SOUTH FLORIDA – The first Caribbean-American Heritage month proclamation was made on June 5, 2006, by President George W. Bush.

During the month of June many celebrations take place across the United States acknowledging the many contributions of Caribbean nationals who helped shaped the U.S., from Alexander Hamilton to the many politicians, musicians, athletes, entrepreneurs and artists.

Over the years many Caribbean-Americans find ways to remember their homeland and culture whether it’s in art, music or food.

During his years at Primary School in Jamaica, Ian Hamilton collected stamps as a hobby. Who knew he would be a philatelist, with over 1,000 stamps in his collection from all over the world.

According to Ian, I look at my stamp collection as collecting art, “beauty and value is in the eye of the beholder”, while the collection is not as extensive as Jamaican collector Joseph Mahfood’s I have some unique stamps that anyone interested in “art and history” can appreciate.

Ian’s grandmother was an avid letter writer to her children who had left the homeland of Jamaica for the United States, England and Canada. When she sent a letter she expected to get one in return.

This was Ian’s opportunity to see the beauty of the world through the stamps on the letters and postcards his grandmother received and willingly gave him for his collection.

Some 30 years later residing in South Florida Ian still has the stamps in his collection.

As we celebrate Caribbean-American Heritage Month, Ian has decided to showcase a sampling of his stamps from the various Caribbean Islands as a tribute.

Caribbean Islands Stamp Showcase

• Bahamas

• Turks and Caicos

• Cuba

• Jamaica

• Cayman Islands

• Haiti

• Dominican Republic

• British Virgin Islands

• Anguilla

• Antigua & Barbuda

• Dominica

• St. Lucia

• Barbados

• St. Vincent & the Grenadines

• Trinidad & Tobago

• Panama (large Caribbean population from descendants of Panama Canal)

• Belize

• Guyana

• Suriname

• Bermuda (North of the Caribbean basin with a large Caribbean population)

Please note stamps for the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts and Nevis was not included in the showcase due to availability at this time.

For more on this story and audio go to: https://sflcn.com/stamp-collection-showcase-in-tribute-to-caribbean-american-heritage-month/