African Americans & Cuba
Archive: 2015

“Skin color alone is not enough to bind a people together. We need to find cultural ties. We have to find ways to make that happen,” said Dr. Marvin Dunn, who authored “Black Miami in the Twentieth Century.” Understanding Afro-Cubans  2/4/2015 Miami Times

African-American Artists and Abstraction exhibit in Havana, 2014

African Americans & Cuba in the News

The Color and Flavor of Afro-Cuban Life: A Look at How Black Cubans Have Struggled Over the Years with Racial Identity and Culture  12/30/2015 Atlanta Blackstar: "There are no shortage of Afro-Cuban sites to see in Cuba. Learning about the rich culture of Afro-Cubans is both easy and interesting in Cuba’s largest cities. There is something for everyone, from music and dance to museums and religious tours."

Will American tourists change Cuba for better or worse  12/26/2015 Examiner: "Being African-American, I was naturally curious about whether racism exists in Cuban society. The official answer I received from my light-skinned Cuban guide was "We don't have racism like in America." In Cuba, about 65 percent of the people self identify as "white" while the remaining 35 percent is divided between Afro-Cuban (10), Mulatto (24) and Asian (1). But the reality is there are no pure blooded Cubans."

Race to Revolution reviewed in Journal of American History  12/3/2015 Monthly Review: "Gerald Horne’s latest book is an ambitious transnational history of the United States and Cuba from the 1700s to the 1959 Cuban Revolution. It focuses on the shared and interconnected histories of slavery, the slave trade, Jim Crow, and the struggles against these oppressive systems in the two regions. The book marks another contribution to Horne’s prodigious body of work on the history of African diaspora, slavery, imperialism, liberation movements, and the Cold War. Along with Frank Guridy’s Forging Diaspora (2010), Race to Revolution works to reorient the majority of scholarship on the U.S.-Cuba dynamic by foregrounding the role and importance of people of African descent. Horne focuses on the interaction of African Americans and their counterparts in Cuba and the way the histories of slavery and racism were mutually influential across the Florida straits."

Danny Glover back in Cuba  11/28/2015 Periodico 26: "The U.S. actor met with Gerardo Hernández, who he visited on many occasions while the decorated Hero of the Republic of Cuba was unjustly imprisoned in a California penitentiary."

Danny Glover de nuevo en Cuba  11/27/2015 Adelante: "El actor estadounidense Danny Glover llegó hoy a Cuba, país que visita desde hace una veintena de años y a donde siempre regresa con el corazón abierto para escuchar, aprender y crecer, reporta la agencia de noticias Prensa Latina."

Black Lives Matter Network Denounces U.S. “Continuing Intervention” in Venezuela  11/26/2015 Venezuela Analysis: "The co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Network and Executive Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration warns that the recent electoral victory of U.S.-backed counter revolutionary parties in Venezuela endangers the country’s African-descended population. The letter denounces “corporate media lies about electoral corruption voiced by Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sander’s defamation of late President Hugo Chavez labeling him a dictator.” “We reject any action the U.S. puts forward to plunder Venezuelan natural resources, occupy the country and incite violence.”"

Usher celebró su boda en La Habana  10/13/2015 Vistar: "Acompañada por los tambores de la agrupación Yoruba Andabo, el cortejo comenzó a las ocho de la noche, a la luz de las velas, en el bar ubicado en la azotea de la reconocida paladar. Entre los invitados que acompañaron a Usher desde Estados Unidos, se encontraba el conocido actor y cantante Ludacris. Luego de la cena, los novios disfrutaron de una descarga musical junto a Kelvis Ochoa y su grupo, con la actuación especial de Juana Bacallao."

