Plantation, Florida (July 1, 2025): There is a certain brilliance about the spirit of the Caribbean woman. On Sunday, July 20 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Island SPACE Caribbean Museum invites the community to celebrate that exceptionalism at its third annual HERS – Honoring Exceptionally Regal Sisters celebration. To facilitate a larger audience, the event will be hosted at Colony West Golf Club in Tamara. This dynamic afternoon honors the resilience, leadership and cultural influence of Caribbean women across diverse backgrounds and fields, while supporting South Florida’s only pan-Caribbean heritage museum. This year’s HERS sponsors include the Broward County Cultural Division, the Community Foundation of Broward, and Commissioner Morey Wright of the City of Tamarac. Learn more at islandspacefl.org/hers2025.
Ladies from the Jamaican Women of Florida gathered for a photo op in 2023, a consistent partner of this event. (Courtesy of Island Syndicate)
Festival Highlights
This year’s HERS event will recognize 12 remarkable honorees, with high profile women including Bahamian native Yolanda Cash-Jackson of Becker & Poliakoff, Haitian-American Tamara Beliard Rodriguez of the Fatima Group, and Venezuelan American Mary Sol Gonzalez of the Hispanic Heritage Chamber of Commerce among the featured awardees. Three nominees, who will be revealed at the event, will be presented with the event’s highest honor—the HERS Award—for their ongoing contributions to Caribbean and diaspora communities.
In true regal style, the event will also feature:
- The signature fashion showcase spotlighting Caribbean and African diaspora designers
- An artisan marketplace with carefully selected authentic Caribbean vendors offering goods and services to uplift and inspire
- Guest presenters Dr. Lydia Malcolm (Authentic Behavioral Health), Makeup by Rory Lee and hair health specialist Peggy Nisbett Riggs
- Raffle prizes, including hotel stays, design consultations, fine dining, museum merchandise and more. Raffle ticket holders need not be present to win.
“HERS is our chance to give Caribbean women their flowers, and we do it with pride,” said Calibe Thompson, co-founder and Executive Director of Island SPACE Caribbean Museum. “This is a woman-led organization, and we created this event to honor the bold, resilient, spectacular women who keep our communities and cultures thriving—often without applause.”
HERS 2024 honorees with Island SPACE Caribbean Museum co-founder Calibe Thompson, and US Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. (Courtesy of Island Syndicate)
Founded in 2020, Island SPACE is the only pan-Caribbean heritage museum in the world, serving as a cultural bridge for more than 25% of South Florida’s population and millions more in the Caribbean and global diaspora. In partnership with groups such as the Jamaican Women of Florida, Island SPACE uses programming like HERS to amplify underrepresented narratives and strengthen cultural identity among women of the Caribbean and African diasporas.
Tickets are $30 in advance or $35 at the door. For tickets and event details, visit islandspacefl.org/hers2025. To enter the raffle, visit islandspacefl.org/raffle.
About Island SPACE
Island SPACE is supported in part by the Broward County Cultural Division, BBX Capital Foundation, Community Reinvestment Alliance of Florida, “King” George Jograj, Dr. Lydia Malcom of Authentic Behavioral Health LLC, and her husband, Mr. Waynewright Malcolm, Alexandra P. Davis, and the following funds at the Community Foundation of Broward: Judith Cornfeld Fund for the Arts, Helen and Frank Stoykov Charitable Endowment Fund, and The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation Broward Community Fund.
Island Society for the Promotion of Artistic and Cultural Education (Island SPACE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of arts, culture, history, and educational initiatives that represent the Caribbean region, in South Florida and the broader diaspora. The public is invited to visit the Caribbean museum Thursdays through Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. General museum entry is $15 per adult and $7 per child. Visit www.islandspacefl.org to learn more.
