Connections Heritage Month July 2020

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR PMB Administrative Services AVSO CADR IBC OFAS OHA

Our Vision: To Deliver Outstanding Products and Customer Service While Actively Creating and Sustaining a Respectful Focus

Message from the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administrative Services

Dear Administrative Services Team: Welcome to the third monthly issue of Connections, our publication celebrating the cultural heritage and diversity of the Department of the Interior’s workforce. Thank you sincerely for the enthusiastic reception you have given to our first issues, and for sharing it throughout the Department. It is truly an honor and privilege to tell the stories of our cultural backgrounds that may be quite different at first glance yet connect us through the human experiences we all hold dear: family, friends, dreams, hope and love. There is so much more that connects us than divides us. I hope you will join me in recognizing that truth every day. I would like to take a moment to thank our Journeys/ Connections team for their fine work supporting DOI’s CARIBBEAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH JULY 2020 Special Emphasis Program monthly observances:

• Julie L. Spano, Business and Administrative Division 2 Welcome 3 The Caribbean at a Glance • Abigail T. True, AVSO 4 US National Parks of the Caribbean • Roberta Richardson, OFAS 6 Castillo San Felipe del Morro • Tonianne Baca-Green, OHA 7 Alexander / Nevis 8 Colin Powell / • Tahirih Varner, CADR 10 Sonia Sotomayor / • Michael Pritchett, IBC 11 / • Gary Bremen, NPS 12 / 13 Kirami James / • Steve Carlisle, IBC 14 / 15 / Antigua and Barbuda In this issue, I was delighted to see the story about former 16 Cuban Art Exhibit Secretary of State Colin Powell (page 8), whose parents 17 Know Before You Go: Shopping the Caribbean 19 DOI’s Caribbean-American Family immigrated to from Jamaica in the first 20 Voices for Change decades of the twentieth century. I had the privilege of 21 Grenada’s Underwater Sculpture Park meeting Secretary Powell while I was serving in the State 22 About the Special Emphasis Program Department many years ago, and am inspired daily by his “13 Rules” of leadership (page 9). I hope you enjoy his story, and the stories of other notable Caribbean-Americans who have helped to shape our world.

Take care and stay safe, - Jacqueline M. Jones 2 The Caribbean at a Glance

Screen capture from Google Earth

• As of 2016, about 13 million Americans - POPULATIONS approximately 4% of the total population - 1. Cuba 11,252,999 have Caribbean ancestry. 2. Haiti 10,981,229 • Approximately 63% of Caribbean immigrants in 3. Dominican Republic 10,766,998 Did the US live in the greater New York and Miami 4. Puerto Rico (US) 3,508,000 metropolitan areas. 5. Jamaica 2,729,000 6. Trinidad and Tobago 1,357,000 • On average, 25 million tourists visit each year. you 7. Guyana 747,000 • The Caribbean region includes about 700 islands, 8. Suriname 556,368 islets, reefs, and cays in and surrounding the 9. Guadeloupe () 405,000 know? Caribbean Sea. Across the Caribbean region, 10. Martinique (France) 383,000 there is diverse topography including coral reefs, 11. Bahamas 379,000 mountains, tropical forests, low-lying plantations, 12. Belize 347,369 valleys, waterfalls, and volcanoes. 13. Barbados 283,000 3 3 Focus on the National Parks of the Caribbean

America’s Caribbean national parks. Christiansted National Historic Site protects by Gary Bremen, Biscayne National Park the capital of the Dutch West National Park Service Indies through buildings dating to the 18th and 19th When most people think “national park,” centuries. Less than 1% of forests, canyons and deserts usually come to mind well before Buck Island National palm trees and waves lapping on sandy, sun-soaked beaches, Monument is land, but it but did you know that six of the 419 US national parks are in the offers some of the best coral Caribbean? Add in , and you have even more! reef experiences in the The US Virgin Islands boasts five areas managed by the National Caribbean. Established as part of the 500th anniversary of Park Service. The largest of these is on St. Johns: Virgin Islands Christopher Columbus discovering himself in the New World, Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve protects mangrove forests, one of the few bioluminescent bays in the world, and earthwork fortifications from the Dutch period.

A short flight of about 100 miles to the Northwest is San Juan, Puerto Rico. San Juan National Historic Site is not only a national park, but also a World Heritage Site, designated by the due to its role in early Spanish colonization of the New World. The park includes the 15th century fortification of El Morro, which is connected via underground tunnels and a walled city to the fortress of San Cristobal, one of the largest and strongest Spanish forts ever constructed. [cont’d next page]

Photo, left: Annaberg Historic District; below: Snorkeling at Buck Island National Monument. All photos by Gary Bremen

National Park. In fact, about two- thirds of St John’s is national park, offering opportunities to hike, learn about the history of the transatlantic slave trade at the Annaberg Sugar Plantation, or just lie on a beach. When the park was established in 1956, most of the focus was on the land, and only about a third of the park is covered by water. President Clinton rectified that oversight in 2001 by proclaiming Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument. Most of its 12,000 acres are water, and most people are unaware there are two separate parks here.

