Whereas people of Caribbean heritage are found in every State of the Union; Whereas over 2.7 million people with Caribbean heritage live in the United States; Whereas emigration from the Caribbean region to the American colonies began as early as 1619 with the arrival of indentured workers in Jamestown, Virginia; Whereas, during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a significant number of slaves from the Caribbean region were brought to the United States; Whereas, since 1820, millions of people have emigrated from the Caribbean region to the United States; Whereas, like the United States, the countries of the Caribbean faced obstacles of slavery and colonialism and struggled for independence; Whereas, also like the United States, the people of the Caribbean region have diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds; Whereas the independence movements throughout the Caribbean during the 1960s and the consequential establishment of independent democratic countries in the Caribbean strengthened ties between the region and the United States; Whereas Alexander Hamilton, a founding father of the United States and the first Secretary of the Treasury, was born in the Caribbean; Whereas many influential Caribbean Americans have contributed to the rich history of the United States, including Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, the pioneer settler of Chicago; Claude McKay, a poet of the Harlem Renaissance; James Weldon Johnson, the writer of the Black National Anthem; Celia Cruz, the world-renowned queen of Salsa music; and Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American Congresswoman and first African-American woman candidate for President; Whereas the many influential Caribbean Americans in the history of the United States also include Colin Powell, the first African-American Secretary of State; Eric Holder, the first African-American Attorney General; Audre Lorde, influential feminist, writer, and civil rights activist; Jean-Michel Basquiat, widely respected Brooklyn-based painter and social commentator