Every year, I have celebrated Caribbean American Heritage Month as well as the anniversary of SocaMom in June. This month, I felt like I wasn’t doing much of anything, but when I look back on how I spent the month, I did exactly what SocaMom was created to do. The point of the community that I created over a decade ago now has always been to make sure that Caribbean culture was accessible to and loved by our children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I created worksheets and coloring pages, wrote books, interviewed amazing people, coordinated and hosted two virtual summit<\/a>s, and cultivated a community of like-minded, fun, and culture-focused people – many of whom have become family.<\/a> So yes, I felt some kinda way about not doing something grand for this anniversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What did I do this month? <\/strong>My daughter, who is pretty diligent about celebrating Caribbean American Heritage Month, was competing in a scholarship competition. The event still resembles a traditional pageant, but it no longer has a swimsuit portion, and talent and private interviews make up most of the points that a contestant can earn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A year ago, she got permission from Kes the Band to perform her talent to Savannah Grass, one of her favorite songs. <\/strong>When covid hit, the Miss America organization postponed all competitions for a year. She was still determined to bring soca to the stage in Southern Illinois. Most of the audience likely had never heard soca before – but they LOVED it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n