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A response written to National Black Chamber of Commerce By: Marta
Zayas The National Black Chamber of Commerce actually states that people are
happy in Cuba!
For
Harry Alford, Halford@nationalbcc.org A
Cuban responds to your article: http://www.nationalbcc.org/news/editorials/cubanembargo.htm "IT'S TIME TO END THE EMBARGO OF CUBA A POSITION
PAPER Your
article starts off with the statement, "Embargo is a very mild and cute
term for what the United States is doing to this southern neighbor. A more
accurate term is blockade." My response is that your use of the term blockade, a military
term which denotes a blocking force, is incorrect. Thus your article immediately demonstrates its inaccuracy.
The embargo is not a mild term but a mild symbolic
attempt in trying to motivate a dictatorship into allowing its people to have
basic civil liberties, such as the right to vote in an election where there is
more than one candidate. It is symbolic because Cuban can trade with almost every other country
in the world. In a country where 80% are of
African lineage and there are very few if any Blacks found holding higher
government positions. And there are but few Blacks even in the lower
positions. Thus it is not
surprising that the present Cuban government
accepts the circumstances, apparently required by foreign hotel
investors, in which Black Cubans are not allowed to work in the tourist industry. The
"vicious" warpath is not against the Cubans by the United States but for
the Cuban people. The same warpath
that was needed in the United States during the times when African Americans
were not allowed to go into the Hotels where whites went. The warpath is against
the Communist Regime that does not allow the 80% Cubans of African lineage to
enter the Hotels in Cuba. How many
black Cubans did you see at Novetel de Miramar on your visit?
How many even worked there? Why is the suffering of Afro-Cubans not worthy of the same
outrage that the pains of Afro- Americans generated during the worst days
of US racism? You
may have seen a live Catholic Mass on television but did you realize that on the
other channel at the same time was strategically planned the most highly rated
program in order to deviate viewers? Or
are you even aware of the new law nullifying
all educational credentials held by Catholic priests in Cuba. What surprises me most is that you seem impressed
that Cuba has color television sets, it is obvious that now that seems an
impressive accomplishment, but in reality, before Castro, color television was
already common in Cuba. That is
there was color TV in PRE-CASTRO Cuba before such sets were common in the United States. You are
right that Cuba has a website, but you failed to mention that it is illegal
for Cubans to access the internet and view your website. Your
surprise at being received so well by Cubans is outstanding, again you fail to
realize that "working the tourists" is a very common and sophisticated
way that Cubans learn to survive or as we call it "resolver". You may not
have been stopped by police, but if you were found to have Cubans in your car
that would be another story, you would be stopped and they may be arrested. The
98% literacy rate you mention is reduced to minimal significance when you calculate the censorship of the materials Cubans are not allowed to read.
Cubans were about 80% literate
way before Castro reached power and that was about 50 years ago. You failed again to mention the decommissioned books at customs and those books that are sneaked in are also taken and the owners fined and jailed. I suppose you did not visit the independent libraries that are constantly raided by the Cuban government whose founders are constantly harassed by the government while you were touring the Hemmingway Marina. The reason behind this censorship is similar to the reasons in the US when it was illegal to teach a black person to read, or have you forgotten? Does
it puzzle you that Cubans risk their lives to leave Cuba?
That is as surprising as your statement of Cubans renouncing their
heritage when they get to the US. Cuban
Americans don't renounce to their heritage and as you say they are on the
"run" but not because they are criminals, because they are humans and
humans deserve the right to live with dignity and with their civil rights
respected. Or did you forget this too along with the old US Fugitive Slave act? And why then can you explain why those that do escape such a human country have to suffer the hostage situation of their family members not being allowed to leave Cuba, such as is the case of Jose Cohen and his wife and two children who all hold American VISAs. Or did you forget this too? Your last statements are all
summarized in your quote, "These people are obviously quite happy."
Similar
sophistry was forwarded by apologist for US slavery. If
you say this you really missed the whole picture or are simply faking it.
If you missed the point you are simply too ignorant for me to try to
begin to explain it, if you are faking it, you are to cynical to care.
You would probably say that people were quite happy with South African Apartheid
too if you found it useful. I will no longer support your organization, but I will support, as you called them, "The so called Los Angeles Black Chamber of Commerce". They seem to have a better memory of how it is to be oppressed and exploited. And they respect the essence of man, the soul. And I urge
all those who do realize that oppression and violation of human rights cannot be
dismissed by a few nights of tourism in a desperate country, to support the Los
Angeles Black Chamber of Commerce.
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