cahft newsletter july 2011

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Edwidge Danticat 2

Much Thanks 2

Clinton Recognizes Peru, Venezuela

2

Immigration Tips 3 “Where Jawda Living”

4

Summer Tips 5

U.S. and Caribbean Energy /Climate

6

Financial Future of

the Caribbean 7

Honduran Festival 8

“As I Die Slowly” 10

Columbian/Venezuela Festival

12

“Tourist” by Ed-widge Danticat

16

A Proclamation 16

CAHFT In The Community

22

About CAHFT 23

“ Our Culture, Our Heritage, Our Caribbean “

J U L Y 2 0 1 1 V O L U M E I , I S S U E 7

B O A R D O F

D I R E C T O R S

Peter L. René, Chairman

Lucia Bates, President

Jerry Castro, Vice President

Amanda Warner Education Out-reach

Ricardo Marshall, Director

Janelle Escayg, Director

Dr. Louis Browne Honorary Consul of Barbados, Spe-cial Advisor to the Board

T he Caribbean American Heritage Foundation of Texas Media (CAHFT TV) unveiled this sum-

mer Carib Scene Latino, an exten-sion of its popular program The Carib Scene Show, which is an online recorded segment geared towards the Caribbean commu-

nity in t h e city of Hous-

ton through special events, civic engagement, and community com-mentaries. Carib Scene also con-ducts in-depth one-on-one inter-views with members of our Car-ibbean, Latin and Latin Caribbean

Communities, such as business owners, education and medical professionals and students, who are making positive contribution

to the com-munity. The pro-gram not only edu-cates the public about the growing d i v e r s e H o u s t o n Car ibbean community

but engages in some of the over-all discussion and challenges facing the community in the

United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. Recording for this season began in February during the Independence celebration of the Dominican Republic. During the summer, the segment has filmed all of the Houston Caribfest events, the premiere of “As I Die Slowly” starting Caribbean American ac-tress Merlissa Determined, Co-lombian / Venezuelan Festival, and Honduran Festival. Interviews include some of the world’s lead-ing diplomats, actors, actresses, musicians and respected radio personalities. To watch segments of the show, log on http://w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / u s e r /TheCAHFT

CAHFT 1st Annual Community Health Fair

CAHFT TV In The Latino Community

T h e C a r i b b e a n American Heritage Foundation of Texas (CAHFT) is proud to

announce our 1st Annual Community Health Fair. Our Health Fair will be held on Saturday October 1, 2011 in Baytown, Texas, and it is one of the core initiatives of our organization. The primary goal of the Health Fair is to partner with doctors, nurses and other healthcare professional in providing education about and to promote living a healthier lifestyle to the Caribbean Community and the community

as a whole. The Health Fair will be open to the entire community.

The agenda for this four hour annual event will include: Speakers discussing such

topics as the importance of year ly mammograms, annual physical exams, prostate exams, regular visits to the dentist, the importance of diet and exercise and yearly eye exams to check for glaucoma and cataracts especially if there is a family history these issues

Healthcare professionals will, onsite, will check blood pressure, body temperature and test for blood sugar levels

More details will follow in the months leading up to our 1st Annual Community Health Fair.

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With Much Thanks and Appreciation

Edwidge Danticat

E dwidge Danticat was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. When she was two years

old, her father André emigrated to New York, to be followed two years later by her mother Rose. This left Danticat and her younger brother Eliab to be raised by her aunt and uncle. Although her formal education in Haiti was in French, she spoke Kreyòl at home. While still in Haiti, Danticat wrote her first short story about a girl who was visited by a clan of women each night. At the age of 12, she moved to Brooklyn, New York, to join her parents in a heavily Haitian American neighborhood. As she was an immigrant teenager,

Edwidge's accent and upbring-ing were a source of discom-fort for her, thus she turned to literature for solace. Two years later she published her first writing, in English, "A Haitian-American Christmas: Cremace and Creole Thea-tre," in New Youth Connec-tions, a citywide magazine written by teenagers. After graduating from Clara Barton High School in Brook-lyn, New York, Danticat en-tered Barnard College in New York City. Initially she in-tended on studying to become a teacher, but her love of writ-ing won out and she received

a BA in French literature. In 1993, she earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Brown Uni-versity—her thesis, titled "My turn in the fire - an abridged novel” was the basis for her novel Breath, Eyes, Memory, which was published by Soho Press in 1994. Four years later it became an Oprah's Book Club selection . She is also the editor of The Butterfly's Way: Voices from the Haitian Dyaspora in the United States and The Beacon Best of 2000: Great Writing by Men and Women of All Colors and Cultures.

