RESPECT MY VOTE
ICS will partner with the Hip Hop Caucus to promote Respect my Vote Voter Education Campaign in the Caribbean American Community.
CENSUS 2010
ICS served as National Profile Partner for Census 2010 and chaired the Caribbean American Complete Count Committee which brought together leaders from across the country. ICS partnered with National Coalition for Black Civic Participation to execute campaign for complete Black count that recognized multi-cultural nature of Black community in the United States.
WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING
In 1999, at the request of ICS, the White House held an inaugural briefing targeting Caribbean American community leaders. The Briefing featured senior White House and Administration officials who briefed audience members on the Domestic and International Initiatives of the Clinton Administration. The purpose of the Briefing was to:1 )inform the growing Caribbean American political constituency of the Administration's accomplishments and initiatives; 2) update participants on "the Americas" Initiatives; 2) introduce White House Officials to the Caribbean Community; and 4) provide a forum for the Caribbean community to comment on Administration initiatives. Organized by the Deputy Associate Director of Public Liaison Jean Roscoe, officials included Governor Buddy Mackay, the President's Special Envoy to the Americas; Marsha Barnes, Director of the Office of Caribbean Affairs, State Department, and Calvin Humphrey, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of International Affairs of the Department of Energy.
CARIBBEAN/AFRICAN COOPERATION
ICS President Dr. Claire Nelson participates as a member of the African American Unity Caucus, a network of African descendants focused on promoting improved US foreign policy in Africa. She was invited to participate to attend the Meeting of Intellectuals organized by the Government of Senegal in 2003. ICS Issue Brief on the AU was submitted for consideration. She also participated as a Co-Chair of the Youth Panel at the Leon Sullivan Summit in Tanzania.
DOCUMENTARY ON CARIBBEAN AMERICAN DIASPORA IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY
In 1996 ICS produced a documentary The American Dream. It featured Caribbean immigrants in Montgomery County, Maryland, showing how Caribbean immigrants have contributed positively to American society. Caribbean people are in every corner of American society: lawyers, doctors, teachers, artists, athletes, business people and the list goes on. The film is made up of the personal experiences of a wide range. The "grandfather" of the Caribbean community in the area, Leo Edwards, gave an historical perspective as he recounted his experiences when he first arrived in the area and there were very few Caribbean people. Business people gave insights on the way Caribbean products are influencing the American culture. The film included our impact on cricket and soccer; young people telling of their experience growing up with a dual culture; and the perpetuation of the Caribbean culture through food and music. At the screening, the audience expressed much enthusiasm and a desire for ICS to do more to document Caribbean life in the USA.
UN WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM
ICS played a key role in ensuring Caribbean participation at the United Nations World Conference Against Racism held in Durban, South Africa, 2001. As a result of ICS advocacy, Caribbean NGOs served on the conference's international steering committee, and participated in the African and African Descendants Caucus. Both groups were instrumental in helping to draft language for the conference's final outcome. The conference was a broad showcase for organizations involved in eradicating many forms of racism all over the world with close to 20,000 people attending. The conference recognized that racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance were among the root causes of poverty, underdevelopment, marginalization, social exclusion and economic disparities faced by many in the Caribbean and in other regions in the developing world. Caribbean participants were among those leading the call that resulted in the United Nations acknowledging slavery and the slave trade as appalling tragedies in the history of humanity and as crimes against humanity, and hosted a follow-up conference in Barbados in 2002. ICS was also instrumental in convening meetings of the Caribbean Caucus at its booth in the Conference's NGO Forum. The ICS booth featured Caribbean cultural representations. ICS, which supported three delegates who also served as a Video production team, is seeking funds to produce the video documentation of its outcomes.
