Celebrating Caribbean Heritage – Q3 2024 Facts & Findings

I had the honor of interviewing Marva Griffiths Herman, the West Coast Representative for the Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) (www.icsdc.org) and founder and executive director of the Caribbean Heritage Organization, Inc. (CHO) (www.caribbeanheritage.org).

Marva’s friend, Dr. Claire Nelson, is the founder and President of the ICS. She paved the way for the national Proclamation denoting June as the month to be observed as National Caribbean American Heritage Month.

HOW HAS CHO IMPACTED OUR COMMUNITIES?
CHO is a key component in ensuring the appropriate ceremonies and activities are produced in Los Angeles and on the West Coast.

Marva assisted Dr. Nelson for many years, playing a vital role in the efforts to petition the government to establish National Caribbean American Heritage Month. Marva is, by far, my favorite Caribbean American superhero. This extraordinary woman’s superpower is that she is a paralegal! She has been a paralegal for over 20 years, supporting entertainment entities, executives, and a major movie studio.

Marva spearheads the yearly Los Angeles Caribbean American Heritage Gala, the Caribbean Heritage Salute to Hollywood & Excellence, and the CaribbeanLens™ Los Angeles/Hollywood Caribbean International Entertainment Conference & Film Festival (www.caribbeanlens.com). She is Editor in Chief of the Caribbean Heritage Magazine (https://caribbeanheritagemag.com/). Events are organized every year to honor the achievements and contributions of these people living in the US.

HOW DO YOU FIND THE TIME TO ORGANIZE AND DIRECT THESE PROGRAMS?

“When something is your passion, you find the time.”

Caribbean immigrants have significant populations within the United States. Though sometimes divided by language, they share a common Caribbean culture.

Various people of Caribbean descent have contributed to the advancement of DEI, including Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Zoe Saldana, Michael Douglas (yes, Hank Pym of Ant Man!), Geoffrey Holder, Rick Fox, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Ayesha Curry, Cicely Tyson, CCH Pounder, Kelsey Grammer (yes, Frasier!), Alfonso Ribeiro, Winnie Harlow, Kamala Harris (yes, the VP!), Dawnn Lewis, Ricky Martin, Tia and Tamera Mowry, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, Beyoncé, Tyson Beckford, Wyclef Jean, Lena Headey (yes, Cersei Lannister!), Grace Jones, Bishop Noel Jones, Garcelle Beauvais, Naomi Campbell, Lenny Kravitz, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Kerry Washington, A$AP Rocky, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, Amanda Seales, Deborah Cox, Colin Powell, Rosario Dawson, Jennifer Lopez, Gloria Estefan, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and many more!

WHAT DOES DEI MEAN FOR CHO?
By educating and celebrating the contributions of Caribbean Americans, we can create equity in Hollywood by telling their stories and making content by the people who are actually part of the culture instead of depending on people outside of the community to interpret the culture.

My favorite interview posted to Caribbean Heritage Magazine’s online page is, “BRIDGERTON’s Queen Charlotte, aka Golda Rosheuvel speaks exclusively with CHM.” One key moment in the interview was Ms. Rosheuvel’s reflection of the support she received from her family when she disclosed her sexual identity. Many Caribbean nations are still striving to be more inclusive and/or tolerant of the LGBTQ community and, in some parts of the Caribbean, the activism for inclusion and rights continues to this day. Rosheuvel does not claim to be an activist but does understand that “representation and education matter.”

CELEBRATING CARIBBEAN HERITAGE
Every year, since being officially observed in 2006, the President has signed the Proclamation declaring June as National Caribbean American Heritage Month. The proclamation was unanimously adopted by the House of Representatives on June 27, 2005, and sponsored by Congresswoman Barbara Lee. On February 14, 2006, the Senate adopted the resolution introduced by Senator Chuck Schumer of New York. On June 5, 2006, President George W. Bush issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring that June be annually recognized to celebrate the contributions of Caribbean Americans.

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Terri Rasay Walters, CCP, ACP, is a California Certified Paralegal through the California Alliance of Paralegal Associations (CAPA) and an Advanced Certified Paralegal through NALA. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles Paralegal Association (LAPA) in many capacities, including as Advisor. She is a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for Children’s Court in LA and currently works as the Paralegal Co-Lead for Musick Peeler & Garrett LLP. She is NALA’s DEI Committee Chair. Her parents are naturalized citizens and were both born in Trinidad in the West Indies.
email: shushcabush@gmail.com