Go to Page 16 for Edwidge’s poem, "Tourist.”

of July. With Board Chairman

Peter René at the helm of the video and digital camera, we

attended, video-taped and photographed several outdoor festivals in Houston. And oh, by the way, the temperature was well over 100 degrees.

And to all the kind words we received on our Facebook page and via email, much thanks and appreciation.

Follow us on Twitter @CAHFT.

We would like to thank all our new Facebook Supporters for their “Liking” our fan page on Facebook and to every-one following us on Twit-ter. Speical thanks to Board Vice President Jerry Castro-Cayetano for hosting the Carib Scene Show during the month

W W W . C A R I B B E A N H E R I T A G E T X . O R G

Clinton Recognizes Peru’s and Venezuela’s Independence Day

Poet’s Corner

O n July 1, 2011 U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made official remarks, rec-

ognizing Venezuela’s Independ-ence Day: “On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of Venezuela as you cele-brate 200 years of independence this July 5. Our two countries share a close history of cooperation and respect. All across the United States – in towns, villages, counties, streets, and schools – you will find the name "Bolívar." I wish all Vene-

zuelan citizens everywhere good health and happiness on this spe-cial day and in the year to come.” ………

O n July 27, 2011 U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made official re-

marks, recognizing Peru’s Inde-pendence Day: “On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of Peru as you celebrate the 190th anniversary of your

independence this July 28. This year's centennial of the rediscov-ery of Machu Picchu -- one of the world's treasures -- reminds us of Peru's rich history and heritage as the home of one of the most influ-ential civilizations of the Western Hemisphere. As you celebrate this special day, know that the United States is a friend and partner. Happy Independence Day and best wishes for a year of peace and prosperity.”

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Peru Venezuela

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advanced security features. Since the in-troduction of the first OSM-based Green Card in 1997, the digital security of the card’s OSM technology has never been compromised. A report by market re-search firm Frost & Sullivan concluded that because of its innovations, “the next generation U.S. Green Card sets a new standard for international government ID programs.” “ID security and functionality are pressing concerns for governments worldwide and the card industry must continually inno-vate to help maintain the integrity, longev-ity and usefulness of major ID programs,” said Cathy Johnston, president of ACT Canada. “The U.S. Green Card is a lead-ing example of an ID card that leverages advanced technology and manufacturing expertise to enable greater security and functionality.” “The advanced, multiple technology U.S. Green Card breaks new ground in the field of ID cards and make a major contri-bution to the integrity of the U.S. immi-

gration system,” said Stephen Price-Francis, LaserCard’s vice president of marketing. “We are very pleased that this program has been recognized for its inno-vation in structure, security and function-ality.” USCIS announced in May 11, 2010 that it has redesigned the Permanent Resident Card - commonly known as the "Green Card" - to incorporate several major new security features. "Redesigning the Green Card is a major achievement for USCIS," said Director Alejandro Mayorkas. "The new security technology makes a critical contribution to the integrity of the immi-gration system." The enhanced features will better serve law enforcement, employers, and immi-grants, all of whom look to the Green Card as definitive proof of authorization to live and work in the United States. Among the benefits of the redesign: Se-cure optical media will store biometrics for rapid and reliable identification of the card holder.

H ID Global, trusted leader in solutions for the delivery of secure identity, announced

on July 19, 2011 that the U.S. Permanent Resident (“Green”) Card that is manufac-tured by HID Global under its LaserCard brand has won the ACT Canada “International Innovation Award” for Identity Management. The U.S. Green Card is issued to all legal foreign residents of the U.S. under the United States Citi-zenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) border security program. USCIS is an agency of the U.S. Department of Home-land Security. USCIS was honored for the application of secure innovations to the U. S. Green Card’s structure and its data and visual security features. The re-designed Green Card, launched in mid-2010, is the world’s first ID card to combine HID’s LaserCard optical security media (OSM) technology and an embedded RFID tag with other


For more information see the related Questions and Answers. For more information on USCIS and its programs, visit www.uscis.gov.

USCIS Wins Award for Redesign Green Card

P A G E 4

that, Jawda turned around closed the balcony gate behind him and walked down the lane. I knew that he did odd jobs around the place but I could not help but wonder if he really would be able to pay me back on Friday and if so why not bring the money to my home. I certainly did not know he lived but if he told me to come to his home on Friday, I might do just that if only out of curiosity. Chapter 2