Un asunto pendiente: Movimiento de Hip Hop cubano  9/20/2015 AfroModernidades: "Ya desde 1980 en Cuba se escuchaban ritmos afronorteamericanos populares, sobre todo los derivados del Funk y artistas vanguardistas del pop negro, pero no es hasta la próxima década que el producto artístico hace entrada en la Isla. Muchas fueron las modalidades de recepción de esta cultura, un papel muy importante en su divulgación, lo jugó el intercambio con la comunidad cubana residente en los Estados Unidos[1] y los marinos mercantes que viajaban fuera del país que importaban grabaciones tanto sonoras como audiovisuales. La exhibición en Cuba de filmes como Flash Dance, Gansters Paradise (Mentes Peligrosas), la popularidad alcanzada de filmes como Breakin I y II, Wild Style, Beat Street coadyuvaron a la recepción de esta cultura."

Black Travel to Cuba on the Rise  9/15/2015 Ebony: "There’s plenty of investment opportunities, especially for African Americans, because they would love to do business with us specifically,” says Jason Ridgel, president of Jusco Medical. “They feel closer to us, that there’s actually not a lot of difference [between us] at all.” In late May 2016, Up in the Air Life has another sojourn to Cuba planned for travelers to delve into the music, art, food, dance and cultural life of the island. Clearly now is the time to see the isle in all its time-bubble splendor, before the effects—positive and not-so-positive—of possible embargo lift take hold."

Usher y Ludacris en escenario común con Kelvis Ochoa  9/11/2015 UNEAC: "Los artistas estadounidenses Usher y Ludacris compartieron escenario con el músico cubano Kelvis Ochoa, en un nuevo y espontáneo puente cultural entre ambos países. Usher, productor, cantante y compositor estadounidense, subió al escenario del centro habanero nocturnoSarao's Barpara unirse a Ochoa, uno de los legendarios cantautores del proyecto Habana Abierta, y luego se le unió el rapero y actor Ludacris"

Wynton Marsalis quiere regresar a Cuba  9/9/2015 Granma: "“Wynton es la razón por la que estoy aquí, todo el tiempo me habla de Cuba y de su deseo de regresar” dijo Stoll, quien llegó a La Habana jun­to a otros directivos de la Lin­coln Center, co­mo parte de un intercambio cultural y académico con la ENA. El músico y profesor estadounidense agregó que “Wynton ama la música cubana y su concierto en Cuba fue uno de los momentos más im­portantes de su vida”."

Harlem Meets Havana  9/3/2015 Huff Post: by Rep Charles Rangel - "I am proud that this summer a delegation of Harlemites led by The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce (GHCC)’s President Lloyd Williams and Council member Inez Dickens returned from their successful mission to Havana, Cuba, where I helped arrange their meetings with senior officials of the Cuban government regarding trade, business and tourism and our anticipated first annual cultural exchange program in 2016 — Harlem Meets Havana."

Former Black Panther Kathleen Cleaver on Assata Shakur and #BlackLivesMatter  9/1/2015 The Root: "Many people were concerned that she would not be able to stay alive in prison after being convicted of killing a cop. An escape was planned; it was successful."

Inspiration Behind ‘Black Lives Matter’ is on the FBI’s ‘Most Wanted Terrorists’ List  8/28/2015 Infowars: "The inspiration behind the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement – the individual cited by its founder and regularly quoted by its supporters – is a convicted cop killer who is on the FBI’s ‘Most Wanted Terrorists’ list. ‘Black Lives Matter’ was founded by militant feminists Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opel Tometi, with Garza widely recognized as the most influential of the three. In an article which details the philosophical foundation of ‘Black Lives Matter’, Garza cites, “Assata’s powerful demand in my organizing work.”"

#BlackLivesMatter and Cuba  8/24/2015 Progressive Pupil: ""In July a group of Black Lives Matter activists visited Cuba with the 46th Contingent of the Venceremos Brigade. Included in this group was Progressive Pupil’s own, Shannon Shird, Outreach Director for Black and Cuba and former Community Outreach Specialist in our New Leaders for Social Change Program, Anita Moore, Chapter Coordinator and Community Organizer with Black Lives Matter, and Amity Paye, the BYP100 NYC Communications Co-chair.""

