CARNIVAL 2017: New York Caribbean Carnival on my mind

Professionally, I have written about the New York Caribbean Carnival for 34 years. I also participated, informally, a teenager — tagging along behind one of the many masquerade groups making its way up Eastern Parkway in the Brooklyn event once called the West Indian American Day Carnival Parade.

I’ve thought a lot about the carnival for over the decades, and this year, I’m ready to share.

Watching firsthand, I grew up a block away from what is now, arguably, the most attended annual procession in the city, with an ever-increasing number of spectators — and a load of pluses for New York City and its Caribbean communities.

It comes from a New York carnival tradition that spans generations from Harlem in the 1920s and continues in Brooklyn through West Indian American Day Carnival Association and its annual five-day carnival.

The millions of spectators make this carnival and parade a sizable economic power and an annual must-do event for politicians seeking votes for upcoming primary elections. But, over the years, I’ve imagined more, such as . . .

• A dramatic published or broadcasted aerial view of millions along Eastern Parkway — 2 miles of people and costumes! I’ve yet to see it.
• An annual economic impact study for the New York Caribbean Carnival that accounts for the money spent on commercial and private food purchases, travel, car and truck rentals, costume supplies, tourism attractions and the hundreds of area events and activities that are invested in the New York Caribbean Carnival weekend.
• Seeing pre-parade TV morning show coverage of the big behind-the-scenes effort that goes into creating costumes — from sketches and materials to full outfits.
• Greater promotion of the carnival’s steelpan Panorama competition, the positive, youthful members of the Caribbean community’s steel pan orchestras and the infectious effect of the Caribbean instrument that’s spawned steel drum ensembles at NYU and institutions across the nation.
• More corporate entities supporting the New York carnival, such as longtime sponsor Moet-Hennessey, which hosted receptions, and international VP Records, which will have a performance float on the parkway promoting new music releases to spectators.
• Increased collaborative efforts and projects with the Caribbean Tourism Organization, such as having members nations tout vacation and business travel to their countries and territories during the carnival weekend.
• Law enforcement officers commenting on the internet about their commitment to ending gang violence and reducing the numbers of guns on New York streets, instead of jokingly placing in fake bets how many people will be victims of crime. Imagine not blaming the Brooklyn carnival parade for crime that sweeps across the city annually on Labor Day weekend and other holidays.
• An end to the media feeding frenzy that wrongly links unrelated, far-flung criminal incidents to the annual carnival and parade. If a crime takes place in another neighborhood, hours or days before the carnival parade, it’s not parade-related!
• The general public’s realization of year-round the power, influence and potential of Caribbean immigrants — such as state Assemblyman Nick Perry (D-Brooklyn) from Jamaica and Camille Joseph-Goldman, vice president of government affairs for Charter Communications, whose parents hail from Haiti and Jamaica. The two are among the New York Carnival’s 2017 grand marshals — and shining examples of the Caribbean-Americans who will continue to support carnival and other Caribbean traditions for generations to come.

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