About 40 miles south of St. Johns is the island of St. Croix, to three 4 4 Focus on the National Parks of the Caribbean [continued]

While not technically part of the Caribbean, South Florida is after he often referred to as the Caribbean capital because of its assassinated economic, political and financial influence. Lying within sight of President Lincoln, downtown Miami…but worlds away…is the largest marine park was the most in the US National Park System. Biscayne National Park protects famous prisoner. aquamarine waters, emerald islands and fish-bejeweled reefs, Snorkeling, diving, as well as evidence of 10,000 years of human history. The park fishing, paddling, has many connections to other parts of the Caribbean, including camping and both English and Spanish shipwrecks, stories of an underground wandering the railroad route to the Bahamas, and hardy pioneers who came haunting brick from other islands to harvest sponges, turtles, mahogany trees alcoves and and the goods from wrecked ships. tunnels of the fort are among the Southwest of Miami, and nearly 70 miles beyond Key West, lies most popular a group of 7 tiny islands and some of the most unspoiled reefs activities. in the Atlantic. Dry Tortugas National Park is only accessible by boat or seaplane. Most visitors arrive on day trips and spend America’s Caribbean offers a different kind of National Park most of their time at Fort Jefferson, the largest masonry fort in experience, and therein lies the beauty of the National Park the Western world. Built to guard the Gulf of Mexico, the fort’s System: something for everyone. So go ahead! Get out there! most famous function was as a Union prison during the Civil Find YOUR park! War. Samuel Mudd, the doctor who set John Wilkes Booth’s leg Below: Gulf Islands National Seashore. Photos courtesy NPS

5 5 Castillo San Felipe del Morro in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

Few landmarks are more representative of Puerto Rico's legacy within the Caribbean and the Americas than Castillo San Felipe del Morro. This fortification on the corner of the islet of Old San Juan now greets cruise ships as they leisurely sail in and out of the bay, but during most of its nearly 500-year history it was an important military outpost for and later the .

When you walk through the narrow entrance, see the flags waving in the stiff Atlantic breeze and smell the salty sea air, it's easy to be transported to another time in history and imagine soldiers in antiquated uniforms marching along of the wall where cannons fit snuggly into the embrasures.

During a visit here, you won't just learn about El Morro but of the history of the island itself: why Puerto Rico's strategic location in the Caribbean made it an important port for those trying to expand their reach in the New World and how the United States made use of the fort during both World Wars.

Photo by Jorge Colomar

6 Celebrating Americans of Caribbean Heritage

Alexander Hamilton: musical, “Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?”

Immigrants, We Get the Job Done! From Chernow’s biography: By Tonianne Baca-Green, JD, CADR From his illegitimate birth on Nevis to his bloody Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founders of our great nation downfall in Weehawken, New Jersey [killed by Vice was born in the Caribbean on the island of Nevis in the British President Aaron Burr in a duel], Hamilton’s life was so and raised on St. Croix in what is now known as the tumultuous that only an audacious novelist could have U.S. Virgin Islands. He is now top of mind due to the Pulitzer dreamed it up. He embodied an enduring archetype: prize and multiple Tony award winning musical Hamilton and the obscure immigrant who comes to America, re- the award-winning historical biography by Ron Chernow of the creates himself, and succeeds despite a lack of proper same name. That recognition is much belated, and it could be birth and breeding. The saga of his metamorphosis argued that justice is finally being done to Hamilton in this from an anguished clerk on St. Croix to the reigning recent recognition. As Lin-Manuel Miranda writes in the presence in President George Washington’s cabinet offers both a gripping personal story and a panoramic view of the formative years of the republic.

Except for Washington, nobody stood closer to the center of American politics from 1776-1800 or cropped up at more turning points. More than anyone else, the omnipresent Hamilton galvanized, inspired, and scandalized the newborn nation, serving as the flash point for pent-up conflicts of class, geography, race, religion and ideology. His contemporaries often seemed defined by how they reacted to the political gauntlets that he threw down repeatedly with such defiant panache.