I woke up to the usual sounds coming from outside. I looked at my clock and it was just a little

after six in the morning. I wished that I could sleep for a little while longer, but I had to start getting ready for work otherwise I would be late. As my head cleared, I remembered my encounter with Jawda earlier that week. Today was Friday and he had asked me to come to his home to collect the money that he owed me. I thought to myself that I should just drop the issue because I was sure that he was not going to be able to pay me back. But for two reasons, I convinced myself that I

should go look for him. Firstly I was curious to find out where he lived and secondly by not going, he would probably think that I doubted his ability to pay me back, and I did not want to disrespect him in that way. So that day after work I embarked on my quest to find Jawda's house. Firstly I asked Finbar if he knew where Jawda lived. Finbar was a Rasta and I had seen the two of them together on a number of occasions. "Somewhere up de hill mun, but I eh really know which house," Finbar said. At the same time Roti, another Rasta, was passing by. "Roti" shouted Finbar, "where Jawda living?” Roti stopped turned around pointed up the road and said "Climb de hill. About quarter mile up you go see a little shanty house. Take de pathway on de left. De first house is where Jawda live with his mother." "Ok thanks fellers" I said, and we all continued on our own separate ways.

Continued on page 17

"A ye Jawda," I greeted him.

"Yeah James," he replied. I thought to myself "He knew my name all along." "I dunno if you could help I out dis morning" Jawda said in his Rasta slang. "What happen Jawda", I asked. "You have $4o.oo to lend de I? “ You go get it back on Friday. "Jawda continued, looking like he was really in some jam and really needed some cash. I was never someone to turn anybody down if I could help, and I happened to have some cash on me so I decided why not.....even if I never got it back. "Ok Jawda, no problem mun," I said and headed back to my room where I took the money out of my pants pocket and went back to the front door where I handed him two twenty dollar bills. “Give Tanks ", Jawda said as he took the money folded it and put it in his back pocket. "I goin to de country but you go check I out on Friday by I and I home." "Aright Jawda" I said, and with


This short story series is based on memories from CAHFT Board of Director Ricky Marshall’s childhood in St. Lucia

“Where Jawda Living” by Ricky Marshall

I have known Jawda since I was a little boy. Even before he had locks. Whenever I passed him by

him in the lane where I lived, I always greeted him the same way," Aye Jawda," and he always s h o o k h i s h e a d i n acknowledgement. I had no idea where his home was; I just knew that he did not reside in the lane itself. He never spoke much, to me or to anyone else. I sometimes wondered if he even knew my name.......until one day. It was almost six in the morning. I had just woken up and as usual

people were already embarking on their daily routines. Mr. Harris who lived across the road was warming up his car to go to work; I could hear the voices of the women collecting water at the standpipe down the lane and somewhere in the distance I could hear the tooting of the bread van's horn. Then there was the sound of someone knocking on the front door and I could hear my uncle saying in Kweyol (Creole) "James see who's at the door." Uncle Earl was in his early seventies but for as long I knew him, he never

answered the door himself. I got off the bed hurriedly and put on some clothes. The knocking turned into a soft banging and running to the door, I called out "Ok, ok I'm coming." When I got there and opened it, who could be at the front door but Jawda. He was standing in the balcony wearing a short pair of faded blue jeans, and an old yellow jersey with a lion print in front. His locks were tucked into a red, green and yellow tam that covered his ears and half his forehead.



This week I made an environmentally conscious decision: I took stock of how much water I was using and then found some easy ways to conserve. Currently, about one sixth of the world's popula-tion doesn't have access to clean safe water, and that number is likely to in-crease for many in the future. That is because the amount of water on the planet is unchanging while the amount of safe drinkable water is declining. The good news is that we can all do our part to conserve water by taking simple measures and such steps can be rela-tively easy and pain-free. The first and most sensible thing to do is to make sure that any leaks or drips in your

house are fixed to avoid constant water loss. Other tips involve waiting for a full load of laundry before running your machine or wetting your toothbrush when brush-ing your teeth and then turning the wa-ter off until you are ready to rinse. An-other idea is not to turn on the shower until you are ready to get in or even get your body wet in the shower and then turn the water off while you soap up, and then turn it back on to rinse off. You could also invest in a water saving showerhead that provides a nice strong spray but uses less water than traditional showerheads. I know we are in the middle of the sum-mer, a heightened time for gardens to

be in need of water. There are also wa-ter conservation ideas outside the home. Instead of using just a simple hose, connect a sprayer to your garden hose so that when watering plants or washing the car, you save one water usage. Avoid over-fertilizing your lawn and if you use low spray sprinklers early in the mornings and late in the evenings, the water has less chance of evaporating. Or even better, use a cistern to collect rainwater for watering your plants. And the benefits of these tips are twofold: reduce your water usage while saving on your water bill.