Una lectura conveniente, una invitacion para el debate.  8/20/2015 AfroCubaWeb: por Tomás Fernández Robaina, sobre El negro en Cuba (1931) de Margaret Ross Martin, periodista afrodescendiente americana con domicilio en la Habana. Version español de The Negro in Cuba, 1931.

Black Lives Matter visits Cuba  8/18/2015 Black Youth Project 100: "For Cuba, racial discrimination is a curse that both fled the country with the Cuban exiles and stayed behind with the revolution. To be fair to the Cuban revolution, many of the Black Lives Matter movement’s “radical” demands to alleviate the effects of structural racism have been fulfilled in Cuba: all education (including higher education) is free, healthcare is free, housing is subsidized, healthy food is subsidized, and more. In 1962 the Cuban government declared the end of racial discrimination through the implementation of these egalitarian policies. In the U.S., racism is aggressive and deadly, systemic and carefully calculated. Although not fully eradicated, we found it true that Cuba’s socialist model diminishes the presence of structural racism and Cubans rightfully take pride in being more socially advanced than the U.S. in their “pursuit” for racial equality."

Black Lives Matter Visits Cuba  8/17/2015 BAJI: "A group of Black Lives Matter activists reflect on the lessons they learned during a recent solidarity trip to Cuba." [Full version]

11 TV Hill: Journalist Dewayne Wickham answers questions on Cuba  8/15/2015 WBAL: "Dewayne Wickham's distinguished journalism career has spanned three decades and leaves an indelible mark on the American press. The recently retired USA Today columnist is dean of the School of Global Journalism and Communication at Morgan State University. He talks about his connection to Cuba."

American harbored by Cuba fears winds of change  8/13/2015 CBS: "New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez recently wrote Secretary of State John Kerry a letter calling Hill a "terrorist" and saying this was a chance to "finally be able to bring a cop killer to justice." A number of members of Congress, including Sen. Tom Udall, D-New Mexico, have joined the call. Hill refuted those charges and said it is proof that he cannot get a fair trial in the United States. "If I felt I could get a fair trial, I would go back to the United States of America because I am not a terrorist nor am I a cop killer.""

Marco Rubio discusses "Black Lives Matter" & Cuba  8/13/2015 Fox 

Restored relations with Cuba could empower its black communities  8/12/2015 Fusion: “Contrary to the claims of the [Cuban] Party and the revolution, socialism and communism did not wipe out racism,” Gates told Ramos. “The power structure in Cuba is still overwhelmingly white.”

Victor Fowler at the Hutchins Center, Harvard  8/1/2015 Harvard University: "Project Description… research on how North American blacks look, analyze and understand black Cubans since last years of XIX century to the beginnings of Cuban revolution."

Video — Black Lives Matter Founder Rants at Netroots: ‘Burn Everything Down!’  7/27/2015 Breitbart: "Last week, Breitbart News exposed that convicted cop killer Assata Shakur is one of the heroes of the Black Lives Matter founders. Black Lives Matter pays homage to Cuban exile Shakur and quotes the Communist Manifesto at every single Black Lives Matter event."

Breaking the silence on Afro-Cuban history  7/26/2015 Daily Kos: "Through long and intimate relationships with many Cubans here in the U.S. who are my relatives by virtue of being "familia de santo,"—coreligionists in the practice of Lucumi, commonly known as Santeria, an African diasporic tradition, I have been exposed to many of the conflicting and complex attitudes and perceptions of "race" and skin-color/ancestry in Cuba and in the Cuban enclaves of Florida and New Jersey."

BlackLivesMatter Pays Homage to Marxist Cop Killer at Every Event It Holds  7/23/2015 Breitbart: "BlackLivesMatter—the activist group that demands a “racial justice agenda” that includes constant criticism and activism against police—invokes the words of convicted cop killer Assata Shakur at “all its events.” At a recent event for female bloggers, BlackLivesMatter leaders had a crowd of thousands repeating lines from a letter written by Shakur that include an explicit reference to the Communist Manifesto."

