At roughly 4,244 square miles, Jamaica is not quite as large as Connecticut, but boy, oh boy, does it have an enormous cultural footprint! This little island—my likkle island—has left an imprint on the world far bigger than its borders.

Nothing made this more evident to me than the sight of the sea of people draped in black, green and gold lining the streets of Brooklyn for the inaugural Jamaica Rising Day Parade on Saturday, August 8. It was a fitting commemoration of Jamaica’s 188th anniversary of Emancipation and 64th anniversary of Independence. Some estimates have put the figure at more than 80,000 participants and attendees.

Young and old came from near and far. One man told a local TV station that he had flown in from London, England, to experience the historic event which marks a new chapter in the story of Jamaican culture and heritage in New York City.

For organizers, the event represented the fulfillment of a vision to establish a signature annual celebration that could unite the Jamaican community while spotlighting the island’s extraordinary contributions to New York and the world.

“The Jamaica Rising Day Parade was conceived as more than a one-day celebration,” said Bill Tinglin, Cofounder and Chairman. “Its broader vision is to create an enduring annual platform through which Jamaica’s extraordinary cultural heritage, people, music, businesses, organizations and contributions to the diaspora can be celebrated and elevated.”

The pre-parade breakfast saw a slew of distinguished elected officials, including Jamaican-born NYC School Chancellor Kamar Samuels, civic leaders and dignitaries in attendance. This only underscored the important role the Jamaican-American community continues to play in the cultural, civic and economic fabric of New York City.

Reggae legend and international recording artist Nadine Sutherland, O.D., who served as parade Grand Marshal, admitted to being emotional and overwhelmed. “All I can think about are the people who came before us, who suffered so much as immigrants,” she told ESSENCE. “My family experienced the immigrant story and now to see a successful generation of Jamaicans doing so well, knowing where they are coming from and what their mothers and grandmothers went through—some of them didn’t live to see a day like this. It’s an incredible feeling [to be here].”

For many, me included, the day was about more than a parade. It was a joyful homecoming of sorts, a chance to salute an identity carried across oceans and generations, to honor the island that remains close to the heart and to revel in the community that Jamaican immigrants have built the U.S. The island’s rhythm, spirit and influence stretches beyond its shores, and I felt that pulse, that tempo as the float I was on made its way past the cheering crowds.

“There were many challenges in bringing an inaugural event of this magnitude to life, but when we saw thousands of people proudly carrying the Jamaican flag through the streets of Brooklyn, we knew that every meeting, every obstacle, every sleepless night and every sacrifice had been worth it,” said Lawman Lynch, Ph.D., Cofounder and Deputy Chair, who also served as Parade Director.

Among those challenges were last-minute changes that had to be made to the parade route for security reasons and the cancellation of a planned block party which would have seen performances by numerous artists. Some paradegoers were a bit let down—but in typical Jamaican fashion that didn’t stop the party. Hours after the official parade had ended, reggae music was still blaring from speakers in the area and the good vibes flowed with crowds of patrons supporting the many restaurants, food trucks and street vendors. Everything was irie.

“One of the most consistent things we heard afterward was, ‘The route was too short; we wanted more!’ For us, that is an incredible problem to have. We heard the community loud and clear,” said Lynch. “In 2027, when we celebrate Jamaica65, we intend to come back bigger, better, stronger and even more representative of the richness of Jamaica and its global diaspora. We made history with the first parade; now our responsibility is to build a lasting institution that future generations of Jamaicans can proudly call their own.”

To that there’s only one thing to say: “We ready.”