According to Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter, both the biography and the musical “reintroduced people to the poor kid from the Caribbean who made the country rich and strong, an immigrant who came here to build a life for himself and ended up helping to build the nation. He is the prototype for millions of men and women who followed him and continue to arrive today.” The lyrics from the musical resonate so strongly today as they encourage us all to follow in Hamilton’s footsteps and sing; “I am not throwing away my shot! I am not throwing away my shot! Hey yo, I’m just like my country, I’m young scrappy and hungry and I’m not throwing away my shot!”

Nevis, Alexander Hamilton’s birthplace, is a small island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of Did you the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighboring island of Saint Kitts constitute one country: the Federation of . Nevis is located near know? the northern end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago. 75 7 Celebrating Americans with Caribbean Heritage

nonprofit JAMAICA: COLIN POWELL organization Colin Luther Powell, born April 5, 1937, is an American dedicated to politician, diplomat and retired four-star general who served as mobilizing people from every sector of American life to build the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. the character and competence of young people. Powell is the Powell was the first African-American Secretary of State. Powell recipient of numerous U.S. and foreign military awards and served as the 16th United States National Security Advisor from decorations. Powell's civilian awards include the Presidential 1987 to 1989 and as the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Medal of Freedom (twice), the President's Citizens Medal, Staff from 1989 to 1993. the Congressional Gold Medal, the Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal, and the Secretary of Energy Powell was born in New York City in 1937 and was raised in Distinguished Service Medal. Several schools and other the South Bronx. His parents, Luther and Maud Powell, institutions have been named in his honor and he holds immigrated to the United States from Jamaica. Powell was honorary degrees from universities and colleges across the educated in the New York City public schools, graduating from country. the City College of New York (CCNY), where he earned a bachelor's degree in geology. He also participated in ROTC at In 2016, while not a candidate for that year's election, CCNY and received a commission as an Army second lieutenant Powell received three electoral votes for the office of President upon graduation in June 1958. Powell was a professional soldier of the United States. for 35 years, during which time he held many command and staff positions and rose to the rank of 4-star general. He was Commander of the U.S. Army Forces Command in 1989.

His last assignment, from October 1989 to September 1993, was as the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest military position in the Department of Defense. During this time, he oversaw 28 crises, including the invasion of Panama in 1989 and Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf War against Iraq in 1990–1991. He formulated the Powell Doctrine which limits American military action unless it satisfies criteria regarding American national security interests, overwhelming force, and widespread public support. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush. His term was highly controversial regarding his inaccurate justification for America's Iraq War in 2003. He was fired after Bush was reelected in 2004.

In retirement, Powell wrote his autobiography, My American Journey. He pursued a career as a public speaker, addressing audiences across the country and abroad. Prior to his appointment as Secretary of State, Powell was the chairman of America's Promise – The Alliance for Youth, a national

8 Celebrating Americans with Caribbean Heritage

Colin Powell’s Thirteen Rules with your choices, so don’t rush. 6. DON’T LET ADVERSE FACTS STAND IN THE WAY OF A GOOD “Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science DECISION. Superb leadership is often a matter of superb of management says is possible.” This is one of many quotes instinct. When faced with a tough decision, use the time attributed to public statesman and former Secretary of available to gather information that will inform your instinct. State Colin Powell. 7. YOU CAN’T MAKE SOMEONE ELSE’S CHOICES. YOU Since his retirement from public office in 2004, Powell has SHOULDN’T LET SOMEONE ELSE MAKE YOURS. While good spent much of his time sharing his leadership knowledge with leaders listen and consider all perspectives, they ultimately the business community. In his 2012 book, It Worked For Me, make their own decisions. Accept your good decisions. Learn Powell attributes his success to hard work, straight talk, respect from your mistakes. for others, and thoughtful analysis. 8. CHECK SMALL THINGS. Followers live in the world of small At the heart of the book are Powell’s “13 Rules” — ideas that things. Find ways to get visibility into that world. he gathered over the years that formed the basis of his 9. SHARE CREDIT. People need recognition and a sense of leadership principals. Here they are: worth as much as they need food and water. 1. IT AIN’T AS BAD AS YOU THINK. IT’LL BE BETTER IN THE 10. REMAIN CALM. BE KIND. Few people make sound or MORNING. Leaving the office at night sustainable decisions in an atmosphere of with a winning attitude affects more than chaos. Establish a calm zone while you alone; it conveys that attitude to your maintaining a sense of urgency. followers. 11. HAVE A VISION. BE DEMANDING. 2. GET MAD THEN GET OVER IT. Instead Followers need to know where their of letting anger destroy you, use it to leaders are taking them and for what make constructive change. purpose. To achieve the purpose, set 3. AVOID HAVING YOUR EGO SO CLOSE demanding standards and make sure they TO YOUR POSITION THAT WHEN YOUR are met. POSITION FALLS, YOUR EGO GOES WITH 12. DON’T TAKE COUNSEL OF YOUR IT. Keep your ego in check, and know that FEARS OR NAYSAYEERS. Successful you can lead from wherever you are. organizations are not built by cowards or 4. IT CAN BE DONE. Leaders make things cynics. happen. If one approach doesn’t work, 13. PERPETUAL OPTIMISM IS A FORCE find another. MULTIPLIER. If you believe and have 5. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU CHOOSE. YOU prepared your followers, your followers MAY GET IT. Your team will have to live will believe.