Summer Tips, by Lucia Bates

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D uring her June 22 visit to Jamaica, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton an-

nounced progress on existing programs and new initiatives be-tween the United States and the Caribbean as part of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) and U.S.-Brazil Biofuels Cooperation. Caribbean Climate Change Adap-tation Initiative: Secretary Clinton invited all Caribbean countries to join a new ECPA initiative to build permanent, regional capacity in the area of climate change adaptation. The initiative will focus on acquiring and modeling Caribbean-specific data for use in

planning and policy decisions. Through a grant to Higher Education for Development, the ECPA Caribbean Adapta-tion Initiative will partner one or more U.S. higher education institutions with the University of the West Indies to enhance research, expand higher educa-tion programs, and promote outreach to policy-makers. Sustainable Energy in the Caribbean: Six Technical As-sistance Projects Awarded: Following through on her April 2010 invitation to Caribbean governments to join the ECPA Caribbean partnership adminis-tered by the Organization of American States (OAS), Secre-

tary Clinton announced that six Caribbean governments will re-ceive technical assistance grants to accelerate renewable energy development. This announcement follows the October 2010 meet-ing of the ECPA Caribbean Sus-tainable Energy Dialogue in the Bahamas, where the OAS invited all Caribbean governments to submit proposals. The OAS re-ceived more than 20 proposals and selected the top six based on technical merit. 1. Antigua & Barbuda: Eco-

Friendly Power Generation in the National Parks to encourage the use of solar energy technologies.

2. Dominica: Solar Water Heating Awareness Initiative to encourage the use of solar water heaters in the residential and commercial sectors, including tourism.

3. Dominican Republic: Photovoltaic (PV) Solar System for Comisión Na-cional de la Energía (CNE) Headquarters to install a demonstration PV solar system in parallel with the utility grid to supply a por-tion of the CNE headquar-ter’s electricity demand.

4. Grenada: Development of a Geothermal Resource Development Bill will pro-vide legal assistance in draft-ing a Geothermal Resource Bill to advance preliminary assessments of constructing a small scale geothermal plant.

5. Jamaica: Wind Powered Irrigation Feasibility Assess-ment to evaluate the techni-cal and financial feasibility of implementing wind power at pumping stations in the St. Elizabeth Parish.

6. St. Vincent and the Grenadines: Photovoltaic Project for the Administra-

tive Building to fund a feasi-bility study of net-metering to promote the use of re-newable energy.

Exploring the Potential for Electrical Interconnection between St. Kitts and Nevis and Puerto Rico: As part of the ECPA Caribbean Initiative administered by the OAS, Secre-tary Clinton announced the OAS request for proposals to examine the potential for an electrical interconnection via sub-sea ca-bles between St. Kitts and Nevis and Puerto Rico. This analysis will complement the planned development of geothermal power in St. Kitts and Nevis, potentially enabling the export of clean renewable electricity to Puerto Rico.

Third Caribbean Sustainable Energy Dialogue: Secretary Clinton announced that the third Caribbean Sustainable Energy Dialogue will take place in Barba-dos in October 2011, on the margins of the private sector Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum. The ECPA Caribbean Sustainable Energy Dialogue, supported by the ECPA Carib-bean Initiative, brings together Caribbean energy officials and


Advancing U.S.-Caribbean Energy and Climate Cooperation

institutions -- including CARI-COM, CARILEC, donor gov-ernments, multilateral institu-tions, and the private sector -- to accelerate clean energy deployment, provide legal and technical advice to govern-ments considering new renew-able energy and energy effi-ciency projects, and discuss possible regional solutions to Caribbean energy challenges.

Advancing U.S.-Brazil Biofuels Cooperation in Jamaica: Secre-tary Clinton commended Ja-maica for implementing a biofu-els policy, including the blend-ing mandate of 10 percent of ethanol (E10) into local gaso-line mixes and the creation of a domestic Task Force on Biofu-els. The Department of State provides technical assistance to Jamaica under the U.S.-Brazil Memorandum of Understand-ing to Advance Cooperation on Biofuels. Citing the recent release of key findings from this cooperation and a June 8 visit to Jamaica by a team of OAS and technical consultants, Sec-retary Clinton encouraged the Government of Jamaica in its efforts to develop a local com-petitive and sustainable biofuels industry.



Is the Financial Future of the Caribbean in Trouble?

statistics from those four countries specifically? Those nations are part of the supra-national economic agree-ment MERCOSUR. Supra-national agreements, as such, have the ability to create comfort for capital investors to create business, which, in turn, can help drive a sluggish economy. The supra-national of the Caribbean, although with no teeth, is CARICOM

which held its 32nd Heads of Government Conference in St Kitts & Nevis in late June and early July. With economic numbers

