six months in. Universal dyslexia screening for all the young people who are dyslexic or have learning disabilities. Not only are we stopping in schools, we're going to Rikers Island to test those young men and women there so they can come out and get the services that they deserve. Six months in. Six months in, you are seeing for the first time in New York City history 100,000 summer youth jobs for all our young people. Summer rising. We know our children went through a lot during COVID. We're opening our schools during the summertime so they can have an opportunity to expand on their education. Just six months in. And so you're going to continue to see the progress of what we have been denied for so many years living in this city. I did not get here just to be a black face in a high place. I got here to make sure we changed the city and its disgrace on how it has treated people for so long. So this is the moment we've been waiting for. You fought hard. You knocked on doors. You rallied people. You were committed. You were dedicated. This is one of the most significant celebrations we are doing to acknowledge our Caribbean deerspora. Every island is represented here today. Every one of you. All over this city. And what you have contributed to this city. When you look at the energy and spirit of the Caribbean people we all know how hard it was coming to America and leaving some of your family members home just to come here. And then when you arrive with willing to do whatever was needed improve on education small businesses making the connections investing in real estate open your shops all that you did to get to this moment and now we're here started from the bottom now we're here so much more to do people are watching us they're seeing how I'm going to do as a mayor if I'm successful then you are successful at the CEO of a major Fortune 500 company if I'm successful then you become the CEOs and the CFOs who are hospitals you become the chancellors of our school systems across this country you become the business partners but we also want to do something else we want to open up the relationship with the Caribbean community the problems you are finding back home many of them are being fed by this country gun violence that is born here find its way to Trinidad, Jamaica Haiti, St. Vincent, Barbados those are the same guns when we talk about ending gun violence we are talking about guns that are manufactured in America and find their ways into your home island and your home country so that's why we're fighting hard to stop this over saturation and fixation on guns because the bullets are not only taking the lives of children on Jamaica Avenue they're taking the lives of children in Antigua Bay and in Jamaica West Indies and Barbados in St. Vincent and Trinidad it's the same weapon that's why this battle is an international battle not only a national battle and we can do it here in New York City so I want to say on behalf of my entire team I want to say thank you I want to say thank you I'm the mayor of the city of New York because you were there for me and I will never never never never forget you for what you've done good friends walk in the room when everyone walks out and my room has been filled with people who have constantly walked in we have a lot to do hard journeys there's going to be a lot of haters but in the future they will be my waiters when I sit down at the table and make success we're going to make this happen we're going to make this happen we're not going to listen to the noise we're not going to listen to the distraction we're going to listen to what folks are saying we are focused and we are disciplined no one is going to take away our energy because I do believe in all my heart the power of prayer and I said it at our 100 day ceremony and I'm going to continue to say it when I was a little boy mommy reached over to me and said baby you got this she transitioned last year but I still hear her whispering in my ear baby you got this I'm saying to all of you no matter if it's COVID no matter if it's crime if it's economy trust me when I say it we got this we got this thank you so much I want to bring up my girl councilwoman Farrell Lewis oh Yvonne Graham come on Yvonne come on councilwoman say a few words good evening New York City give yourselves a round of applause you all look amazing I'm not going to be before you too long but I want to thank our mayor for supporting the Caribbean supporting Caribbean communities because we are the makeup of this city and I'm so grateful to be here thank you Mayor Adams for continuing this legacy and hosting this event but most importantly remembering where we come from our roots our heritage so I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening thank you so much and God bless listen when I became president she sat me down and she just being a pillar of strength ever since Yvonne Graham said a few words good evening everyone thank Mayor Adams for always supporting the Caribbean community and I have to tell you I well I live between Jamaica and New York City but I could not miss this event for anything in the world so I left Jamaica I left the sea and sun to come right back here to celebrate with all of you have a great evening and thank you again Mayor Adams so thank you so much and you know I always have the best that's watching my back my corporation council you know Judge Radix is holding down the highest lawyer in our city and so we want to thank her and her lovely family enjoy yourselves have a good evening I forgot the proclamation whereas Caribbean Americans have long made invaluable contributions to our city and they will continue to play a key role as we take bold steps to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic grow our economy and forge a safer, fairer, more prosperous future for all as we gather to celebrate the rich cultural tradition of this vibrant population I'm proud to recognize the positive difference they have made in our city I look forward to the many ways our Caribbean community will further strengthen New York as we unite to rebuild, renew, reinvent the five burrows now and therefore I Eric Adams Mayor of the City of New York do hereby proclaim June 2022 in the city of New York as Caribbean American Heritage Month