“Rich tapestry of Mass.” on display at Caribbean celebration

BOSTON, Mass. (SHNS)–Caribbean Americans from across Massachusetts gathered at the State House on Monday to celebrate the close of Caribbean heritage month in June.

“Last week we had a small soiree in the governor’s office, and I said, ‘We’re going to need a bigger room!’ There’s too many of us now, which is a good problem,” Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said to attendees who filled the Great Hall of Flags as Boston-based Branches Steel Orchestra played ABBA songs on steel drums native to Trinidad and Tobago.

“We’re diverse, we’re resilient, entrepreneurial, we’re creative, we’re vibrant, we contribute to the rich tapestry of Massachusetts. And that’s what today is all about,” said Driscoll, whose mother was born in Grenada and grew up in Trinidad.

Rep. Brandy Fluker Oakley said immigration issues are important to the Caribbean community, because “anyone of Caribbean descent at one point had an ancestor who immigrated to this country.”

In particular, Massachusetts has received thousands of Haitian immigrants over the last two years as conflict in the country has caused many to flee.

“People care a lot about what’s happening with the migrant shelter crisis,” Fluker Oakley said. “And then there’s also the wealth gap. Everyone talks about that study the Boston Globe did in 2020 related to the racial wealth gap and how white families in Boston, their net worth was $245,000, Caribbean families’ was $12,000 and Black American families’ was $8 … That’s a huge jump between $245,000 and $12,000. I think the more that we can support economic development in the community matters.”

Fluker Oakley is not of Caribbean descent herself but is one of four Black women in the Legislature and has close ties with the Caribbean community. She said while people celebrate the food, music and culture that comes from the islands they should remember that “we also are brilliant” and “we also support one another, lift each other up.”

“We all came from Africa, dropped off at different ports, but we all still made a dollar out of 15 cents,” she said.

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