that, while not alarming, might create urgency, one of the issues that re-ceived much of the attention from government officials and journalists alike was that of the Caribbean Single Market Economy (CSME). Prime Min-ister Freundel Stuart of Barbados, who is also lead PM of the CSME, stated that the timetable for achieving the Single Economy and the remaining Components of the Single Market (of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas) were not achievable at this time. While indicating that they were not left for dead at this point, he pointed to the existing social and economic climate as the reason for not pushing forward with more economic integra-tion for CARICOM member states. “The current turmoil in the Euro-zone and elsewhere has injected a sober dose of realism into our discus-sion.” (CARICOM Press Release; 01 July 2011) The sentiment expressed by Prime Minister Stuart now is not that dissimi-lar from that expressed by the leaders of Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago in the 1950’s when the at-tempt at national federation amongst the islands ended in failure. The fear,

then as now, was that the smaller islands of the Caribbean would be a financial drain on the larger and more financially stable islands. Perhaps those fears were not unfounded as we see the financially strapped Greece bring-ing turmoil to the European Union, with perhaps Italy and Spain hot on their heels to do the same. The stick-ing point for right now concerning stronger economic unity within the CSME states appears to be the free-dom of labor movement. In principle, any CARICOM national would be allowed freedom of movement within the CARICOM states for the purposes of work. With that privilege comes contingent rights for the individual, their spouse, and dependants in their new place of residence. These rights include social welfare, education, and others. At this point it becomes clear that the dark cloud over closer eco-nomic integration for member states, such as Trinidad & Tobago and Ja-maica, is the scepter of a flood of im-migrants from other member states seeking employment and contingent rights then putting an overwhelming strain on their fragile individual econo-mies. As it stands now, Jamaica is al-ready having to play with whatever hand the IMF deals them. Despite this apparent stalemate, the CARICOM Heads of Government deny the demise of the organization. Instead of focusing on the CSME, which they emphasize is only one part of CARICOM, they prefer to focus on the progress CARICOM has made. Lolita Applewhaite, acting Secretary-General of CARICOM, points to strides made by the organization in the areas of education, health, trade

Continued on Page 20

F or those who have an inter-est in the financial future of the Caribbean, two impor-tant evaluation points were

passed during the mid-summer. Re-cently, the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Latin America and the Car ibbean (ECLAC) released it’s Economic Sur-

vey of Latin America and the Carib-bean for 2010-2011. On the surface, it would seem to be an encouraging report. During the year 2010, the GDP regionally expanded at a rate of 5.9% with slowing, but continued growth for the region projected at 4.7% and 4.1% for the years 2011 and 2012 respectively. By comparison, the United States has growth projected in the same study at 2.6% for 2011 and 2.8% for 2012. ECLAC also expects unemployment regionally to continue to drop to pre-global financial crisis numbers by achieving a rate of 6.7 – 7.0% through-out the region. When one reads on however, we find that the picture is not as rosy for the Caribbean. 2010 saw the GDP of the Caribbean sub-region expand at a rate of only 0.4% and a projection of only 1.9% for 2011. Equally disturbing is that 70% of the GDP of the Caribbean sub-region comes from three nations; Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad & Tobago. These nations had GDP growth in 2010 of 0.3% in Barbados, 1.0% in Trinidad & Tobago, and GDP contrac-tion in Jamaica of 1.3%. When con-trasted with the growth rate of na-tions such as Brazil (7.5%), Uruguay (8.5%), Argentina (9.2%), and Paraguay (15.0%), the statistics seen from 2010 can be alarming. Why would I bring up

OP-ED By Michael W. Edghill

P A G E 8

4th Annual Houston International Honduran Festival


Aztec Fairgrounds: Houston, Texas—July 10, 2011



4th Annual Houston International Honduran Festival

P A G E 1 0

“As I Die Slowly” Movie Premiere

W hat Happens When a man who has it all, becomes entan-

gled In a web of lies, deceit, and infidelity? Urban Life Entertainment Pre-sents: “As I Die Slowly” the mo-tion picture. Filmed locally here in Houston, Texas, “As I Die Slowly” was released on July 14th at the River Oaks Theater on 2009 West Gray St. 77019. (A RedCarpet Event)As I Die Slowly the movie is an adapta-tion from the fiction novel that bears the same name (As I Die Slowly) written by a local author, Marcus Damone Henry.

