Caribbean American Heritage Month
Street scene in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, 1919 (National Archives Identifier 45545527)
Research Resources
Nonpopulation Census Records: Puerto Rico (RG 29)
Records of the Spanish Governors of Puerto Rico (RG 186)
Guide to Puerto Rican Records in the National Archives at New York
Records of the Government of the Virgin Islands (RG 55)
Records of the Provisional Government of Cuba, 1906–1909
Records pertaining to Judge Sonia Sotomayor
Records relating to General Colin Powell, the child of Jamaican immigrants
Junior Red Cross Parade, Ponce, Puerto Rico, during World War I
Blogs and Articles
Shaping the American Dream: Naturalization records of three immigrants from the Caribbean (TumblrWeed Times)
"Ancestors from the West Indies: A Historical and Genealogical Overview of Afro-Caribbean Immigration, 1900–1930s" (Prologue magazine, Fall-Winter 2013)
"The Panama Canal: The African American Experience" (Prologue magazine, Summer 1997)
The Extract of Royal Ordinances for the Danish American Islands (Virgin Islands), one of our oldest documents (Prologue magazine, Summer 2016)
"Looking for an Ancestor in the Panama Canal Zone, 1904–1914?" (Prologue magazine, Fall 2007)
Roberto Clemente: A Legacy Beyond Baseball (Pieces of History blog)
Modesto Cartagena, the most decorated Hispanic soldier of the Korean War (Pieces of History blog)
Rita Moreno, first Hispanic actress to win the Academy Award (Pieces of History blog)
Caribbean American Heritage Month: Marcus Garvey (Pieces of History blog)
“Leader of A Movement:” During a Turbulent Time – Garvey (Rediscovering Black History blog)
The King of Calypso: Tribute to Harry Belafonte (Rediscovering Black History blog)
Probationers of the African American nurses training school, at Frederiksted, Saint Croix, Virgin Islands, 1917–ca. 1919.
After the 19th Amendment: Women in the US Virgin Islands Secure the Vote (Rediscovering Black History blog)
All We Demand is Justice: Caribbean Union Leaders on the Canal Zone (Rediscovering Black History blog)
Federal Records Documenting Caribbean Immigrants: 1890–1930? (Rediscovering Black History blog)
Pedro Sanjuan, Insider for Integration (JFK Library Archives blog)
The Panama Canal: Riots, Treaties, Elections, and a little Military Madness, 1959–1973 (Archives.gov)
The Founding Fathers: Alexander Hamilton, New York (Archives.gov)
Rita Moreno, who was born in Puerto Rico, poses with President George W. Bush before being presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, June 23, 2004. (National Archives Identifier 7431430)
General Colin Powell, the youngest officer, and first Afro-Caribbean American, to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. November 6, 1989. (National Archives Identifier 6487267)
Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, and Charlton Heston converse at the 1963 March on Washington. Poitier was born in Miami, while his Bahamian parents were visiting there. Belafonte was the child of Jamaican immigrants in New York City. (National Archives Identifier 542061)
Cicely Tyson receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama at the White House, November 22, 2016. Her parents were immigrants from Nevis. (National Archives Identifier 200283951)
As noted in this drawing by Charles Alston, James Weldon Johnson, of Haitian descent, was a songwriter, civil rights activist, and diplomat. He composed the lyrics of "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing." (National Archives Identifier 535623)
President William J. Clinton greets Shirley Chisholm, Ambassador-Designate to Jamaica, July 30, 1993. Chisholm, the daughter of Caribbean immigrants, was the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress and first Black candidate for a major party's nomination for President. (National Archives Identifier 2842929)
Cuban-born entertainer Desi Arnaz became a U.S. citizen while he served in the U.S. Army. His official military personnel file documents his service from 1943 to 1945. (National Archives Identifier 40922019)
Charles Alston honored the founder of the first Negro newspaper, John B. Russworm, the Jamaica-born publisher of Freedom's Journal. (National Archives Identifier 535601)
Mel Martinez, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and brought to the United States from Cuba as a child, meets with Cuban Americans in his office, May 18, 2001. (National Archives Identifier 6175785)