Caribbean Heritage Organization Salutes Hollywood & the Arts at Gala Celebration

The Caribbean Heritage Organization (CHO) will salute Hollywood and the Arts a star-studded celebration on Saturday, June 23, at The Natural History Museum in Los Angeles.

The blue carpet event will begin with a VIP reception, followed by a tribute dinner, honoring Suzanne de Passe, and a post dinner soirée. This year marks the first of an annual event in celebration of Caribbean-American Heritage Month proclaimed by President George W. Bush in June 2006.

“The modern American society has been labeled a melting pot and has been likened to a salad where immigrants do not lose the unique characteristics of their cultures,” said Marva Griffiths Herman, executive director of the CHO, “but instead, like the ingredients in a salad bowl, the unique aspects of each culture are still uniquely identifiable within the larger American society.”

Honoree Suzanne de Passe will receive the Legacy Award for her accomplishments and contributions to the entertainment industry. Of Jamaican descent, the award-winning producer began her career in 1968 as the creative assistant to Berry Gordy at Motown Records, where she later became president of Motown Productions before leaving to start her own production company, de Passe Entertainment, in 1992. Ms. de Passe has executive produced hit shows Sister, Sister, Smart Guy, and award-winning mini-series The Temptations.

“Caribbean people such as Suzanne de Passe, Alexander Hamilton, Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, Malcolm X, Desi Arnaz, Colin Powell, Vincent HoSang, Mavis & Ephraim Hawthorne, and Dr. Maya Angelou, to name a few, have been irrefutably, an essential and integral part of the immense success this great nation and we are extremely pleased that the United States Congress and the President have acknowledged our contributions. This is why we are going to celebrate a momentous night,” explains Mrs. Griffiths Herman.

The Caribbean Heritage Organization (CHO) was formed in January 2007 to celebrate the rich and diverse contributions of Caribbeans and Caribbean-Americans to international society through conservation and education of Caribbean arts and culture. Additionally, CHO aims to chronicle the experiences of the expatriated Caribbean people from the most recently arrived immigrants to leaders in American society, from life on the streets of Brooklyn, London, and Toronto, to the deal making in the halls of power.

CHO is headquartered in Los Angeles.