It was a beautiful day to show off Caribbean pride.
For the 50th year, Brooklyn played host to the New York Caribbean Carnival Parade. Held on Monday, September 4 and hosted by the West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA), the event drew an impressive amount of attendees dressed in festive and colorful attire and displaying a celebratory attitude that honored the culture.
All day, Eastern Parkway between Schenectady Avenue and Grand Army Plaza bustled with activity.
The parade was a culmination of WIADCA’s New York Caribbean Carnival Week that included concerts, a carnival for the children and more.
WIADCA considered the day another success.
“Expectations were greater than anticipated,” said members of WIADCA in a statement. “This year’s 50th anniversary presentations were historical. From Caribbean American Pride groups to the longest fashion runway to senior citizens on the route, there’s so much to celebrate. Our dream of this legacy manifested before our eyes. It was humbling. We are positive our founder Carlos Lezama was thrilled as he danced in Heaven.”
The goal of the parade is to unite the cultures. “All of our committee members, supporters, sponsors and community members had one goal and that was to ensure that Caribbean-American voices were heard, contributions acknowledged and impact felt, and indeed it was,” noted WIADCA.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was an honorary grand marshal, shared his excitement as well. “I love all of the islands of Caribbean and all the wonderful nations that have sent people to this city to make us greater, but I have a special thank you I want to give to Barbados and Saint Lucia for sending me the love of my life, our first lady Chirlane McCray,” he said.
He also addressed President Donald Trump’s call to end Deferred Action for Children Arrivals (DACA) which would affect hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers.
“Today is a day where we celebrate the extraordinary contribution of this community to this city,” de Blasio said. “We are celebrating something wonderful but just 200 miles away, in Washington D.C., something horrible is about to happen and I need to speak about it because it affects so many people and children here in the Caribbean community and others in New York City. I can’t believe after all we have been through that we are now awaiting an announcement on Tuesday that’s going to take away opportunity and the rights of young people that have only known lives as young Americans.”
According to WIADCA, over a million people participated in events throughout the week.
