Cuba: A Case of Problems and Promise

Cuba: Where the old is new

Cuba is only a 45-minute plane ride from Miami. But for the past 50 years, our Communist island neighbor might just as well have been located on another planet. U.S. citizens were prohibited from traveling there. Trade was embargoed. Contact of any type was mostly forbidden.

Recently, however, restrictions have been easing, both here and in Cuba. Overall, this is extremely promising, but, as with any significant change, problems are sure to ensue. And, tonight at Busboys and Poets, a Washington-based group which had recently traveled to Cuba informally discussed their findings about the issue of race relations on the island.

The 4-day trip was put together by the the Center for International Policy. Most of the group were advocates for minority positions here in the U.S. and around the world, especially Africa and South America.

The group noted that Cuban officials seemed particularly guarded about discussing the race issue, continually noting that it was complicated. Part of that problem centers around the fact that the Cuban Revolution lead by Fidel Castro was supposed to be for all people. To acknowledge that any group was in some way not fully included, is to admit that the revolution was not a complete success. "It would be a bit of blot on the revolution," said group member and Black leader Gary Flowers.

However, the group did see evidence of needs for racial improvements. The island population is approximately 60% Afro-Cuban and 40% Euro-Cuban. However, the group said the only beggars they encountered were "brown and black-skinned people." In housing, the group found a complex that was designed for 14 families which is currently home for approximately 70 families. These economic inequalities may only worsen with new changes. For example, Cuban-Americans can now send money to family members in Cuba, money which can be used for the first time to buy property. Since most of the Cubans here in the U.S. are of Euro-Cuban descent, there is a fear that economic disparity along racial lines will only grow. "It's a question of who will be able to access that property," Flowers noted. "It could further marginalize the communities of color."

There are extremely strict laws in Cuba banning discrimination. "The Revolution was supposed to have taken care of that," Flowers said "But you can't change this type of situation (hundreds of years of deeply held prejudices) just because you pass a law."

Despite problems, the island has much going for it. Races seem to intermingle freely in jazz clubs and restaurants. Vibrant art is valued and on view every where you go. As a society, Cuba is extremely literate. The will of the proud people as "the little island that has been under siege for 50 years and stood against Empire" is strong.

Group members noted that the most impressive quality of the outgoing Cuban people they encountered was a strong sense of  spirituality and dignity. "The Rev. Jesse Jackson used to say that too many Americans were suffering from DDD, dignity deficit disorder," Flowers said. "We didn't see any of that."

Tales, Tidbits, and Traveling Tips
I have long been fascinated with Cuba.  Among his many interests, my Father was a professional gambler. Before the Revolution, his favorite gambling spot in the world was Cuba. There is a picture of he and my Mother, along with 2 other couples, sitting along a sea wall in Havana that has been stoking my interest since I was about 7 years old. Like most of my generation, I still vividly remember those tension-filled Fall days in 1962 when so many were convinced that the Cuban Missile Crisis was leading directly to Armageddon. I believe that the utter insanity of the crazy notion that my crouching under a wooden desk or putting my head in my arm and leaning against a cinder-block wall would save me from nuclear annihilation plays a large role in my distrust of all authority to this day.. And finally there is the face of Cuba itself - Fidel Castro. Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Kruschev, all those names from my early indoctrination into the world of politics are gone. Only he remains. Well, it appears I am going to get a chance to scratch my Cuban itch. Judy and I scheduled to join National Geographic on a 10-day trip to Cuba in February. And you can bet I'm taking that fading photo of my Mom and Dad with me. Who knows? Maybe I can actually find that sea wall that has been one of the main pictures in my mind for 50 years.