Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement in honor of the Eighth Annual National Caribbean American Heritage Month, which starts today.

“I have the distinct privilege of representing the Ninth Congressional District of New York, a diverse community that includes many people of Caribbean heritage. My parents came to the United States from the island Nation of Jamaica to pursue the American Dream – there are many families in Brooklyn and across the United States who know that story from their own personal experience. The nearly three million Americans of Caribbean heritage have contributed to every part of our civil society, from former Attorney General Eric Holder  and former Secretary of State Colin Powell to activist and musician Harry Belafonte and my esteemed predecessor in Congress, the late Honorable Shirley Chisholm. I commend President Obama, who issued a proclamation designating June as National Caribbean-American Heritage month, for his commitment to building the relationship between the United States and the nations of the Caribbean Community. I was honored to visit Jamaica with President Obama in April, where he offered support for the development of renewable energy that has the potential to expand the economy of Jamaica and to protect us from the threat of climate change. As a member of the Congressional Caribbean Caucus and the Energy and Commerce Committee in the House of Representatives, I will continue to work in support of these initiatives and the continued achievements of Caribbean Americans in the United States.”

Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke is a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce in the House of Representatives, a member of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, as well as the Committee on Ethics and the Committee of Small Business. She represents many neighborhoods in central and southern Brooklyn, NY which include Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, parts of Park Slope and Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.