Celebrate Caribbean American Heritage Month

Happy Caribbean American Heritage Month! Chelsea Barrett, Business Librarian / Africana Studies Liaison, in partnership with Sarah Ponichtera, Assistant Dean for Special Collections & the Gallery, have compiled a list of information on Caribbean American culture, life, and history.

Resources
A Proclamation on National Caribbean-American Heritage Month, 2021
President Joseph Biden’s statement on Caribbean Heritage Month where he speaks on the importance of Caribbean Americans, including Vice President Kamala Harris and honoring others that have contributed to the nation’s progression.

Caribbean American Heritage Month: Caribbean History and Culture
The U.S. Department of the Interior highlighted information on Caribbean History and Culture from a governmental perspective. See information on Caribbean-related legislation, Caribbean demographics, music, food and much more!

Archives and Special Collections
The SHU Archives and Special Collections would like to highlight MSS 36, The Cause of Pierre Toussaint.  This collection documents the activism of two individuals who sought to have Pierre Toussaint, the 18th century Haitian American former slave turned New York philanthropist buried at St. Patrick’s, canonized as a saint.  The collection includes letters of these individuals to figures in the Catholic Church, including Archbishops and the Pope advocating for this cause, photographs of his former burial place and re-burial at St. Patrick’s, and poems written in support of the cause. The materials are mainly from the 1990s.

Interested in this collection? Visit our finding aid for more information.

If you are interested in viewing the original materials, feel free to make an appointment with the SHU Archives and Special Collections.

Read
Interested in some Caribbean Reads? View our book display here and feel free to send recommendations!! Caribbean American Heritage Month Virtual Display

Watch
PBS – Caribbean American Heritage Month

Research Help & Resources
Africana Studies Librarians-send an email or schedule a chat!
Africana Studies GuideCaribbean Page

Social Media
Follow the SHU West Indian Student Organization on Instagram for amazing Caribbean content! @shu_wiso

Follow Seton Hall University Libraries on social media for Caribbean American posts, updates and much more! Instagram · Twitter · Facebook

Blog post by Chelsea Barrett, Business Librarian / Africana Studies Liaison.