African American Cuba International Relations

During the Cold War, relations between Cuba and the United States were icy. Cuba was allied with the USSR, America’s enemy, and was well within their sphere of influence. With events like the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis happening on their soil, Cuba was at the center of the Cold War. Between ideological differences and their alliance with Russia, Cuba became an enemy of America as well. It took the efforts of ten American presidents, six Popes, and countless other actors, but Cuba and America are finally in the process of normalizing relations. There is still work to be done, but the path is clear and the time is right. However, one cannot simply ignore the last fifty years. In that time, millions of lives were affected by the lack of social, economic, and political ties between the U.S. and Cuba. In this paper, I will analyze the last fifty years of U.S. - Cuban relations by looking at the involved actors, their means, and their values and interests through the lenses of two paradigms, realism and constructivism.

The legacy of slavery is not to be measured simply by the millions slaughtered by slave hunters in Africa, thrown overboard on the Middle Passage, or beaten to death in Jamaica, but in the destruction of important lines of human development, in the triumph of the parasite over the producer (Maxwell n.d). The legacy of slavery is probably one of the hardest issues in world history upon which to find agreement (Casciani 2007). Furthermore, the legacy of slavery has appeared large over Jamaican culture in the subsequent history of Jamaica. The people of Jamaica have a fierce nationalism and identify strongly with Africa, to an extent that world news in Jamaica often features more stories on African than the Americas (History of Jamaica 2015).

One of the most controversial and widely debatable issues that have been discussed extensively in international legislation for several decades is the Helms-Burton Act. The main controversy surrounding the Helms-Burton Act is the resistance from the Cuban government regarding the features of the legislation. The resistance is a clear demonstration of the legality of property claims despite of the passage of time. Throughout history, rarely has an initiative by the American government to enforce its political opinion on economies of other countries generated much anger like the 1996 Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity or Helms-Burton Act. Even though President Clinton initially opposed the legislation, it was enacted after the downing of two planes by Cuban Air Force that were flown by members of an anti-Castro organization in America. The enactment of this legislation resulted in the America's Cuban Conundrum whose main issues are addressed in this article.

Between the month of April and the month of September in 1980 more than 125,000 Cubans fled communism embarking from Port of Mariel to south Florida, United States. More than 1,600 boats were involved in the exodus. When the Peruvian Embassy opened its doors, the government did not anticipate the repercussions that it would bring. In just 48 hours more than 10,800 people, including children and the elderly, entered its borders. So many people came that there wasn't even anywhere for people to sit down. Faced with this situation and overwhelmed by the pressures of international support for refugees’ embassy, the government of Fidel Castro had no alternative aside from allowing a new mass exodus of Cubans to the United States. Small yachts with

Comparing the race problems with those in the United States, that the government uses as a tool to have Afro-Cubans feel that their situation is not as bad as their brothers in America, effectively lessens the feelings of racism in Cuba (131-132). Finally, Sawyer concludes that the advances made in racial relation post-Revolution has been compromised by all the conditions that I have documented previously, and I agree wholeheartedly with his assessments (131).

In this talk there were three new books in history discussed. These books were Antiracism in Cuba, Voodoo and Power, and Democracy’s Muse. The first book presented was Antiracism in Cuba. This book analyzes the race issue in Cuba under Castro’s rule. Cuba believes itself to be a “race less” country; however, the Cuban community only acknowledges itself as white. For Afro-Cubans to be considered Cuban they must lose their “blackness”. The author, Devyn Spence Benson, writes about the battle of the Afro-Cuban community trying to gain freedom and respect.

Cuba and The United States of America (U.S.A.) reside within a close proximity of each other. They share sunny weather the vast majority of the year and the Caribbean’s beautiful beaches. In fact, there is a certain point in Key West that is located 90 miles away from Cuba. For this reason, and many others, it is not a surprise that some people find these two countries very similar, but that is far from the truth. Cuba and the United States of America are two entirely different countries that differentiate amongst their economy, society, and technological advances.