Above: “It Worked For Me” book jacket; Left: Colin Powell in Vietnam; Right: Colin Powell in the ROTC

9 Celebrating Americans with Caribbean Heritage

In May 2009, PUERTO RICO: SONIA SOTOMAYOR President Barack Sonia Maria Sotomayor, born June 25, 1954, is an American Obama nominated Sotomayor to the Supreme Court following lawyer and jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the retirement of Justice David Souter. Her nomination was the Supreme Court of the United States. She was appointed by confirmed by the Senate in August 2009 by a vote of 68–31. President Barack Obama in May 2009 and confirmed in August During her tenure on the Supreme Court, Sotomayor has been of the same year. She is the first Hispanic and Latina Justice. identified with concern for the rights of defendants, calls for reform of the criminal justice system, and making impassioned Sotomayor was born in The Bronx, New York City, to Puerto dissents on issues of race, gender and ethnic identity. Rican-born parents. Her father died when she was nine, and she was subsequently raised by her mother. Sotomayor She maintains ties with Puerto Rico, visiting once or twice a graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1976 year, speaking there occasionally, and visiting cousins and other and received her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1979, relatives who still live in the Mayagüez area. She has long where she was an editor at the Yale Law Journal. She worked as stressed her ethnic identity, saying in 1996, "Although I am an an assistant district attorney in New York for four and a half American, love my country and could achieve its opportunity of years before entering private practice in 1984. She played an succeeding at anything I worked for, I also have a Latina soul active role on the boards of directors for the Puerto Rican Legal and heart, with the magic that carries." Defense and Education Fund, the State of New York Mortgage Agency, and the New York City Campaign Finance Board. “I stand on the shoulders of Sotomayor was nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by President George H. W. countless people, yet there is one Bush in 1991; confirmation followed in 1992. In 1997, she was nominated by President to the U.S. Court of Appeals extraordinary person who is my for the Second Circuit, and she was eventually confirmed in 1998. On the Second Circuit, Sotomayor heard appeals in more life aspiration. That person is than 3,000 cases and wrote approximately 380 opinions. Sotomayor has taught at the New York University School of my mother, Celina Sotomayor.” Law and Columbia Law School.

Justice Sotomayor with students of the University of Washington School of Law, 10 Celebrating Caribbean Heritage

Her eighth , BARBADOS: RIHANNA Anti (2016), Robyn Rihanna , born February 20, 1988, is a Barbadian showcased a new singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman and philanthropist. creative control Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, following her departure from Def Jam. It became her second US Rihanna moved to the United States in 2005 when she signed number-one album and featured the chart-topping single with Def Jam. She gained recognition following the release of "Work". Rihanna has released collaborative hit singles with her first two studio , (2005) and A Girl artists such as , , and . like Me (2006), both of which were influenced by Caribbean Having sold over 250 million records, Rihanna is one of the music and peaked within the top ten of the US . world's best-selling music artists. She has 14 number-ones and 31 top-ten singles in the US and 30 top-ten entries in the UK. Her accolades include nine Grammy Awards, 13 American Music Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, and six Guinness World Records. Forbes ranked her among the top ten highest-paid celebrities in 2012 and 2014; as of 2019, she is the wealthiest female , with an estimated net worth of $600 million. Time named her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012 and 2018.

Aside from music, Rihanna is known for her involvement in humanitarian causes, entrepreneurial ventures, and the fashion industry. She is the Rihanna's third album, (2007), founder of the nonprofit organization , incorporated elements of dance-pop, catapulted her to cosmetics brand , and fashion stardom, and established her status as a sex symbol in the house Fenty under LVMH. music industry. Its international chart-topping single "Umbrella" She was appointed as an ambassador of education, tourism, earned Rihanna her first Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung and investment by the Government of Barbados in 2018. Collaboration. Rihanna continued to mix pop, dance, and R&B genres on her next four albums, Rated R (2009), Loud (2010), (2011), and the Grammy Award- winning (2012). All four releases combined “The minute you learn to various other musical styles and consolidated Rihanna's commercial success, with Unapologetic being her first number- love yourself you won’t one album in the US. The records spawned a string of chart- topping singles. want to be anyone else.”