Why African Americans Should Be 1st in Line to Cuba  7/21/2015 Avenging The Ancestors Coalition: by DeWayne Wickham - "As the U.S. Embassy opens in Havana for the first time in 54 years, we should learn the history that ties black Americans to the black population of the island."

African Americans Should Care About Cuba’s Black History  7/21/2015 Atlanta Black Star: “The Cuban people hold a special place in the hearts of the people of Africa. The Cuban internationalists have made a contribution to African independence, freedom and justice, unparalleled for its principled and selfless character,” said Nelson Mandela during his 1991 visit to Cuba. “We in Africa are used to being victims of countries wanting to carve up our territory or subvert our sovereignty. It is unparalleled in African history to have another people rise to the defense of one of us.”

What Happens When Cubans Speak About Anti-Black Racism in Their Country  7/19/2015 Roots: "I decided to spend a little time with some Afro-Cubans who are making some noise about the state of race relations in contemporary Cuba. I headed to the home of a rapper known as Soandres. His proper name is Soandres Del Rio Ferrer, and his stage name is Soandry. He’s the leader of one of Cuba’s top hip-hop bands, Hermanos de Causa."

One-on-One With Afro-Cubans: What It Means to Be Black in Cuba  7/18/2015 The Root: By: Henry Louis Gates Jr. - "I told Tomás Fernández Robaina about my conversations with Rafael Muñoz Portela, Yoxander Oritz Matos, and Omar Linares. It seemed like cubanidad supersedes race, I told him, and that even Afro-Cubans believe there is no racism. “I class myself as an ordinary Cuban,” he told me. “But speaking as a black Cuban, I also know, deep down, that the first thing people see is that I’m black, not that I’m Cuban. The police always remind me of that first and foremost.”"

Historic Boycott Miami forced long-overdue changes, proved the power of the black community  7/16/2015 Miami Herald: "Improvements for the African-American community directly and indirectly attributable to the boycott were both numerous and notable: court-ordered single-member districts for better representation of minorities, the creation of the Visitor Industry Council to expand African-American participation in the county's tourism industry, scholarships for black students to attend Florida International University's hospitality program, an investigation of Haitian protesters' treatment by police during a rally in July 1990, and the establishment of a black-owned, convention-quality hotel in the Miami Beach area." [No critical discussion here. The hotel was sold for 127 MM, how did that benefit the community?]

Fort Mose: Birthplace of freedom for African Americans  7/9/2015 First Coast News: "On the outskirts of St. Augustine, there was a place where slaves found freedom. "It's the beginning," said Charles Ellis, president of the Fort Mose Historical Society. In the 1700's, "slaves came from Charleston, and Georgia," he explained. Slaves escaped on the underground railroad, which originally ran south -- contrary to popular belief -- not north… When Florida became British in 1763, historical accounts show that the settlement – as a home to freed slaves – came to an end. And the people of Fort Mose ended up moving to Cuba with the Spanish."

Let’s think about Cuba  7/9/2015 Amsterdam News: “The continued ban on travel and trade with Cuba places a unique burden on African-Americans. This embargo continues to inhibit our ability to forge autonomous exchanges with a Black community just 90 miles from our shores, who are also coping with racial discrimination. The people of Harlem, Ferguson and Detroit should not need a license to connect with Black people internationally.”

US Caravan to Cuba Carries on History of Solidarity Across the Black Diaspora  7/5/2015 Truth Out: "IFCO has always been an organization concerned about the plight of Black people in the diaspora, whether that is in the US or globally. People of color are often victims of social inequity/social injustice and that is something that IFCO has been historically concerned about. It’s the first national organization that was led by people of color that organized to fight against social injustice so this has always been a part of IFCO’s mission – its reason for being. It’s very much at the center of much of the work that we do."

