An Obama, a Castro, and a Blockade

On some mornings, the record player turned radio will pick up N.P.R. with just a little 

fuzz. (Maybe record players turned radios are meant to be so close to the kitchen sink). This morning, ON POINT's topic was Cuba and Cuban Americans!!!!

PERFECT!

In response to a caller that discussed all the benefits of the Cuban Revolution, the male guest posited that racial inequality in Cuba was the result of the Revolution. He is entirely incorrect.  

Within the Revolution and Wars of Independence from Spain, racial unity was seen as a necessity in overcoming the oppressor. Any white-black hierarchy that existed before rebellion was the result of the hegemonic Western culture.  

Yes, Castro, has played up racial unity abroad, while quelling in domestically, but his purpose was not to maintain white privilege; it was instead to prevent insurrection from below.  

However, today racism is apparent in Cuba. It is not the result of a Revolution that increased the access to education, healthcare, food, and housing to ALL and improved the quality of life, literacy, and body weight of ALL that has brought racism.  

It's the controlled openings of Cuba's economy to the dual investments of Canada and Europe, It's once again European preference for white customer service representatives. And whites maintain these high-paying jobs (tourist tips) just like they do in the U.S.: selective recruitment, relative and friend referrals, etc.).  

Therefore, blacks have to resort to the secondary economy (black market) in order to afford the same goods that whites have access to with their tourist dollars. (Cuba has a dual economy: national pesos which the government pays workers in and can be used in most local places and tourist dollars (CUC's) which only tourists and those few with jobs in which they are paid by entities other than the government. In order to purchase goods at 'dollar' stores, malls, hotels, some pharmacies, some restaurants, Cubans (and tourists) must use CUC's.  

Therefore, in order for blacks to gain access to certain goods, they must resort to hustling, prostitution, etc.). Furthermore, negative stereotypes about the behaviors and morals of blacks are reinforced.  

Regardless, the embargo prevents so many Cubans access to food and medicine (and tons of materialistic goods the Americans couldn't imagine living without) for the simple fact that Cuba can't get together enough (internationally valued) dollars or trading partners to get the goods in the first place.  

So, if anything, opening up Cuba to the international community most likely will increase the wealth gap between whites and blacks. Oh racism...capitalism loves it...communism loves it (I guess).

And that's not ignore that we are not simply discussing an embargo. This is a blockade, see Torricelli and Helms-Burton. (Any country who conducts trade with Cuba cannot conduct trade with the U.S., roughly).  

I argue that without a doubt, the U.S. should repeal the act. Sure, don't trade with a country with whom you have issue without blocking them from trade with virtually every other (first world) nation. Let Cuba take the international stage on its own terms.  

Soon after, the U.S. would most likely realize that its just hurting itself; we need to get in on the organic farming, the alternate energy, the sugarcane. In the words of my Cuban friend and professor, "The blockade is a knife at the throat of every Cuban."

(The pictures are from my trip to the National Assembly. We met with the Speaker of the House's chief aide. I asked her about gay marriage, I think. Haha.)