11 Celebrating Americans with Caribbean Heritage

TRINADAD AND TOBAGO: Godot in 1957. Holder began his GEOFFREY HOLDER movie career in the 1962 British film All Night Long, a modern remake Geoffrey Lamont Holder (August 1, 1930 – October 5, 2014) of Shakespeare's . He followed that with Doctor was a Trinidadian-American actor, dancer, musician and artist. Doolittle (1967) as Willie Shakespeare, leader of the natives of He was a principal dancer for the Metropolitan Ballet before his Sea-Star Island. film career began in 1957 with an appearance in Carib Gold. In 1973, he played the villainous Baron Samedi in the Bond In addition to his movie appearances, Holder was a spokesman film Live and Let Die. in advertising campaigns for the soft drink 7-Up in the 1970s and 1980s, declaring it the "uncola", and, in the 1980s, calling it Born in , Trinidad, Holder was one of four children "crisp and clean, and no caffeine; never had it, never will".

In 1975, Holder won two for direction and costume design of , the all-black musical version of The Wizard of Oz. Holder was the first black man to be nominated in either category. He won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design. The show ran for 1672 performances.

As a choreographer, Holder created dance pieces for many companies, including the American Dance Theater, for which he provided choreography, music, and costumes for Prodigal Prince (1967), and the , for which he provided choreography, music, and costumes for Dougla (1974), and designed costumes of Bajan and Trinidadian descent. He was educated at for Firebird (1982). In 1978, Tranquility School and Queen's Royal College in Port of Spain. Holder directed and He made his performance debut at the age of seven in his choreographed the Broadway brother 's dance company. musical Timbuktu! As a After seeing him perform in St. Thomas Virgin Islands, the painter, he won a Guggenheim choreographer invited Holder to work with her Fellowship in fine arts in 1956. A book of his in New York. Upon arriving he joined dance photography, Adam, was published by Viking Press in 1986. school where he taught folkloric forms for two years. From 1955 to 1956, he performed with the “I walk through doors. If I’m not Ballet as a principal dancer. He left the ballet to make his Broadway debut in the and Truman wanted in a place, there’s Capote musical House of Flowers. While working on House of Flowers, Holder met Alvin Ailey, with whom he later worked something wrong with the place, extensively, and , his future wife. After the show closed he starred in an all-black production of Waiting for not with me.” 12 Celebrating

GRENADA:

Kirani James, born September 1, 1992, is a Grenadian sprinter who specializes in the 200 and 400 meters. He won the 400m at the World Championships in 2011 and the 2012 Olympics. He is Grenada's first and only Olympic medalist.

Prodigious from a young age, he ran the fastest 400m times ever by a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old. He won a series of gold medals at the CARIFTA Games and the and rose on the international stage with 400m silver medals at the 2007 World Youth and 2008 World Junior Championships. James became the first athlete to run a 200/400 double at the 2009 World Youth Championships and was the 2010 World Junior Champion.

James received an athletic scholarship at the and won back-to- back NCAA Outdoor Championship titles in his first two years. He is the third fastest of all-time indoors (44.80 seconds) and ran a personal best of 43.74 at a 2014 event in . James is one of only nine athletes (along with , , Veronica Campbell-Brown, , , , Dani Samuels and ) to win world championships at the youth, junior, and senior level of an athletic event.

Grenada is a leading exporter of several different Did spices, most notably nutmeg (its top export and depicted on the national flag), you and mace. Other major exports include know? bananas, cocoa, fruit and vegetables, clothing, 5 chocolate and fish. 135 13 Celebrating Americans with Caribbean Heritage

Haiti: Wyclef Jean

Nel Ust Wyclef Jean, born October 17, 1969, is a Haitian-American rapper, musician and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees. Jean has won three Grammy Awards for his musical work.

Jean's highly publicized efforts to raise relief funds after the 2010 Haitian earthquake were channeled through his Yéle Haiti. The charity, which conducted education and welfare activities in Haiti between 2005 and 2010, effectively closed in 2012. Yéle was investigated for failure to file tax returns and mismanagement of funds; a high proportion of its money went to travel and administrative expense. reported that much of the money raised by the organization in the Hope for Haiti Now was retained by Jean for his own benefit.

On August 5, 2010, Jean filed for candidacy in the 2010 Haitian presidential election. However, Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council ruled him ineligible to stand for office, as he had not met the constitutional requirement to have been a resident in Haiti for five years prior to the election.

