This week’s reading of Silence on Black Cuba interesting in how it showed racism and discrimination in “Black” Cuba. Although about 50 percent of the estimated 6.7 million population of Cuba was African decent, there was still discrimination towards them. What was even more interesting was that even some of the Afro-Cuban soldiers who fought along side Fidel and Che encountered discrimination. This being the case, Fidel simply downplayed the issue stating that their discrimination wasn’t as serious as the Southern States.
The interesting caveat in this narrative is the records in question provide evidence of not only critical demographics of the African and people of color populations in Cuba, but these records provided key insight into military politics and social
Thirty-seven years to the date April 20th, 2017, Fidel Castro enacted the policy of the Mariel boatlift, in which he’d allow Cubans seeking to emigrate to the United States to do so by departing at Mariel. This number would eventually eclipse 125,000 people seeking asylum and refuge from Cuba, and the regime in which at one point they felt represented or directly opposed their own viewpoints. The first wave of Cuban exiles being the extremely wealthy, in direct opposition to Fidel Castro’s regime for a race-less society, and a single-class economy, government, and social order. The ultimatum being set at you’re with the revolution or you’re not, this encouraged former supporters of the now ousted Batista, to seek refuge in the United States.
Cuba is merely one example of a society. Juan Cabrera is simply an ordinary example of an individual. What The Lonely Crossing of Juan Cabrera by J. Joaquin Fraxedas bring to light is the extraordinary effects of stepping outside the comfort zone of following the expectations of those that lead our governments. Although the situation was unlike our own it highlights what could very well could have
Another large problem that impacted both societies was the racism that both the people of Manzanar and Cuba had to face. In many cases racism had severely affected both societies, whether it be economic, social, or even cultural ways. One of the effects of racism that affected both societies, took place during the aftermath. After the people were released from the camps, finding work and attempting to recreate what they used to have become surreal. In the book our main character says to Mr. Wakatsuki "I have been living in this country nine years longer than you have. Do you realize that? Yet I am prevented by law from becoming a citizen. I am prevented by law from owning land. I am now separated from my family without cause…”
Cuban Slave Culture Cuba has been known the goods it produces and for being secluded due to lack of trust from other nations. Despite what the world thinks of Cuba the country has flourished with little help from other nations exports. Until Miguel Barnet’s “Biography of a Runaway Slave” few people knew of Cuban Culture; from the slavery to the Spanish-American War. Barnet interviews Esteban Montejo, who was once a slave, to allow his readers to have a new perspective on Cuba. After the interview, Barnet publishes Montejo’s story for people who knew little of Cuban history.
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).
Afro-Cubans struggled to no avail for racial equality between the years 1886-1912. The slaughter of protesting blacks in 1912 shows that the battle cries for equality of Antonio Maceo and José Marté during the war for independence had dissolved. What was left was a unequal Cuban society, divided racially and fearing a black revolution. Aline Helg speaks directly to this issue in her book Our Rightful Share: The Afro-Cuban Struggle for Equality, 1886-1912. The aforementioned period was one in which the nation’s formation was taking place, thus the unsuccessful attempt at equality has left difficult remnants of racial inequality buried deeply in the fabric of the nation.
Caudillo is a term used to reference Latin American military dictators. Certainly, Latin America has seen its fair share of caudillos. With the Cuban Revolution of 1959, a new caudillo rose to power: Fidel Castro. Castro’s revolution radicalized quickly through a series of agrarian reforms, which resulted in the nationalization of lands. One of the largest implications of the Castro regime and its communist direction was the effect that it had on U.S.-Cuba relations.
According Almanza, a Latino man working in the helping profession chosen to be interviewed, believes that family and church are the two places that man Latinos turn to when seeking to find assistance or help that might be facing
This paper discusses the immigration of Hispanics to the United States in which they faced prejudice, segregation and racism. We will discuss such topics as dual labor market, affirmative actions, quotas, instructional discrimination, reverse discrimination, glass ceilings, glass walls and glass escalators. “Hispanic workers are among the fastest growing segments of the U.S. labor force,” said Jesse Caballero, Senior Career Advisor for empleosCB.com, a subsidiary of CareerBuilder.com focused on online job search for the Hispanic community. “They are also among the two groups reporting the highest levels of severe discrimination in the
The indigenous populace in Miami attempted to strip Cuban citizens of their heritage by insisting upon them to just speak English. The cries for Cuban assimilation were getting loud which prompted the local government to act. In 1980, the constituency of Miami-Dade County overwhelmingly voted for a referendum that decreed Miami-Dade wasn’t multicultural and English is the single language used by the local government (Stepick, A., & Carol, D. S., 2009). Because of the ordinance funding for multicultural services and programs were eliminated (Bradford, A. C., 2016). With a law designed to oppress these new American citizens and strip away their heritage, the Cubans showed how resilient they are by becoming active in politics. Their political concerns shifted from Cuba and regaining control from Castro to placing Cuban Americans in positions in the local government so that government officials in Miami are not ignoring their interests. Because of the oppression that local politicians attempted to place on Cuban Americans overcame this by using the power the United States gave them and soon attained vast wealth and political power in Miami (Stepick, A., & Carol, D. S.,
Roughly thirty thousand African students travelled to Cuba to study at Cuban universities. Therefore, Cuba became seen not only as a military benefactor in Africa, but also an altruistic supporter of African
Many Cubans at the time had been fleeing to Spain since it was the quickest and easiest way to extract family members who were targets of the communist regime. It was a huge risk leaving his family knowing that there would be a chance that he might never see my grandmother, mother, and four uncles ever again. Sadly, this is the cost our family paid. During the onset of the Cuban revolution, government officials began mandatory conscription of all males fifteen years of age to serve in the military. Due to this requirement my family was forced to leave my uncle Alejandro behind, left with nothing but the clothes he was wearing on his back. He was quickly sent off to the training camps where he was forced to do things that were not in the nature of a fifteen-year-old boy. As a child, I grew up hearing these somber stories of my uncle’s struggle to escape Cuba to reunite our family, and how the burden laid heavily on my family that he was left
Since the 1959 revolution, there has been substantial advancement towards women’s equality in Cuba. At the same time, the progress is far from complete. Though Marxists could argue that this indicates that the revolution’s work is not yet complete, I take a different stance: the fact that the problem is not solved means that a specific, targeted attack on women’s oppression is
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the island of Cuba was in the process of emerging from a Spanish colony to an independent nation. Freedom from Spain, however, was not the only struggle that Cuba was experiencing at this time. After having been oppressed by slavery for several centuries, Afro-Cubans, who had joined the fight for independence in large numbers, were demanding equality in Cuban society. Nevertheless, whites, especially in the elite, continued to initiate discriminatory practices against them. As a last resort, Afro-Cubans staged an armed protest in response to the outlawing of their political party in 1912. Although valiant, the attempt was