Experts Weigh in on Questions of Race in Cuba

Experts Weigh in on Questions of Race in Cuba
By Center for International Policy
Published: Thursday, Jun. 2, 2011 - 6:09 am

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2011 -- /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Center
for International Policy hosted an all-day conference that explored the
notion and implications of racism and racial identity in Cuba as the
Afro-Cuban population struggles with widespread discrimination. When
Castro seized power in 1959, he declared Cuba a "raceless" society under
the Communist project; however, socioeconomic disparities on racial
lines remain clear. Once considered taboo, discussions on race are
becoming more prevalent in Cuba with the creation of National Union of
Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC) "Cuban Color" working groups and
other race-related government organizations committed to dismantling
barriers.

"The United States and Cuba share a common challenge. Both have black
minority populations and thus residual traces of racism; both must focus
on how to eliminate these inconsistencies," said Wayne Smith, director
of the Cuba project at the Center for International Policy.

To Smith, the conference's primary goal was "to understand how the
Cubans are approaching the problem, with some commentary on its approach
from the American perspective." The participants discussed the
implications of race on the Cuban nation, Afro-Cuban initiatives
striving for racial equality, and the effect on these issues on
U.S.-Cuban relations.

Conference panelists included Wayne Smith; James Early, Smithsonian
Center of Folklife and Cultural Heritage; Esteban Morales, Center for
the Study of U.S.-Cuban Relations; Heriberto Feraudy, Cuban Commission
against Racism; Luis Murillo, Phelps Stokes; Julia Sweig, Council on
Foreign Relations; and Philip Brenner, American University. Emira Woods
of the Institute of Policy Studies, Mwiza Munthali of TransAfrica Forum,
and Sarah Stephens of the Center for Democracy in the Americas moderated
the panels.

Esteban Morales underscored the importance of race in today's political
discourse: "The topic of race is intimately connected with others, such
as the economy, human rights, inequality, and social justice. Avoiding
the topic for so long has been a serious risk for the solid unity of the
Cuban nation because national unity must be achieved by the construction
of consensus among civil society."

By addressing these issues at the conference, James Early believes that
the conference ultimately "supports the positive efforts of the Cuban
people and the government to advance the interrelated goals of social
equality, political and cultural democracy, and economic development."

SOURCE Center for International Policy

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/06/02/3671576/experts-weigh-in-on-questions.html