In 2012, Jean published his memoir Purpose: An Immigrant's Story. Along with , Avicii and Alexandre Pires, he was chosen to perform the closing ceremony at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in . Their single, "Dar um Jeito (We Will Find a Way)", the official World Cup anthem, was released on April 29, 2014.

“When I rap, I get to express myself in a way where putting words together is like poetry, and sometimes it's better to talk in certain expressions than sing, you know? So I love, I love to rhyme when I want to express certain things.”

14 Celebrating Americans with Caribbean Heritage

immigrated ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA: from Antigua and ANNA MARIA HORSFORD Barbuda in the 1940s. According Anna Maria Horsford , born March 6, 1948, is an American to a DNA analysis, she has maternal ancestry from the Limba actress known for her performances in television comedies. people of Sierra Leone.

Horsford is best known for her roles as Thelma Frye on Her first major role in television was as a producer for the NBC sitcom Amen (1986–91), and as Dee Baxter on the PBS show Soul!, hosted by , which aired between the WB sitcom The Wayans Bros. (1995–99). She had dramatic 1967 and 1973. One of her first TV appearances was in 1973 on roles on the FX crime drama the first run syndication game show of To playing ADA Beth Encardi and in the Tell the Truth where she was an imposter for movie Minority Report. Horsford Laura Livingston, one of the first female appeared in a number of movies, most military police. Horsford made guest notably as Craig Jones' mother Betty in appearances on such sitcoms as The Fresh the 1995 comedy film and its Prince of Bel-Air, Sparks, , The Bernie sequel (2002). Her Mac Show, The Shield, Girlfriends, and other film credits include Times . She appeared on the Square (1980), The Fan (1981), Presumed drama Judging Amy. Innocent (1990), Set It Off (1996), Along Horsford currently has a recurring role Came a Spider (2001), Our Family as Vivienne Avant on The Bold and the Wedding (2010), and A Madea Beautiful. For the role, she was nominated Christmas (2013). for Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Horsford was born in Harlem in 1948 to Victor Horsford, an Drama Series in the 43rd Daytime Emmy Awards in 2016. investment real estate broker originally from the Dominican On October 29, 2011, Horsford was awarded the title of Republic, and Lillian Agatha (née Richardson) Horsford, who Ambassador of Tourism of Antigua.

Antigua and Barbuda is an island sovereign state in the West Indies in the Americas, lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of two major islands, Antigua and Barbuda (separated by 39 miles), and a number of smaller islands. The permanent population numbers about 95,900 with 97% being resident on Antigua. The island of Antigua was explored by Christopher Columbus in 1493 and named for the Church of Santa María La Antigua. Antigua was colonized by Britain in 1632; Barbuda island was first colonized in 1678. Antigua and Barbuda joined 5 the West Indies Federation in 1958. With the breakup of the federation, it became one of the West Indies Associated States in 1967. Independence was granted from the United 15 Kingdom in November 1981. 15 Celebrating Caribbean Culture

Adiós Utopia: Dreams and Deceptions Although many artists have in Cuban Art Since 1950 emigrated from Cuba to live and work abroad, Adiós Utopia focuses on the An exhibit from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, looks at untold narrative of those artists who remained in Cuba or how Cuba’s revolutionary aspirations for social utopia—and whose careers took off after Fidel Castro’s 1959 subsequent disillusionment—shaped 65 years of Cuban art. The revolution. Through a selection of pivotal artworks—created in exhibition brings together more than 100 of the most important each of six decades since 1950—the exhibition explores Cuba’s works of , graphic design, photography, video, artistic production through the lens of utopia, both its installation, and performance created by more than 50 Cuban construction and its deconstruction. Adiós Utopia introduces artists and designers. U.S. audiences to key events in Cuban history and explores how Anchored by key moments of 20th- and 21st-century Cuban this history affected individual artists, shaped the character of history, Adiós Utopia is the most comprehensive and significant art produced on the island, and conditioned the reception of presentation of modern and contemporary Cuban art shown in Cuban art both in Cuba and abroad. the United States since 1944, when the Museum of Modern Art Pictured, below: Raúl Martínez, Rosas y Estrellas (Roses and Stars), in New York presented Modern Cuban Painters. 1972, oil on canvas, Patricia & Howard Farber Collection, New York

16 Know Before You Go: Shopping in the Caribbean

wildlife under both national laws and the Convention on TRAVELING TO THE CARIBBEAN? International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES.org). Signed The Caribbean’s biodiversity is unmatched. As a traveler, you by more than 183 nations, this treaty supports sustainable can make choices to help end the illegal wildlife trafficking that trade in wildlife and plants while protecting endangered threatens the variety of life in this stunning region. species.