On Thursday, September 24, Elaine Diaz Rodriguez spoke about her experiences in Cuba. She talked about the new relationship between Cuba and America. She said on December 17, 2014, President Obama announced that there was going to be a restoration of full diplomatic relations with Cuba. She said the Cubans cried because for the first time in a long time, Cuba came together with another country. She believed the world needed reconciliation. In Cuba, before 2008, Cubans were not allowed to do many things such as go to hotels, have cellphones, or buy computers. Before 2011, Cubans were not allowed to buy or sell their houses or cars. Additionally, before 2013, Cubans needed permission from the government to travel with a passport. Ms. Diaz Rodriguez

Cuba’s early history is characterized by colonization, agricultural capitalism, the introduction of African slave labor, and a class system that divided the island (Mintz, 1971). Beginning in the 1800’s the Catholic Church ideology saturated Cuban society, which was the standard of Spanish-speaking Latin America at that time. Education at this time was an opportunity experienced by elite, white, males and centered on rigid Catholic tenets of philosophy. The base economy was agriculture, and African slaves

Before proceeding, it is pertinent to elaborate on what is meant by “placing themselves as subjects.” This idea comes from Allen’s discussion surrounding the resistance of black folks. In quoting bell hooks, Allen says, “we cannot enter the struggle as objects in order to later become subjects.” This quote essentially discusses the framing of resistance and the importance of having a clear emphasis on black people as the subjects. In my following examples, I have attempted to show how Afro-Cubans have

A controversial subject,yet not spoken about enough,the warming of relations between Cuba and the U.S exists only due to the two countries having a rough past with each other. This “rough past” consists of aspects such as the protectorate status the U.S had previously put onto Cuba, which severely limited their independence and the U.S had, ironically, just helped them achieve. Some take a stance that we as countries should stay distant from each other due to our vast governmental and cultural differences,and that reparations,due to this rough past between the two, render repairs impossible. Though this believed for valid reasons, good relations between the two countries harbors a number of benefits including, but not limited to: improved trade with Cuba,as well as other countries outside of Cuba, improving government for Cuba, and opening of jobs in both Cuba and the United States. For these reasons, the good immensely outweighs the possible bad in improving relations between the two, and both should continue efforts to achieve this goal.

In the formation of the Cuban nation, the role of Afro-Cubans is undeniably of great importance. The success and riches obtained by Cuba as a Spanish colony would have been unthinkable without the exploitation of African slave labor. Even before emancipation, there were key figures in the Cuban independence movement, such as Antonio Maceo, who were free men of Afro-Cuban origin. After emancipation in 1886, Afro-Cuban ex-slaves showed their enthusiasm for their future in Cuba by volunteering in large numbers to fight in the Liberation Army. Yet in the victory over the Spanish in 1898, Afro-Cubans were given little recognition for their overwhelming support, and were

From the time, Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba tensions ran high between the Cuban government and the United States government. Relations between Cuba and the United States grew during Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations. Not as much during the Eisenhower administration as the Kennedy administration did tensions between between the two countries intensify. Kennedy faced many a different situations as President. He faced such situations like the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Tensions have mounted high for a long time between Cuba and the United States.

President Obama spoke of common hope at Nelson Mandela’s December 10, 2013 memorial service: “South Africa shows we can change, that we can choose a world defined not by our differences, but by our common hopes,” Mr. Obama said at the memorial,” (Shear, 2013). Moments before he extended a symbolic show of diplomacy, a handshake with Cuban President Raúl Castro, stirring speculation regarding U.S. Cuba rapprochement. The following December, December 17, 2014, both leaders announced rapprochement after a prisoner swap involving Cuba’s release of Cuba turned U.S. spy Rolando Sarraff Trujillo for the U.S. release of three spies of the Cuban Five. The Cuban government also released American contractor Alan Gross, and later 53 additional political

Havana is one of the most architecturally diverse cities. In the beginning of the 20th century, Havana was an international influential powerhouse, enriched with art nouveau, art deco and eclectic design. This boom period was the turn in Cuba’s economical continuous changes throughout the times of change.