Caribbean Heritage Month commemoration was adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2005 and proclaimed by President George H.W. Bush in June 2006 to recognize the significance of Caribbean people and their descendants in the history and culture of the United States.
Since the declaration, the White House has issued an annual proclamation recognizing June as Caribbean-American Heritage Month. This year marks the fifteenth anniversary of June as National Caribbean American Heritage Month.
The 2022 theme is Our Shared History, Our Shared Future. The commemoration of Caribbean American Heritage Month aims to remind Americans that our greatness lies in our diversity. Caribbean immigrants from founding father, Alexander Hamilton, to journalist, Malcolm Gladwell, have helped to shape the American dream.
Census Quick Facts
As of June 2019, the Caribbean-American population of the United States was almost 13.4 million (Note that these populations are not mutually exclusive, as people may be of more than one ancestry or ethnic group). Some of the largest Caribbean ancestry groups in the U.S. include:
- 5,828,706 Puerto Ricans
- 2,381,565 Cubans
- 2,094,222 Dominicanos
- 1,171,915 Jamaicans
- 1,084,455 million Haitians
- 218,783 Trinidadians and Tobagonians
- 68,234 Bajans
- 65,946 Belizeans
- 56,796 Bahamians
- 21,341 U.S. Virgin Islanders
More Information
- 2022 Presidential Proclamation
- National Caribbean American Heritage Month
- Caribbean American Heritage Month USA
- Institute of Caribbean Studies
- U.S. Census National Caribbean-American Heritage Month Stats for Stories 2022
- Census Quick Facts for Puerto Rico
- U.S. Department of the Interior Caribbean American Heritage Month Info Graphic(PDF, 1 MB)
Contact
- Michelle Catoni, CRAC Chair, at 787-896-3565 x105