A coalition of corporate, NGO, and public-sector partners, Please support the conservation efforts of Caribbean nations: including the Fish and Wildlife Service, are working together to Learn the facts and ask questions before you buy any wildlife or protect Caribbean wildlife and preserve the region. plant product. When you travel in the Caribbean, you’ll find wildlife and plant ASK BEFORE YOU BUY products for sale—as jewelry, clothes, pets, souvenirs, and more. But just because you can buy something doesn’t mean Is your purchase legal and properly sourced? Ask the seller: you can legally take it home. Exporting or importing products • What is this product made of? made from protected animals or plants may be illegal. Other • wildlife products may require permits before you can bring Where did this product come from? them into the United States. By making informed choices, you • Does this country allow the sale and export can support wildlife conservation around the world—and avoid of this product? having your souvenir confiscated or paying a fine. • Do I need permits or other documents from this country or A region of remarkable beauty, the Caribbean is home to six of the United States to bring this item home? the world’s seven sea turtle species and 14 percent of the Questions about a purchase? Contact local natural resource world’s coral reefs. Nearly one-third of the plants and animals agencies or the country’s CITES Management Authority, or in the Caribbean islands are found nowhere else in the world. check www.FWS.gov/international/permits Consequently, many Caribbean countries protect their native

Sea turtles are reptiles remarkably suited to life in the sea.

Their hydrodynamic shape, large size, and powerful front flippers allow them to dive to great depths and swim long

distances. These front flippers are long, narrow, and wing like, while their hind flippers are shorter. Although sea turtles can remain submerged for hours at a time while resting or sleeping, they typically surface several times each hour to breathe.

There are seven species of sea turtle: the green sea

turtle, Hawksbill sea turtle, loggerhead sea turtle, olive ridley sea turtle, Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, leatherback sea turtle, and flatback sea turtle.

Sea turtles are among the oldest creatures on Earth and have

remained essentially unchanged for 110 million years. In most sea turtles, the top shell—or carapace—is composed of many bones covered with horny scales, or scutes. Unlike their terrestrial relatives, they cannot retract their heads into their shells. The smallest of the sea turtles are the two species of ridleys, weighing in at 85 to 100 pounds (38 to 45 kilograms) as Read more from the Natural Wildlife Federation adults. Leatherbacks are the biggest and can grow to 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms). Most sea turtles grow slowly and have Photo courtesy NWF a lifespan of many decades. 175 17 BIRDS: In most cases, you cannot buy a wild bird (such as a BUY INFORMED: YOUR GUIDE TO parrot, macaw, cockatoo, or finch) in another country and bring SHOPPING IN THE CARIBBEAN it home with you. The United States prohibits the importation Before you buy souvenirs in the Caribbean, make sure that the of the feathers and parts of country you’re visiting allows the export of its native species or most wild birds without a other wildlife. Remember: resource protection laws and permit. This ban also includes treaties cover not only live animals and plants but also mounted birds and bird nests. mounted specimens, foods, and parts and products made from CAVIAR: If you are on a cruise or decorated with fur, hide, skins, feathers, scales, shell, or visit a duty-free shop, you antlers, horns, teeth, claws, or bones. may have an opportunity to buy Many protected wildlife products may not be legally imported caviar. All sturgeon species are into the United States and you should avoid purchasing such protected, and trade in sturgeon meat and caviar is regulated items. These guidelines apply to wildlife items that you carry worldwide. Without a permit, you may import only up to 125 with you or bring back in your checked luggage for your grams (about 4 ounces) of sturgeon caviar per person per trip, personal use, all of which must be declared to wildlife and some types are prohibited from import altogether. inspectors or customs officers. Stricter prohibitions may apply if REPTILES: Many leather manufacturers work with skins from you mail or ship your purchases home. sustainably harvested reptiles, such as the American alligator. CORAL: Many Caribbean countries have laws that protect coral But some snake, turtle, tortoise, crocodilian, and lizard species reefs. Many nations limit the collection, sale, and export of live are protected; their import as pets or in leather products may coral and coral products. Consult local authorities before be subject to trade restrictions. Check before buying reptiles or buying coral souvenirs, jewelry, or aquarium decorations— reptile products overseas or before taking these items with you these items may require permits or be banned from export. when you travel outside the United States.

