Caribbean American Heritage Month

When I think of the Caribbean, I think of beautiful sands, clear blue water, and dreamy vacation spots. Indeed, the Caribbean has some amazing vacation destinations, including (but certainly not limited to) Jamaica, Turks and Caicos, St. Lucia, The Cayman Islands, The Virgin Islands, The Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. But did you know that some of America's best known political and cultural figures have roots in the Caribbean? Let's recognize just a few of them this month—during Caribbean American Heritage Month!

Before we dive in, let's get the lay of the land. The island countries that make up the Caribbean stretch across parts of the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea, from Cuba, just south of Florida, to Trinidad and Tobago, just north of Venezuela, in South America. To learn more about the Caribbean, or if you're considering a trip there, check out our Caribbean Travel Kit. Our travel kits contain a wealth of resources, including books and DVDs about specific locales. The Caribbean Travel Kit includes DK Eyewitness Travel and National Geographic Traveler books, two DVDs, and a laminated guide with websites, links, and suggested reads to further explore this part of the world. The Caribbean Travel Kit in our collection is linked below.

Caribbean, opens a new window

Alexander Hamilton, Colin Powell, and Sonia Sotomayor have all played significant roles in American government, and they all have ties to the Caribbean! Alexander Hamilton, of Hamilton Broadway fame, was our nation's first Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton was born on the island of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Colin Powell served as Secretary of State during George W. Bush's presidency, and his parents were from Jamaica. Sonia Sotomayor, one of our U.S. Supreme Court Justices, is of Puerto Rican origin. Check out books in our collection about each of these famous figures!

Alexander Hamilton, opens a new window

It Worked for Me, opens a new window

My Beloved World, opens a new window

This year, actress Zoe Saldana won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the film Emilia Perez. In her moving acceptance speech, she thanked her parents, who are from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. She has the distinction of being the first Academy Award winner who is Dominican-American. Saldana has starred in several noteworthy movies, both big-budget and indie, over the years. Check them out below!

Avatar, opens a new window

Guardians of the Galaxy, opens a new window

Infinitely Polar Bear, opens a new window

Finally, let's highlight some American authors who have origins in the Caribbean. Author and poet Elizabeth Acevedo's parents are from the Dominican Republic. Check out some of her well-received books below. Good Morning America's book club featured Acevedo's Family Lore as one of their picks. Speaking of book clubs, Reese's Book Club and Read with Jenna have also included titles from authors of Caribbean origin. Reese's Book Club has read Everything Inside by Edwidge Danticat, who was born in Haiti, and Next Year in Havana, by Chanel Cleeton, who has family from Cuba. Read with Jenna has included Patsy, by Nicole Dennis Benn, who was born in Jamaica, as one of its titles, as well as Black Cake, by Charmaine Wilkerson, who lived in Jamaica. Fun fact: Black Cake was also recently made into a Hulu series! Each of these noteworthy books are linked below.

Family Lore, opens a new window

Clap When You Land, opens a new window

The Poet X

Everything Inside, opens a new window

Next Year in Havana

Patsy

Black Cake, opens a new window

Have fun exploring the Caribbean and learning more about Caribbean Americans!