A Growing Community Celebrates the 6th Annual Caribbean Day

Packing the culture and rhythm of the Caribbean into Reading Terminal Market, Caribbean Community in Philadelphia (CCP) led the city in celebrating the sixth annual Caribbean Day on June 22, 2019. Kicking off the day with a video that highlighted the people of the Caribbean, the event featured speeches from civic and community leaders who described the Caribbean community’s contributions to Philadelphia. The event culminated with City Representative Sheila Hess and Councilman Mark Squilla officially proclaiming June 22nd as Caribbean Day in Philadelphia. 

The day’s most exciting moment, however, was the ribbon cutting celebration for Careda’s Caribbean Kitchen, the first Caribbean restaurant at Reading Terminal Market, and an official World Heritage City seal site. In honor of its official opening, Careda’s Caribbean Cuisine hosted a food demonstration, alongside Puerto Rican Street Food. In addition to this, Lincoln “Tiger” Phillips, an Olympic medalist and Trinidadian soccer star and coach, shared some words of wisdom with the audience in an empowering speech about perseverance and dedication. To tie everything together, attendees had the opportunity to listen and dance to Caribbean music as well as watch live performances and taste Caribbean desserts. 

CCP Founder and Program Director Miranda Alexander was thrilled with the event’s popularity and large turnout, saying that she was committed to making sure attendees got a full representation of the Caribbean’s rich heritage and many amazing cultures. As an attendee of the event, Global Philadelphia Association’s Gigi McGraw praised it as a “positive platform for all Caribbean Americans.”

CCP was formed seven years ago after members were connected through the Urban Resources and Opportunities Center and various social media groups. As the group grew and gained attention, they began to use their platform to host events like Caribbean Day. This year’s Caribbean Day celebrated the 14th annual National Caribbean American Heritage Month and Immigrant Heritage Month.

CCP is dedicated to providing the best possible representation of the Caribbean Diaspora People. They accomplish this by hosting multiple events that educate the Philadelphia community and highlight Caribbean culture. 

Article written by Zimri Hinshaw on behalf of Global Philadelphia Association