Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 107 / Monday, June 7, 2021 / Presidential Documents 30137 

Proclamation 10223 of June 1, 2021 

National Caribbean-American Heritage Month, 2021 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

America’s diversity is and always has been the defining strength of our 

Nation—in every generation, our society, spirit, and shared ambitions have 

been refreshed by wave after wave of immigrants seeking out their American 

dream. Throughout our history, Caribbean Americans have brought vibrant 

cultures, languages, traditions, and values that strengthen our country and 

add new chapters to our common story. In recognition of Caribbean Americans’ countless gifts and contributions to our Nation, we celebrate National 

Caribbean-American Heritage Month. 

Caribbean Americans have made our country more innovative and more 

prosperous; they have enriched our Nation’s arts and culture, our public 

institutions, and our economy. I am honored to celebrate this National 

Caribbean-American Heritage Month alongside Caribbean-American barrierbreaking public servants in my Administration—including Vice President 

Kamala Harris, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, and Domestic Policy Advisor Susan 

Rice—all of whom continue to be sources of pride and inspiration for 

Caribbean Americans across the country. 

Caribbean-American intellects and artists like James Weldon Johnson, the 

poet who gave us the anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing; celebrated neoexpressionist painter Jean-Michel Basquiat; and John B. Russwurm, the first 

Caribbean-American editor of a U.S. newspaper, have left a lasting impact 

on our country. Caribbean-American jurists like Constance Baker Motley, 

the first Black woman appointed to the Federal bench, and the Nation’s 

first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor, have made innumerable 

contributions to the American justice system. Shirley Chisholm, the daughter 

of Caribbean immigrants, blazed new trails as our Nation’s first Black Congresswoman—and the first Black woman to launch a major-party bid for 

the Presidency. Public servants like Antonia Novello, our Nation’s first female 

Surgeon General, and Colin Powell, our first Black Secretary of State, have 

followed in her footsteps, charting new paths of their own in service to 

the American people. 

Despite the powerful legacy of achievement of Caribbean Americans, many 

members of the Caribbean-American community continue to face systemic 

barriers to equity, opportunity, and justice. Systemic racism has uniquely 

impacted Black and Latino immigrant communities, including Caribbean 

Americans, leading to disparities in health care, education, housing, criminal 

justice, and economic opportunity. My Administration is committed to addressing those entrenched disparities—and to bringing our Nation closer 

to its promise that all people are created equal and deserve to be treated 

equally throughout their lives. That is why I have launched a whole-ofgovernment approach to advancing racial justice and equity. 

During National Caribbean-American Heritage Month, we celebrate the legacy 

and essential contributions of Caribbean Americans who have added so 

much to our American fabric. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States 

of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution 


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30138 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 107 / Monday, June 7, 2021 / Presidential Documents 

and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2021 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 first day of 

June, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth. 

[FR Doc. 2021–11976 

Filed 6–4–21; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3295–F1–P 


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