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THE CARIBBEAN PAVILION at the ANNUAL CBC LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE
Between 1994 and 1996, ICS participated as an exhibitor in the Exhibit Hall at the Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Conference, and once again it was a success. The booth named The Caribbean... A Wave of Opportunity, attracted a lot of attention. Information on business opportunities and investments and tourism was made available. Books from the Caribbean were displayed as well as cookbooks, which were first to be sold out. Products such as jams, chutney, biscuits, coffee and pepper sauces were on sale, the favorite was the pepper sauces, especially the jerk seasoning. A survey was conducted on the awareness of Caribbean products. Most people were familiar with the jerk sauces and rums. There were daily raffles with prizes such as subscriptions to Panache magazine, gift baskets, artwork and t-shirts, and trips to the Caribbean: Mango Bay, Barbados; Braco Village, Jamaica: Young Island, St. Vincent; and Invercauld, Jamaica. By the end of the event over 500 people stopped by the ICS booth. We believe that the Caucus provided an excellent arena to promote the Caribbean and to reach a huge potential market for Caribbean goods and services.
AGRIBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LINKAGE PROGRAM
In 1997, ICS, working with the University and Business Technology Summit, organized a study tour of seven land grant (1890) historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to Jamaica. The purpose of the visit was to identify opportunities for these institutions to create training and technology transfer linkages through the Jamaica Agricultural Development Foundation. The nine-member mission, which took place in October, included University of Arkansas, North Carolina, A&T, Alcorn State, University of Maryland at Eastern shore, Langston State, University of the District of Colombia, University of the Virgin Islands and the USDA. The visit provided an opportunity to discuss agricultural interests and training needs with commercial producers and agricultural educators in the country, such as poultry and goat farming, aquaculture, eco-tourism, and the University of the West Indies Biotechnology Center. Over the next two years, ICS provided advice to the newly founded University and Business Technology Council and 1890 HBCUs to establish a consortium to provide ongoing technical assistance in the area of agribusiness in the Caribbean.
CARICOM CONGRESSIONAL SUMMER INTERNSHIP
In 2002, ICS launched the CARICOM Congressional Summer Internship Fund to provide funds to support a Caribbean American to intern with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Summer Program Institute. The funds are presented at the Congressional Friends of the Caribbean Appreciation Luncheon, a new tradition also initiated by ICS. This activity is conducted in partnership with the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce, New York, the Greater South Florida Chamber of Commerce, and the Caribbean Immigrants Service, New York.
FIRST WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING OF CARIBBEAN AMERICANS
In 1999, at the request of ICS, the White House held its first ever 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.
FUTURES FORUM
In development
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.
CARICOM STUDENT DEBATE
As part of its goal to nurture young Caribbean leaders, ICS sponsored the CARICOM Student Debate Competition in collaboration with the World Bank/International Monetary Fund Caribbean Association and the Washington, D.C. branch of the University of the West Indies Guild of Graduates in 1996. Students from Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, N.Y. traveled to Washington, D.C. to challenge their counterparts from Morgan Sate University in Baltimore, MD on the topic, “Is Affirmative Action a Hindrance to the Socio-Economic Development of Minorities in the United States?” The students both challenged and supported prevailing perceptions of affirmative action, its intended purpose, the resulting impact on American society, as well as the future of the program. Many statements have risen from the ranks of debating halls, and ICS will persevere in this effort to groom the future leaders of the Caribbean and Caribbean diaspora.
HEALTH SYMPOSIUMS
ICS, in collaboration with the National Medical Association (NMA), the oldest and largest professional association representing 32,000 Black physicians in the United States, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, hosted two luncheon symposiums in 1998 and 1999 for CARICOM Ministers of Health. Held during the Pan American Health Organization’s annual meeting to honor the ministers, the symposium was attended by more than 75 Ministers of Health, CARICOM health officials and Washington-based health experts (many of them Caribbean-American), and focused on “Future Directions Toward Health Promotion in the Caribbean”. In his 1998 keynote address, NMA’s president, Dr. Gary C. Dennis, paralleled the disparaging health: status of blacks in the U.S. and the Caribbean. Delegate Shirley Nathan Pulliam also highlighted health programs she initiated as a member of the Maryland State Legislature. Avenues for collaborations among CARICOM members the NMA and ICS were also discussed.
HIV/AIDS EDUCATION
ICS also organized a Forum on HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean and collaborated with NMA
In 2004 to organize a HIV/AIDS Vaccination Awareness Campaign among the Caribbean community as well as in organizing Caribbean American medical community to participate in a Symposium on Health Disparities among Black Men in 2004.
ICS YOUNG PROFESSIONAL MIXERS
....Success is being in the Right Place at the Right Time
In 1999, ICS organized a quarterly networking mixer series in order to bring together Caribbean young professionals in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan are in an atmosphere focused on networking and personal development. Citing the fact that, there are several opportunities for Caribbean people to get together to “wage bacchanal” but few forums that allow for young professionals to interact on a professional basis, ICS Program Associate, Jeannelle Blanchard, organized the series at the Caribbean owned restaurant Mangos on the U Street Corridor in Washington, D.C. The first mixer, held in April, featured Aubrey Stephenson, President of Federal Management Systems. The June mixer on Wall Street was led by Jamaica Investment broker, Gerald Chen-Young, who is Accounts Vice President at Paine Webber. Money management and debt reduction was the theme of the August mixer in which Citibank representative, Jorge Sanchez, discussed financial literacy. “Christmas in the Caribbean” was the theme of the last mixer held in December 1999. The mixer series objective of harboring meaningful interaction, and creating an avenue for Caribbean professionals to network had been accomplished.
EMBASSY EVENING DISCUSSION SERIES
Since its inception, ICS in keeping with a commitment to provide a forum on issues that impact the Caribbean diaspora has convened an Embassy Evening Discussion Series. Designed as a catalyst for action, the Embassy Evening Series program has been a tremendous success in providing information and facilitating dialogue on a number of timely and relevant issues. Held throughout the year at various Caribbean embassies, they have addressed a variety of topics such as Caribbean Migration to the United States; Sustainable Tourism and Environmental Justice; the Promotion of Culture as a Tool for Economic Development; Science and Technology in a Knowledge-based Economy; the Role of the Caribbean Diaspora in Nation-Building; the Meaning of the 1996 U.S. Elections for the Caribbean; Cuba and her Caribbean Neighbors; the perception of Caribbean women displayed in literature, the Impact of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) on the Caribbean; and the Future of Health Programs in the Caribbean. The audience size has ranged from 20-60, and members have expressed their enthusiasm and appreciation for having a forum in which to voice their concerns and share information.
DOCUMENTARY
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.
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