For African Americans in Cuba, the Revolution Hasn’t Begun

CHANGE is the latest news to come out of Cuba, though for Afro-Cubans like myself, this is more dream than reality. Over the last decade, scores of ridiculous prohibitions for Cubans living on the island have been eliminated, among them sleeping at a hotel, buying a cellphone, selling a house or car and traveling abroad. These gestures have been celebrated as signs of openness and reform, though they are really nothing more than efforts to make life more normal. And the reality is that in Cuba, your experience of these changes depends on your skin color.

Source

So after 6 years of listening to shills saying how 'racist' this country is, and hearing the news today about Cuba. I come across this.

Much was made, about how the right is 'racist'.

Much has been made about how the police is 'racist'.

And today?

The current regime of the US wants to make all nicey,nicey with a bunch of RACISTS!.

I fully expect Sharpton,Jackson, Holder to be holding press conferences, and protests about current events.

But alas knowing the epic double standard here. I fully expect nothing,but chirping crickets.

In the early 1990s, after the cold war ended, Fidel Castro embarked on economic reforms that his brother and successor, Raúl, continues to pursue. Cuba had lost its greatest benefactor, the Soviet Union, and plunged into a deep recession that came to be known as the “Special Period.” There were frequent blackouts. Public transportation hardly functioned. Food was scarce. To stem unrest, the government ordered the economy split into two sectors: one for private businesses and foreign-oriented enterprises, which were essentially permitted to trade in United States dollars, and the other, the continuation of the old socialist order, built on government jobs that pay an average of $20 a month.

I guess this is the new 'socialist' order.

Russia is more 'capitalist' than the US is anymore.

The US has become like the old Soviet 'Republic'.

Seems Cuba can't win.

a reply to: neo96

The current regime of the US wants to make all nicer,nicer with a bunch of RACISTS!.

I don't know what skin color has to do with the average Cubans plight. All the misery heaped on that beleaguered country was placed there directly by the US government, not the Cuban government, or Castro, or the Spanish(?).

Any response to that on the Cubans, Iranians, Koreans, Russians, Ukrainians, Syrians, et al, is a response to meddling with their right to self determination from outside.

Sanctions…

International sanctions are actions taken by countries against others for political reasons, either unilaterally or multilaterally.

Embargo…

an official ban on trade or other commercial activity with a particular country.

a reply to: intrptr

I don't know what skin color has to do with the average Cubans plight.

Then someone is intentionally being obtuse with recent events in Ferguson, and NYC.

a reply to: intrptr

All the misery heaped on that beleaguered country was placed there directly by the US government, not the Cuban government, or Castro, or the Spanish(?).

But But But

Castro Billion $$$

a reply to: xuenchen

Hell why don't he just make Cuba the 58th state with the stroke of his mighty pen.

LOL.

originally posted by: neo96
a reply to: xuenchen

Hell why don't he just make Cuba the 58th state with the stroke of his mighty pen.

LOL.

Well there are rumors.

Like making Cuba a U.S. Protectorate again.

Then they can move the Capitol to Havana and Washington D.C. could vote for Statehood.

The Lobbyist firms would love Havana. Better weather.

a reply to: xuenchen

Then they can move the Capitol to Havana and Washington D.C. could vote for Statehood.

Works for me. They already have the facility made where they all belong.

Gitmo.

a reply to: xuenchen

Is this a Noriega style, backdoor, drug kingpin thing that we can't admit to?

So if your black and in Cuba, why are you an African American? Wouldn't you be an African-Cuban maybe?

Was wondering how long and what the spins would be........

a reply to: HUMBLEONE


Yeah and when do you get to drop the African part? Maybe a year from now, two, twenty, a million? When are you going to be free of labeling yourself? I'm not picking on you, I'm trying to make a point. I got an idea, how about we stop following the program of separation and drop the labels. My race is humanity. I am member of the human race as you are. We are human beings. Lets start the being part. PEACE.

a reply to: HUMBLEONE

I was going to quote the title as it was.

But I figured the pc crowd would cry about the usage of the other word.

a reply to: HUMBLEONE

I agree with your point !!! Thing is, in Cuba they don't CARE about the color of the skin. I am Cuban born and raised in the United States, and we as Cubans are not Racist people. Black, white, even the Asian that live in the area of "La Provincia de Oriente" are all considered CUBANS - that is the difference -

Besides, the Great Racial Divide is being pushed solely by THIS government and continually perpetuated by Mr. Obama. I am just SICK of all this stupidity - it's like a person cannot say anything about anything or they are labeled a RACIST - gimme a break man. I am 40 yrs old - I grew up in NY with all kinds of people and now I live in Miami and I have NEVER, EVER seen so much controversy regarding race/color in my life - stop feeding into what the Main Stream Media throws down your throats and think a little for yourselves - we are being systematically guided towards a Race War.

Many blessings

Do you even read your sources or just cherry pick what you want from them?

Most remittances from abroad — mainly the Miami area, the nerve center of the mostly white exile community — go to white Cubans. They tend to live in more upscale houses, which can easily be converted into restaurants or bed-and-breakfasts — the most common kind of private business in Cuba. Black Cubans have less property and money, and also have to contend with pervasive racism. Not long ago it was common for hotel managers, for example, to hire only white staff members, so as not to offend the supposed sensibilities of their European clientele.

That type of blatant racism has become less socially acceptable, but blacks are still woefully underrepresented in tourism — probably the economy’s most lucrative sector — and are far less likely than whites to own their own businesses. Raúl Castro has recognized the persistence of racism and has been successful in some areas (there are more black teachers and representatives in the National Assembly), but much remains to be done to address the structural inequality and racial prejudice that continue to exclude Afro-Cubans from the benefits of liberalization.

Looks like they are moving in the right direction. Live in the past at your peril.

Well? I would like to know the OP's opinion on Cuba moving in the direction of human rights.

Well?