Gloria Rolando films in Richmond, CA: Reembarque/Reshipment and Assata, June 15, 2015  6/2/2015 AfroCubaWeb: "This is a rare showing of Assata in a remastered version which is not commercially available. Cuba update by Walter Turner, host of Africa Today on KPFA"

From Cuba, With Love  5/29/2015 Vimeo: "This video is a submission for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington iChoose Media Festival. Students at the FBR Branch Boys and Girls Club created a video with questions for Students in Cuba and students in Cuba responded back! Hear what youth in Havana had to say!!"

Rihanna in Havana  5/29/2015 Radio Havana: "The hip-hop star arrived in the Cuban capital on Wednesday and went to the Havana restaurant looking for Cuban food. While in the site, the actress and model also enjoyed and danced Cuban music to the tune of La Fontana’s band, Son3men2, which played for her various classical songs of the island’s traditional music repertoire."

Rihanna seducida por La Habana (+Fotos)  5/29/2015 Juventud Rebelde: "¿Graba la cantante Rihanna un video musical en La Habana? Según los movimientos de la barbadense a través de la capital cubana y el equipo que le acompaña, parece que sí. Un reporte publicado por CubaSí indica que a lo largo del día la cantante se movió entre una casa de El Vedado y el edificio donde se encuentra el conocido restaurante La Guarida, escenario de la película Fresa y Chocolate."

Here's What People All Around the World Really Think About America's Police Violence  5/28/2015 Identities.mix: "Black advocates and family members of people killed by law enforcement have testified before the United Nations in Geneva, condemning racist police violence at home. Assata Shakur — an activist living in Cuba since 1984 after escaping from prison for what some believe was a trumped up murder conviction related to the death of a police officer — has new political relevance in this era of black resistance."

Questlove goes crate-digging in Cuba in new documentary  5/7/2015 LA Times: "Consider his latest adventure: Earlier this year, the Roots' drummer and hip-hop gadfly traveled to Havana for a documentary project. Cuba has been off-limits to all but a few American travelers for generations, but relaxed restrictions on a few categories of vistors (which includes artists and journalists) meant that the percussionist could now see Cuba's vital musical culture firsthand."

Harlem Afro Cuban Roots Concert with Yosvany Terry and guests  5/3/2015 Jazz de la Pena: "Yosvany Terry and his Afro Cuban roots Ye-be-gbe Ensemble with special guests Gema Corredera & Xiomara Laugart, Friday, May 15, 2015 @ 8pm"

Cuba & Hip-Hop: A Talk with Sujatha Fernandes (Part 1)  4/6/2015 Oogeewoogee: "lWe sat down with Professor Sujatha Fernandes (Dept. of Sociology at Queens College and the Graduate Center) to discuss the history of Hip Hop resistance, the commodification of the culture, and the impact the normalization will have on the Cuban Hip-Hop community. Professor Sujatha Fernandes has written extensively on global social movements. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Nation, The Huffington Post, American Prospect, and Colorlines."

Havana's Daymé Arocena Bridges Gap Between Cuban & American Music  4/2/2015 Billboard: "On her cover of the classic “Cry Me A River” (not the Justin Timberlake track), the 22-year-old from Havana sings to a ritualistic rumba beat, her voice pouring liquid over hectic conga beats before breaking out in soulful celebration of the storied perfect combination of Cuban music and jazz. While U.S. and Cuban politicians currently struggle to find common ground, Arocena’s big voice finds harmony in the two countries’ shared musical history."

Black Students at UC Berkeley Want a Hall Renamed After Assata Shakur  3/20/2015 The Root: "The Black Student Union at Berkeley would like Barrows Hall to be renamed “Shakur Hall.” “We want the renaming for someone—Assata Shakur—who we feel … represents us as black students,” Cori McGowens, spokesman for the school’s black student union, said. “We’re at a crisis on campus.” McGowens says that black students at Berkeley are isolated and marginalized."