The title creates the acronym AIDS, and rightly so, because it is a story about choices & conse-quences. There are four main characters whose lives are con-nected by one dark deadly secret. It deals with the ever increasing numbers in the HIV & AIDS rate in America in a serious, yet enter-taining way. The Movie has sup-port from Center For Disease Control Employees like Dena Gray, members of the Houston AIDS Foundation, and health or-ganizations such as Central Care Community Health Centers. Source: TheCypressTimes


Staring the Caribbean’s own Merlisa Determined

Merlisa Determined

P A G E 1 1 V O L U M E I , I S S U E 7


“As I Die Slowly” Movie Premiere

P A G E 1 2

2011 Colombian Venezuela Festival


Discovery Green , Houston, Texas—July 17, 2011



2011 Colombian Venezuela Festival

P A G E 1 4


The Chatty Caribbean, Naturally from mediabadger.com

A nyone who’s spent time in the Caribbean knows that the people of those splendid is-

lands are friendly, generous of spirit, kind and very social. We recently worked on several re-search projects for consumer product companies looking to understand the online nature of people in the Caribbean as they developed marketing strategies. We were impressed with their online presence and the volume of chatter. Perhaps it is natural that the

more “social” a culture is that this nature should translate well into Cyburbia? It certainly does in the Caribbean. Accord-ing to CARICOM (a great or-ganization helping foster devel-opment in the Caribbean) there are just over 10 Million people online in the region or roughly 24% of the population. Facebook data indicates about 4 million online or 42% of the online population. Not bad. Here’s some of our findings on social media use in the Carib-bean:

Age Groups & Gender The 20-39 range is the most active in social media channels. This is trending lower than the US, Canada and South America where we actually see the 30-49 segment more active overall. In North America professionals are also more active than in the Car-ibbean, although business discus-sions do feature prominently. It would seem to be almost equal with females edging just slightly above males, similar to other parts of the world.

T op Social Networks in the Caribbean Facebook doesn’t lead the way yet, but no

doubt will at some point. Or perhaps not. One thing we noticed about content in social media channels in the Caribbean is that they love to share music, video and photo’s, especially that w h i c h t h e y ’ v e c r e a t e d themselves. Facebook doesn’t allow for much “creativity” with it’s pages like some of the social networks in the Caribbean do. Ranking is based on number of members, mentions in news and social media channels and Alexa rank.



The Chatty Caribbean, Naturally….cont.

K e y T o p i c s Seems like Caribbean folks love to talk about dating and

romance. Music closely followed discussions on dating and romance and slipping in at third place is politics. They love to discuss politics within their own countries, the Caribbean as a whole and then global issues. Travel was mostly amongst the various islands but also to other countries, most notably the US, Africa and UK.

M ost Active in Social Media Here we looked at which of the

primary countries is most active in social media. We factored in overall population, Internet penetration and adjusted accordingly. The Bahamas leads the way followed by Jamaica and then Trinidad & Tobego. We did not include Cuba in this research.

S u m m a r y The Caribbean overall represents a small market

compared to the US or Europe, but when it comes to being online, they are increasingly engaged. Social media usage has only really taken off in the last two years, but they are catching up quickly. Twitter is increasingly popular and they love to blog, create and share videos and images. This is a very expressive and

passionate part of the world. Median incomes are rising and there is a growing middle class meaning business opportunities will only increase for marketers. The mobile market is growing rapidly in the Caribbean as well and the people are an increasingly sophisticated market. Any marketers who think otherwise will be making a costly mistake.

T his year, the 31st Annual Belize Day in the Park in Chi-cago is the largest

Belizean event in the United States. Drawing hundreds and thousands of Belizeans from around the country and the world, this event has gone from a local family and community event to an inter-national tool for Belizean

identity in the United States. CAHFT Board member and Vice President Jerry Castro-Cayetano have deep roots in and lived in Belize before com-ing to the United States. For the 31st anniversary of Chicago Belize Day at the Park, he worked with organizing and committee members to reach out to elected officials in Chi-cago and Illinois to recognize

this event (page 18) and reach out to Illinoisans to celebrate this culture. “Having been present at this event in previous years, it is indicative that not only Belizeans, but Illinoians and Americans join the committee to celebrate this special event”, said Castro-Cayetano. “Am very proud

to be part of this proc-ess and as a member of CAHFT to highlight the contributions of the overall Caribbean to the diversity of our cities and nation.” Continued on Page 18

CAHFT Board Member Lends Helping Hand

P A G E 1 6 "Tourist" by Edwidge Danticat

Tourist, don’t take my picture Don’t take my picture, tourist I’m too ugly Too dirty Too skinny Don’t take my picture, white man Mr. Eastman won’t be happy I’m too ugly Your camera will break I’m too dirty Too black Whites like you won’t be content I’m too ugly I’m gonna crack your Kodak Don’t take my picture, tourist Leave me be, white man Don’t take a picture of my burro My burro’s load’s too heavy And he’s too small And he has no food here Don’t take a picture of my animal Tourist, don’t take a picture of the house My house is of straw Don’t take a picture of my hut My hut’s made of earth The house already smashed up Go shoot a picture of the Palace Or the Bicentennial grounds Don’t take a picture of my garden I have no plow No truck No tractor Don’t take a picture of my tree Tourist, I’m barefoot My clothes are torn as well Poor people don’t look at whites But look at my hair, tourist Your Kodak’s not used to my color Your barber’s not used to my hair Tourist, don’t take my picture You don’t understand my position You don’t understand anything About my business, tourist “Gimme fie cents” And then, be on your way, tourist.


