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DC
Caribbean Carnival |
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2000 Report |
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| DC
Caribbean Carnival, Inc. (DCCC) is a community
based non-profit organization whose ongoing mission is to plan, organize,
and bring to fruition in the District of Columbia an Annual Caribbean-Style
Carnival Parade. DCCC is organized exclusively
for charitable and educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501
(C) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
DCCC has been successfully planning and organizing its Annual
Caribbean Carnival Parade on the last Saturday of June each year since 1993. This multidisciplinary feast of culture
-- showcasing Caribbean music, dance, arts and crafts, fashion and food -- is perhaps the largest
cultural festival in the Washington, D.C. area.
Participation in the carnival parade is open to any organization and/or individuals
interested in showcasing the cultural art form of the Caribbean. The 2000 carnival
season began enthusiastically with the leaders of masquerade groups undertaking fundraising
activities to offset costs incurred in their portrayals and the staging of this common denominator of
all Caribbean islands with their large African, East Indian, and European
populations. |
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The
following are the highlights of this year’s festival |
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On Sunday June 18, 2000 DCCC presented its 1st
“Dimanche Gras” which highlighted the judging of the Kings, Queens and Individuals
costumes and was well supported by the general public. This event was co-
sponsored by the Crossroads Nightclub & Restaurant and Guinness Bass
Import Company.
On Thursday June 22, 2000 DCCC presented a
“Tribute to Kitchener”
(Grandmaster of Calypso– Aldwyn Roberts a.k.a.
the Lord Kitchener) who died recently in Trinidad and Tobago. This
event featured The Thwaites
Brothers, 3 Canal, David Rudder and the “Calypso King of the
World”- The Mighty Sparrow
and was well attended by an enthusiastic audience.
On Saturday June 24, 2000, DCCC presented its 8th
annual, 2000 Caribbean
Carnival Parade. Mrs.Diane Williams, wife of the District of Columbia’s Major Anthony
Williams, was the parade Grand Marshall. Jim Graham, Council Member Ward 1 and Charlene Drew Jarvis,
Council Member Ward 4, also participated in the parade. The 2000 Caribbean Carnival Parade
included 22 masquerade groups with over 5,000 masqueraders. There
were colorful costumed portrayals by children and adults of all
ages. Music featured steel bands, calypso bands and DJs playing
calypso/soca and Haitian music.
The 2000 Caribbean Carnival Parade attracted audiences of all ages,
income and ethnic backgrounds, not only from the Washington
metropolitan area, but also as far away as Trinidad & Tobago,
Jamaica, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Miami, New York, Toronto,
Montreal, New Jersey, Atlanta, and California. An enthusiastic crowd of over 400,000 (33 % increase over last year) spectators lined the
approximately 3-mile Georgia Avenue parade route.
The 2000 Caribbean Carnival Parade was covered by many local television
stations that included Channels 5(Fox-WTTG), 9(CBS-WUSA), News
Channel 8, UDC TV 19, WHUT Channel 32, as well as by radio stations
WPFW-FM, WHUR-FM, WEAA-FM, WAMU-FM, WPGC-FM, WKYS-FM, MAJIC
102.3-FM, and WLIB-AM in New York. It was also covered by newspapers
such as the Washington Post, Washington City Paper, Washington
Informer, Afro- American and the Metro Connection.
This extensive media coverage afforded DCCC the opportunity to reach a broad segment of Caribbean nationals and
residents of Washington metropolitan area and visitors to the nation
capital.
DCCC understands that Caribbean culture, in itself, is unique and
requires efforts to strengthen cultural ties between Americans and
Caribbean people. This
year, for the first time, DCCC went into District of Columbia Public Schools, worked with, and
showcased many of the students who took part in the parade. Our successful parade is testimony to the effective
partnership that has been forged between established Caribbean
organizations in the Washington metropolitan area. Each organization contributes its own particular resources
necessary to develop and encourage cross-cultural programs within
the Caribbean community in the expansion of Caribbean culture, and
we showcase our unity which brings new hope for Caribbean
integration through this kind of cultural sharing and awareness.
Our success is partially attributed to the
working relationship we have established with the following
individuals and agencies
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| Office of the Mayor |
DC Metropolitan Police Department |
| Department of Recreation & Parks |
Department of Public Works |
| DCRA |
Office of Emergency Management |
| Council Member Jim Graham |
WMATA (Metro) |
| Council Member Charlene Drew Jarvis |
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| Additionally,
DCCC is grateful for the financial support and
in-kind contributions from the following corporations and individuals |
| Citibank,
NA |
BWIA International
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| Guinness Bass Import Company |
Air Jamaica Limited
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| Air Jamaica Limited |
Western Union
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| Lockhart’s Insurance Services |
Curtis Chevrolet
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| Touch of Class Clothing |
Z Dani’s Corp.
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| Trinidad and Tobago Unit Trust Corp. |
Caribbean Freight, Inc.
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| Crossroads Restaurant & Nightclub |
Godwin Oyewole, Esquire
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| Industrial Bank , NA |
Creative Printing |
| The Washington Post |
Mike & Rita’s Carryout, Inc.
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| Bandleaders Assoc. of Washington, DC |
Washington Gas |
| Caribbean Delight Restaurant |
Wilma M. Pierre |
| West Indian Records Mart |
T & T Association of D.C.
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| The Temple Group, Inc. |
The Islander Restaurant
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Our corporate
sponsors have been very favorably impressed with the impact that the DC Caribbean Carnival
Parade has had in the community. City officials have also been supportive of our efforts, in
part because of the economic impact the parade has on the city of
Washington, D.C.
By putting on a Caribbean-Style Carnival Parade, DCCC is educating children and adults in Caribbean arts, crafts, and culture. Preparing for the parade gives participants an opportunity to learn the art of
costume designing and building (including the rare art of wire bending to create costumes), as well as the art of playing the steel
pan, the only new musical instrument developed in the 20th
century.
In the coming year, DCCC hopes to expand its educational efforts by instituting a program in
the metropolitan Washington area schools to teach students the arts of costume building and
design and playing the steel pan. The enthusiasm shown by the youths in 2000 has assured
us that we are heading in the right direction as we continue to develop the economic and
social interplay of carnival with its therapeutic benefits, such as music, dance,
revelry, culture, and social interaction. In 2001, DCCC hopes to offer college scholarships
to deserving students who meet the criteria for the planned Brian Walker Scholarship Awards.
In summary, the past year has been an exciting year of growth and promise for
DCCC,
but many challenges remain for the year 2001 and beyond. With the continued creativity and tenacity of bandleaders,
as well as financial support from our sponsors, we will
undoubtedly be able to meet these challenges. Donations and
sponsorships are always appreciated. DC Caribbean Carnival is listed on the Internet at:
WWW.DCCARIBBEANCARNIVAL.COM
Loughton B. Sargeant
Executive Director
July 18, 2000
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