This Afro-Cuban Life  3/12/2015 NBC: "Cuba's vibrant Afro-Cuban community has been photographed by Dr. David LaFevor of University of Texas at Arlington over the past decade."

Cubans hopeful U.S. embargo will end, pastor finds  3/11/2015 Winston-Salem Chronicle: "Williams, pastor of Diggs Memorial Church, went on a trip to the Cuban capital of Havana with pastors from around the nation. It was sponsored by the Progressive National Baptist Convention, whose general secretary, Rev. Dr. Tyrone Pitts, helped organize and participated in the trip. The trip, which lasted from Jan. 30-Feb. 9, was part of the 25th anniversary celebration of a Cuban Baptist church organization, La Fraternidad de Iglesias Bautistas de Cuba. During that time, the pastors worshipped, preached and took communion with Cuban congregations."

Black History Month and the Cuban Solidarity Movement of the 1870s  2/25/2015 Zinn Education Project: "Seven years after the end of the Civil War, hundreds of African Americans in Baltimore gathered at historic Madison Street (Colored) Presbyterian Church for the purpose, “[O]f adopting measures to petition the Congress of the United States to tender the powerful mediation of this great government towards ameliorating the sad condition of a half million of our brethren now held in slavery in the island of Cuba by Spain.”[1] S.R. Scottron, noted black inventor and a co-founder of the Cuban Anti-Slavery Committee, was the evening’s keynote speaker."

Shadow and Act (A cinema of the African Diaspora): Raising funds: Disadvantaged Black students at Yale visit Cuba in documentary "Black and Cuba"  2/18/2015 Insight News: "Raising funds via Indiegogo, the documentary "Black and Cuba," directed by Robin J. Hayes, professor at The New School, follows a group of disadvantaged African American students at the prestigious Yale University, who take a field trip to Cuba to see "how revolution lives," and to get inspiration in order to pursue their own black resistance reading group."

Afro-Cubans need our support  2/11/2015 Miami Times: "They are our brothers and sisters, but they are also Cubans. Dozens of Afro-Cubans turned out to a recent community discussions to share experiences of racism that are similar to what others in the African Diaspora face. Afro Cubans talked about being marginalized in their homeland and unwelcome among Blacks and Cubans in Miami. A guest panel of Afro-Cubans that included Henry Crespo Sr. shared their pain and struggles of trying to succeed in America while staying true to their ethnic identity. Living in South Florida’s racially diverse, but challenging city, Afro-Cubans needs the support of Blacks. Their problems do not make the headlines or front pages because their struggles are buried beneath shame and isolation."

Understanding Afro-Cubans  2/11/2015 Black Press USA: "Convened by the Miami-Dade County Black Affairs Advisory Board last Saturday, the panel included four Black Americans: Cornell professor Dr. Carole Boyce Davies; 100 Black Men of South Florida secretary Basil Binns II; Black Artists Collective president Gene Tinnie; and attorney Rene Gordon. Five Afro-Cuban panelists participated: St. Louis Cardinal outfielder Jon Jay; founder and volunteer CEO of Urgent Inc. Henry Crespo; CBS4 executive producer Caridad Hernandez; Civic Awareness Inc. president Andres Alburquerque; and David Rosemond of Community Outreach Specialists Sunshine Health. The panelists shared stories of how people view them as either Black or not Black, Cuban or not Cuban."

Tampa-based Harlem in Havana made entertainment history  2/8/2015 Tampa Tribune: "What’s more, Harlem in Havana helped launch the careers of such stars as Chuck Berry, Mercedes Valdez, Redd Foxx and Fontella Bass, but its major attraction was the producer and ringmaster — Tampa’s own Leon Claxton. “My grandfather was the Tyler Perry of his time,” said Claxton’s granddaughter, Leslie Cunningham, 40, who is producing the documentary “Jig Show” about Harlem in Havana. From the 1930s to the 1960s, the show traveled some 25,000 miles a year by rail performing at state fairs."

