[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 107 (Monday, June 7, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 30137-30138]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-11976]




                        Presidential Documents 



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

[[Page 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 barrier-breaking 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 neo-expressionist 
                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-of-government 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

[[Page 30138]]

                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.
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                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2021-11976
Filed 6-4-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P