My teachers, my neighbors, the businesses I frequented were mostly Jamaicans. Most of my childhood I lived in Miramar, Florida, and I loved it. They both landed in Miami and have resided in South Florida ever since. “Being Jamaican is the ultimate gift that I carry every single day.” Coming to America “There are few things I enjoy more than being a child of Jamaican parents,” Walker says. His grandfather was mayor of Kingston and his father worked for Air Canada. He grew up with three sisters and a housekeeper. My father grew up in a family of four in Kingston. She grew up farming, raising goats and pigs, and running a little store before she came to America at 14 years old in 1983. Catherine, my mother was one of 14 children. Mary and raised in the countryside in St. Keep reading as advertising and public relations graduate Timanni Walker ’16 reflects on her Jamaican roots and the influence it has had on her college experience and journey as an entrepreneur. Every June, the significant contributions of the Caribbean - past and present - are recognized for helping evolve American culture and the development of such a diverse nation. secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers world-famous baseball player Robert Clemente and even “Queen of Salsa” music Celia Cruz, all left a mark on U.S. The success of the nation attracted many people from Caribbean regions to the country in the 19th century including talented craftsmen, poets, doctors, musicians, inventors and politicians. political control, which made immigration into America easier.

Many major Caribbean nations like the Bahamas and Jamaica were under direct U.S. UCF is celebrating the rich and diverse cultures of the Caribbean within our university, local community and around the world in recognition of National Caribbean American Heritage Month - a month founded by Claire Nelson, founder and president of the Institute of Caribbean Studies, and officially declared by President George W.

Deep roots