Nat Turner’s fraught economic rebellion in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward  2/8/2015 Al Jazeera: "Almost home and still empty-handed, Thomas stops at an urban garden launched in 2006 by Nat Turner, named for the legendary leader of an 1831 slave uprising in Virginia. This Nat Turner taught social studies and debate at New York’s Beacon High School and drew media attention after a row with school authorities following a trip with his students to Cuba. The trip nearly cost him his job, were in not for what he says was the support of the teacher’s union and his attorneys."

The heroism of America's black troops  2/4/2015 Republican American: "When the Spanish-American War began, these "Buffalo soldiers" were sent to Cuba. Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders never would have survived their reckless charge up San Juan Hill if the black soldiers of the 10th Calvary and 24th Infantry Regiment had not come to their rescue."

Understanding Afro-Cubans  2/4/2015 Miami Times: "The buzzwords at “A Village Dialogue: An Invitation from the Afro-Cuban Community” discussion are working together. The spirit of Cubans and Blacks working together comes to the forefront now that last month President Barack Obama decided to open up communications between the United States and Cuba. At the same time, panelists agreed that being Black should not be the thing that binds Blacks in America. “Skin color alone is not enough to bind a people together. We need to find cultural ties. We have to find ways to make that happen,” said Dr. Marvin Dunn, who authored “Black Miami in the Twentieth Century.”"

Cuba–US Talks and the Fate of Assata Shakur and Nehanda Abiodun  2/2/2015 Havana Times: "Unlike Assata (whose whereabouts are unknown and is believed to be at a secret location, owing to the US police effort to capture her), since the 90s Nehanda has organized a series of campaigns in her home to encourage the creation of a black and Afro-Cuban awareness movement. Her home has become a center for cultural and socio-political projects and the venue of Cuba’s first hip hop gatherings. She has also organized debates on contemporary issues and African history which have seen the participation of activists and artists, such as the Cuban rap band Anonimo Consejo."

Free trade with Cuba  1/29/2015 Amsterdam News: by Rep Charles Rangel - "The United States Chamber of Commerce is one of the strongest supporters of ending the embargo, which estimates it could create 6,000 American jobs and restore $1.2 billion annually to the U.S. economy. The economic embargo stifles an extra $250 million in potential annual exports of fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides and tractors. Ultimately, ending the embargo will, in addition to creating an estimated 6,000 American jobs, generate billions of dollars in revenue."

What is the Real Reason Behind Obama’s New Cuba Policy?  1/21/2015 Black Agenda Report: "Obama is reacting to occurrences that pose a significant geopolitical challenge to American hegemony in the Western hemisphere. The Russians and the Chinese have come knocking on America’s back door. From July 11 to 17, 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled through a multi nation Latin American tour ending with a summit of the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) in Fortaleza, Brazil. These nations are among the fastest developing economies in the world, and their combined efforts have been posing significant geopolitical challenge to America and its European allies all over the globe. This is particularly the case since the 2008 economic crash."

Beyond the Rhetoric: What the U.S. Can Learn from Ole Cuba  1/12/2015 Thy Black Man: "Cuba has some of the best civil engineers and construction managers in the world. I have witnessed some of their projects being built on every continent of the world. Their work is excellent, affordable and reliable. It would be great if many of our Black businesses would joint venture with them and take on projects around the world as they do. There is nothing we could not build. As our new relationship builds, such activity can become a reality. This would build Black business capacity in this nation and create jobs by the millions. Yes, Cuba could greatly help us to get around the racial adversity that we face in this current economy."

The culture, the history, the hospitality: Remembering 2000 trip to Cuba  1/8/2015 Daytona Times: by Alberto Jones - "“I felt love,” said Robert A. Brooks, chairman of Black Studies at the African American Cultural Society. “The people were nice, generous, and giving – and had a real concern for others.” What amounted to a Brooklyn-Queens block party took a stance in miles of agricultural plains with goats along the countryside of thatched-roofed houses and quaint horse-drawn buggies."