SHELLS: Check country laws before beachcombing or collecting PLANTS: Plants, such as orchids, cacti, and cycads, may be shells. Certain countries limit the collection, sale and export of subject to national and international conservation laws as well shells and shell products. Import restrictions may also apply. as strict pest regulations. Many countries inspect imported plants and require documents certifying that they are pest- and SEA TURTLES: International trade in all sea turtle products is disease-free. Before you collect seeds or buy live plants to bring prohibited, and most home, remember that species introduced into new places can Caribbean countries become invasive, crowding out and endangering native plants. ban domestic sale, The importation of plants is additionally regulated by the but poaching and Department of Agriculture. commercial use remain serious INSECTS: You can find mounted butterflies, moths, and other threats. Avoid insects for sale in the Caribbean, and you may need permits to jewelry and sea bring these items home. Check U.S. Department of Agriculture turtle products made restrictions for more information. from “tortoiseshell”; sea turtle meat, soup, eggs, facial creams, OTHER SPECIES: Other wildlife and wildlife products can also be and shells; and leathers, boots, handbags, and other goods found for sale in the Caribbean. Among these are live monkeys, made from sea turtle skin. You may not import these items into which are almost universally the United States. protected from trade, and CONCH: Populations of queen conch in most areas of the products made from spotted Caribbean have declined due to intensive fishing for their meat cats, such as jaguars and and collection for their rare pearls and their shells, which are ocelots, whose skins are sold whole or made into carvings or jewelry. Many countries prohibited in trade. regulate collection and export of queen conch meat, shells, and All photos courtesy of Sarah products. Always check country laws. International treaty Metzer/USFWS restricts import to three shells in personal baggage.

18 Meet Members of DOI’s Caribbean-American Family

Hazel Rodriguez [left] is a Public Affairs Specialist at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She utilizes storytelling, photography, and videography to highlight our threatened and endangered species in California. She is a native of the Dominican Republic.

Christian Lebron Leon [below] was born and raised in Puerto Rico. He recently joined FWS as an HR Specialist. He chose FWS because of the team’s professionalism and exciting opportunities for development.

Carlos Pacheco [bottom, left] is a lead Biologist at FWS. His greatest pleasure has been to work hand in hand with local international partners and engage the public on the recovery of the Puerto Rican Crested Toad.

José Gilberto Martínez [bottom, center] is a Biologist with FWS. He feels privileged to work with partners to recover endangered species. His hobby is capturing wildlife photos and videos to increase public awareness of the importance of protecting these species.

19 Every month we invite Diversity Change Agents and Special Emphasis Program Team members from throughout DOI to share their thoughts and insights. This month, we celebrate the life of John Robert Lewis, February 21, 1940—July 17, 2020. Below is an excerpt from his memorable speech at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963.

To be included in next month’s magazine, please submit your comment and photo here. Thank you for continuing the conversation!

To those who have said, “Be patient and wait,” we have long said that we cannot be patient. We do not want our freedom gradually, but we want to be free now! We are tired. We are tired of being beaten by police- men. We are tired of seeing our people locked up in jail over and over again. And then you holler, “Be patient.” How long can we be patient? We want our freedom and we want it now. We do not want to go to jail. But we will go to jail if this is the price we must pay for love, brotherhood, and true peace. 20 Grenada’s Underwater Sculpture Park

The Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park is a collection of ecological underwater contemporary art located in the Caribbean sea off the west coast of Grenada, West Indies and was created by British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor. The artist’s aim was to engage local people with the underwater environment that surrounds them using his works which are derived from life casts of the local community. He installed concrete figures onto the ocean floor, mostly consisting of a range of human forms, from solitary individuals to a ring of children holding hands, facing into the oceanic currents. Photos from Pure Grenada

21 2321 About the Special Emphasis Program

Special Emphasis Programs (SEPs) are implemented and observed throughout the Department of the Interior primarily to ensure that all are provided an equal opportunity in all aspects of employment. These programs encourage employees to appreciate, value, understand, and celebrate social and cultural similarities and differences.

The Administrative Services Special Emphasis Program Team publishes Connections magazine to coincide with each monthly commemoration. We would be delighted to have you be a part of our efforts by:

• Shaping subject matter for each magazine • Creating and submitting content • Participating in and hosting virtual observances and informal discussions • Celebrating diversity with family, friends and co-workers

Team members spend approximately one hour per pay period on SEP initiatives, are able to take time away when work schedules require it, and can focus on those subject areas that are most meaningful to them. To get started, please send an email here and a team member will contact you. Thank you sincerely for your interest!

Connections Magazine for August: European Heritage

Connections Magazine Caribbean-American Heritage Month July 2020

The Special Emphasis Program Magazine is a publication of the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary, Administrative Services. Your input is essential to making this a valuable resource for all employees. Please feel free to share your ideas, suggestions and articles/pictures with editor Steve Carlisle by calling (505) 288-4092 or emailing [email protected]. Thank you!

The views and conclusions contained in this work are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the 22 U.S. Government. European immigrants entering the US through Ellis Island, NY 23