Daniela Brighenti Photo
As New York City and other major cities around the country held LGBTQ pride parades, hundreds of New Haveners gathered to proudly celebrate a different facet of their identity: their Caribbean heritage.
People hailing from seven different Caribbean countries — Dominica, Barbados, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Grenada, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago — were present at the third annual Caribbean Heritage Festival at Goffe Street Park on Sunday. The festival, which lasted most of the sunny afternoon, was the culmination of a series of events held in June, which is officially National Caribbean American Heritage Month.
“We have a huge community and a long history of being in New Haven,” Christine Bartlett-Josie said. “Why not celebrate that?”
Bartlett-Josie, a St. Lucia native herself, helped organize the last two festivals. She was quick to state that the real work had been done by two women who were “essential” to the success of the event.
“There’s a lot of us here, but I’m glad we have the two of them,” said Bartlett-Josie (at center in photo).
The two she referred to were Karaine Smith-Holness and Shermaine Cooke-Edmonds, from Jamaica and Dominica respectively. Smith-Holness is one of the original founders of the annual event. Two years ago, she said, she noticed that though June is Heritage Month, there was no celebration in New Haven despite its large Caribbean population.
“I called on my friends and said, ‘We have to do something about this,’” Smith-Holness said.
That first year, Smith-Holness reached out to Mayor Toni Harp for help, and organizers were invited to City Hall for an afternoon where they showcased their “diverse heritage” to hundreds of attendees.
Since then, the fest has grown, and last year it officially relocated to the DeGale Field at Goffe Street Park, which can better fit the hundreds who come each year to celebrate their culture.
And for the first time this year, the festival featured a parade from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church to the Goffe Street location. Leading the line of participants was Patricia Helliger, the first African-American female captain of the New Haven Police Department, who is originally from St. Martin.
Later on in the afternoon, the St. Luke’s steel band took center stage, performing traditional Caribbean songs. The band was yet another source of pride for Smith-Holness.
“It was the only new instrument invented in the twentieth century, you know. And it was invented in Trinidad and Tobago!” she said, proudly.
Click on or download the above sound file to listen to Michelle Turner’s interview with Smith-Holness on WNHH radio.
