The Racism In Cuba Thing

Many of the posts I have written for this blog have dealt with some lighthearted observations.  But in order to get a better understand what my Cuban thing is all about it is important to know that there are also some very harsh and ugly elements to it as well.  Racism is one of these elements.  When the Rev. Jessie Jackson and Danny Glover made their individual visits to Cuba, my father viewed them with contempt.  At the time I did not understand where my father was coming from.  I could have cared less who came to visit Castro.  But my father, however, was concerned about the racism in Cuba thing.

Many Americans may find it hard to believe that racism exists outside the United States.  But it does.  Racism in Cuba has a longer history than America and is more complex for it goes beyond the color barrier.  One has to take into account skin color, social status as well as religion to get a more complete picture of the problem.  Slavery got its foot hold in the Western Hemisphere because all slave transports brought their cargo to Cuba.  Cuba was the center of the slave trade.  Slavery was not abolished in Cuba until 1886 thnaks to Jose Marti, Cuba’s most legendary hero. However racism in Cuba persisted.  When Castro came to power in 1959 he promised to eliminate the problem, and if you listen to the propaganda of today, racism no longer exsists in Cuba.  But it does.

There are many articles and forums on the internet that support all views of the Cuban racial problem.  I’m not here to take on any of these issues, but just to provide my personal observations with the racial problem.  You see my family is part of the racism in Cuba thing.  I am what is considered a mulatto, a cross between black and white, of which there are many possible combinations. A census taken in 2002 by the Cuban government claimed that 63% of the Cuban population was white.  But if you walk down any street in Cuba you will find many different shades of skin color.  Realistically 70% of the population is of African desent or mulatto.  The numbers are just the opposite for Cubans in the United States where 85% of them are of Spanish descent.

The reason for the disparity is due to econmoics.  Most of the Cuban early arrivals in America were seeking a better way of life.   Most came with some kind of money.  Many were educated professionals,businessmen or tradesmen and the majority were white.  After the Castro takeover the majority of cubans who left Cuba, escaped with whatever they could carry, but still the majority of them were white. The Cubans that stayed behind were mostly poor who believed in castro’s false promises and these were mostly black or mulatto.

So why was my father so upset with the Rev.Jackson and Mr. Glover’s visit to Cuba?  My father understood the plight of the blacks and mulattos of Cuba.  Though Castro has insisted that racism does not exist in Cuba, blacks are denied many privilages.  Most managerial positions and jobs in the tourist trade are held by whites.  They are placed in poor housing, and are kept waiting for any kind of healthcare, and are more likely to be imprisoned.  My father could not understand how these two high profile Black Americans could not possibly see the problem that was so apparent and not make mention of it in their talks with Castro.  It seems, my father would say, that the way one lives in Cuba is all determined by skin color.  Its the racism in Cuba thing.

After writing this post I came across an article in Havana Times entitled “The Race Problem In Today’s Cuba.”  The source may come from Cuban propagandists and may seem slightly high brow, but it discusses  the problem and breaks it down to its basic components quite well.  If you’re interested check it out.

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