Edwidge Danticat

Danticat is a strong advocate for issues affecting Haitians abroad and at home. In 2009, she lent her voice and words to Poto Mitan: Haitian Women Pillars of the Global Economy, a documentary about the impact of globalization on five women from different generations. Her work has been translated into numerous other languages including French, Korean, German, Italian, Spanish and Swedish.

A poem depicting the relationship between Haitians and tourists.



“Where Jawda Living” by Ricky Marshall

Continued from Page 4

I had never been that far up the hill, but I knew that there were no conventional roads past our lane. You had to make your way by foot up the dirt tracks. I started on my way, following the directions that Roti had given me. Sure enough I found Jawda's home. It was a small unpainted house on wooden pillars with concrete steps leading to the front door. It looked like a strong wind could blow it down at any time. However the house looked to be older than I was which means that it had withstood its share of hurricanes and survived. I climbed the steps and knocked on the door. There was no answer. I knocked again and waited, but there was still no answer. Just as I decided to give up and walk away, I heard a shuffling sound inside and then there was the sound of someone unlocking the door. It opened slowly and an old lady appeared. She looked like she must have been asleep. "Good afternoon mum" I said, afraid that I had woken her up from her rest. "Hello,” she replied, apparently not upset in the least. She looked like a Godly person. I could see a rosary hanging down from her front pocket. "Jawda living here?" I asked. "Yes, I am his mother," she said, “what you want" she asked respectfully. I did not want to be too specific so I answered "He asked to pass and collect something." "Well," she said. "He went to de country and is not back as yet. Come back tomorrow maybe." "Ok mum tanks" I said. "Ok my boy" she said in Creole and gently closed the door. I returned home that night more convinced than ever that I did not need to get that money back from him. Moreover, his mother made a very good impression on me. She looked like a good person and he was probably a good person too. I felt good that I was able to help him, especially if some of that money might have gone to help her. The sound of my alarm clock startled me. It was six in the morning and it woke me up from a deep sleep. Good thing the alarm went off otherwise I would have been late for work. It was Friday and I was happy to be at the end of another long hard week on the job. It was no different from any other morning. The bread van was passing by as usual, Mr. Harris was warming up his car and the chatter of women at the standpipe down the lane was coming through a little louder this morning. Suddenly there was a loud distinctive knocking on the door. I could hear my Uncle calling for me to answer the door. I put on a shirt quickly and headed for the front door and opened it. Standing in the balcony with his locks let down and a huge grin on his face, was Jawda. "Hey Jawda" I said. "Yea James, I bring de ting I owed you" he replied, and handed me some money. I opened it, and there were two twenty dollar bills and a five dollar bill. I looked up at him and he said in his normal Rasta slang" I put a extra five for de mun" He had the proudest look I had ever seen. Right at that moment I suddenly thought of somebody who may need that money more than I did since I had not even counted on getting it back. I folded the money, took his hand gave it back to him and said" I went to your home last Friday and I met your mother. Give her that money to her and tell her who sent it." "Yea she told I you came looking for I. Give tanks James give tanks," he said softly and respectfully. "No sweat, Jawda," I replied. And with that he closed the balcony gate behind him and disappeared down the lane. THE END

Continued from page 4—This short story series is based on memories from CAHFT Board of Director

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(continued from page 7) and foreign policy coordination. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad & Tobago echoed those sentiments when citing the influence CARICOM has had in foreign policy as a united voice in the Organization of American States (OAS). In light of this discouraging eco-nomic report and the failure of CARICOM to push forward on the CSME as is, what hope is there for the financial future of the Caribbean? Perhaps, as in the past, the Caribbean can look north, although the economic outlook for the United States isn’t as bright as it has been. Despite that, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did recently an-nounce a 70% funding increase for the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative. Used wisely, that could free up some funds for Carib-bean governments to do other things to promote economic growth. Additionally, Secretary


Is the Financial Future of the Caribbean in Trouble?

