Barbara Lee Introduces Bill to Promote U.S.-Caribbean Educational Exchange
(Washington, DC) – Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) introduced legislation to promote educational exchange between the United States and Caribbean nations.
“Educational exchange programs are universally recognized as one of the best means to support economic development and promote democratic values, but for years we have taken our ‘third border’ to the south for granted,” said Lee. “This bill will help close that critical gap, by strengthening relations with our Caribbean neighbors and offering new opportunities for both Caribbean and American future leaders.”
Lee’s bill, the Shirley Chisholm U.S.-Caribbean Educational Exchange Act of 2006, would establish in the State Department's Office of Public Diplomacy a U.S.-Caribbean educational exchange program for high school, undergraduate and graduate students, and scholars. It would also enable the U.S. Agency for International Development to develop a regional strategy to expand existing early education initiatives, and it would allow both State Department and USAID to use public-private partnerships to implement the program. The measure would give preference to Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries, but includes eligible participants from the broader Caribbean in Latin America. It was introduced with the support of 31 co-sponsors.
Many Caribbean leaders have received post-secondary education in the United States, and have used their different fields of training to strengthen Caribbean democracy and community involvement. From 2003-2005, 217 Caribbean leaders participated in U.S. exchange programs that centered on innovative ways to fight drug trafficking, anticorruption and good governance policies. Lee believes her bill is necessary to continue and expand on these efforts.
The bill was named for the late Shirley Chisholm -- the first Black woman elected to Congress, who was of Guyanese and Barbadian descent. Lee, who got involved in politics after working on Chisholm’s 1972 presidential campaign, has been a champion of Caribbean issues, most recently leading the Congressional effort to get June named as Caribbean American Heritage month.
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