U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS—Governor Albert Bryan Jr. signed a proclamation this week recognizing Virgin Islands National Caribbean American Heritage Month and Virgin Islands Freedom Week 2019. Every year, the Territory observes National Caribbean American Heritage Month and Virgin Islands Freedom Week, which begins in June and concludes on July 3rd to commemorate Emancipation Day in the former Danish West Indies, now the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“The U.S. Virgin Islands continues to contribute to Caribbean and American culture in profound ways,” Governor Bryan said. “With a diverse collection of people, Virgin Islands culture has evolved over the last few decades with the introduction of new styles of music, cultural garments, dances and the inclusion of technology and other advancements.”
National Caribbean American Heritage Month allows people of Caribbean ancestry living in the Virgin Islands, the Caribbean Americas, and around the world to connect with the history of the region and our contributions to the world. Africans brought to the Caribbean were treated harshly on plantations, where some of the worst atrocities known to humans occurred, while the treasuries of Denmark, England, France, Holland, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Portugal benefitted from their free labor.
“Many of our Caribbean ancestors were living as free and self-determined citizens in democratically ruled nations before Europeans began stripping the African continent of valuable recourses,” Governor Bryan added. “Our African ancestors demonstrated in their oral and written documentation the accomplishments of African people throughout the African continent, where they displayed advancements in the fields of navigation, science, astronomy, math, medicine, masonry, and philosophy.”
As the Virgin Islands and the Caribbean diaspora continue to grow, the region has begun to experience varying forms of social and economic change that better represent the advancements and triumphs of the ancestral people who built many of our historic structures centuries ago under the bonds of slavery and violent colonialism.
“As we approach the 171st anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, I am calling on residents and leaders in the Territory to reflect on the significance of our July 3rd, and July 4th celebrations as the Virgin Islands and other U.S. territories contemplate their status as American possessions,” Governor Bryan said. Today, Caribbean descendants, including those who call the region home continue to make a sizable impact in the world of politics, in music, arts, and foods, highlighting the sheer diversity of the region and its enduring people.