Clinton also announced the Caribbean Ideal Marketplace, a new initiative which hopes to encourage deeper collaboration between entrepreneurs in the United States who are part of the Caribbean Diaspora and their countries of origin. But while the United States plays a small part, it is incumbent upon the nations of the Caribbean, specifically the CARICOM states, to refocus their energies on economic self-improvement. Neither the United States, nor the EU, nor China will be able to simply agree to enough in im-port/export relations to truly benefit the region as is. CARICOM itself must place more emphasis on solving the freedom of movement issue that appears to be halting the imple-mentation of the other compo-nents of the CSME. CARICOM must implement a gradual inte-gration of states into the CSME based upon their financial stabil-

ity. That stability needs to be measured by benchmarks agreed upon by all member states and be measured by a third party, such as ECLAC, so as not create strife amongst the member states. This gradual integration would allow the CSME to move forward currently without plac-ing any undo burden on member states. We would also see a strengthening over time as the CSME would grow in, not just numbers, but stability. This way, the CSME could hopefully avoid what the EU has recently experi-enced. This plan, if worked out strategically and implemented judiciously, could create a better and more stable climate for investment now and a stronger global trade unit in the future. Perhaps there are better plans, but there must be a plan be-cause, to quote the late Michael Manley, “Better must come!”

OP-ED Article By Michael W. Edghill

Michael W. Edghill was born in Texas to Trinidadian parents. He was raised in Houston, Texas and is currently living in Fort Worth, Texas and teaches high school classes in Government and Mexico & The Caribbean.

Continued from page 15 In response to the outreach to elected officials, Governor Pat Quinn proclaimed Sunday August 7 as Belize Day in the State of I l l inois and Mayor Rahm Emmanuel issued the 2n d recognition since 1998 by the city of Chicago (page 19). The event is expected to attract a record number of attendees to enjoy the sounds of Belizean music, food and culture. The event is schedule for Sunday August 7 at Hawthorne Race Track.



Upcoming Events

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CAHFT In The Community

The Caribbean American Heritage Foundation of Texas has been quietly but effectively a leading promoter of cultural events in Texas, since our inception. The Foundation continues to work and a s s i s t T e x a s C a r i b b e a n Organizations achieve their goals through strategic partnership and mutual collaborations, in the spirit of cooperation.

What makes us unique is our ability to not only promote our English speaking Islands but also embrace our Spanish, Dutch, French, and Patois speaking Neighbors.

Being invited and participating in the various cultural events that have taken place this year has been quite an educational experience. It has given me a deeper appreciation for our diverse cultures and allows me to embrace them even more. Our foundation has no intentions of replacing any current Caribbean Associations, neither do we see ourselves as the ones who will put the band-aid and fix issues facing the Caribbean Diaspora. The fix needs to come from individuals wanting to see that change happen, and willing to do what it takes to make it happen. If we are not a part of the process

and criticize those who are, then we are part of the problem. Why not see how we can support each other, put our prides aside and do something positive. Think about that change being a positive reflection of the Caribbean Community and how we all win! Everyday should be “Flag Day” as we work to become a positive representation of our individual countries.

Remember, we are “Divided by Water” but “United by Culture” Lucia Bates President of CAHFT

to advocate on behalf of the peoples

of the Caribbean and Caribbean

decent. We plan to work to estab-

lish the Foundation as a cultural,

social, and economic presence in

our diverse community, capable of

bringing visible change and achieve-

ment through our advocacy.

Another of our core missions is to

recognize and annually celebrate

National Caribbean-American Heri-

tage Month, June of every year; in

doing so, we will work to bring

awareness to the contributions

made to our society and culture of

peoples of Caribbean and Caribbean

heritage and highlighting the contri-

bution made my Caribbean immi-

grants to the United States and

Texas. Through our efforts during

June, we hope to also continue our

dialogue between the Caribbean

Our Mission

The Caribbean American Heritage

Foundation of Texas (CAHFT), a

Texas non profit organization, was

established exclusively to partner

with, collaborate, and assist Texas’

Caribbean Organizations in bring-

ing awareness to the rich, lush his-

tory of the Caribbean Culture and

to promote its benefits and our

contributions to the diverse culture

in Texas.

The Foundation will work to and

assist Texas Caribbean Organiza-

tions achieve their goals: business,

financial and cultural, objectives

through strategic partnership and

mutual collaborations, in the spirit

of cooperation.

We plan to work tirelessly to estab-

lish the Caribbean Communities as

ONE united voice while continuing

and our American and Texas communi-

ties.

Our Values

CAHFT will operate above board

with transparency

CAHFT will conduct business with

the associations, local businesses and

individuals impartially in a fair and

equitable manner

Collaborative: every organization has

a seat at the table and every organi-

zation has a voice

CAHFT will conduct ourselves pro-

fessionally while on Foundation busi-

ness

CAHFT will operate and conduct

ourselves with integrity

CHAFT will operate and conduct

ourselves ethically

P.O. Box 420745 Houston, Texas 77242 Phone: 713-783-5779 Fax: 713-783-1510 Contact: Lucia Bates [email protected] Go To Our Website, Join Our E-mail List www.caribbeanheritagetx.org http://cahft.podomatic.com Logo Designs by Steve McCormick

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cahft newsletter july 2011

Documents

caribbean community

n s i d e t h i s i

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