FORUM
Black and African lives have always mattered in Castro's Cuba
t Bill
Ttirner
Guest
Columnist
"What's it matter to
people of color. Black
Americans, in particular ?"
That is the question I asked
myself - as 1 do about most
things - when the U.S. and
Cuba [moved toward] nor
malized diplomatic rela
tions last week [Aug. 15],
Cuba's Foreign
Minister Bmno Rodriguez
pre-empted the possibility
of a lecture from U.S.
Secretary of State John
Kerry on Cuba's record for
human rights abuses and its
track record of silencing
political opposition and
limiting the rights of its cit
izens. In his speech,
Kerry's counterpart said,
almost sarcastically: "In
Cuba, we have our own
concerns in the area of
human rights for the U.S."
Then he ticked off the
flaws and faults on the
record of the U.S., citing
the world's highest incar
ceration rate, income
inequality, police brutality,
racism, and the rule of spe
cial interest groups on the
economy and politics.
The Cuban government
has mattered to human
rights struggles around the
globe since Fidel Castro
and his brother, [then
JDefense Minister Raul,
came to power in a coup in
1959. In 1960, President
Fidel Castro and the Cuban
delegation to the United
v t . ? l _r _
ptauons siormcu oui 01 a
midtown Manhattan hotel
to stay instead at Harlem's
historic Theresa Hotel .
According to the New York
Times, Castro felt that
"Negroes would be more
sympathetic" to his cause,
and he drew enthusiastic
crowds of supporters. He
was visited at the Theresa
by Malcolm X,
poet Langston Hughes,
Gamal Abdel Nasser, the
president of Egypt, and
Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru of India.
Not long after visiting
Harlem, Castro welcomed
Robert Williams, the head
of the Monroe, N.C.
NAACP who fled to
Havana after being charged
with kidnapping. Fidel
supported Williams with a
radio station; his fight
against the U.S. govern
ment became a global case.
With Cuban support,
Williams was completely
exonerated upon his return
in 1975, when the State of
North Carolina dropped all
charges.
Also:
*Assata Shakur - the
godmother of rap legend
Tupac Shakur - fled to
Cuba in 1984 on the lam
for murder charges filed in
the late 1970s. In 2005,
Shakur became the first
woman to be named to the
FBIs most wanted list.
There are other African
Americans in Cuba, who,
like Shakur, are fugitives
from U.S. justice whom the
FBI considers armed and
extremely dangerous.
*Stokely Carmichael
- the well-known '60s-era
Black Power disciple later
known as Kwame Turd -
mattered to Fidel Castro; in
fact, they were mutual
admirers. Before his death
in 1998, Carmichael sought
treatment for prostate can
cer in Cuba, before dying
in Ghana, where Castro
had earlier supported the
efforts of its first post-colo
nial president, Kwame
Nkrumah.
?In a piece titled "9
Instances of Fidel Castro
and Cubans Helping Black
People Fight Colonialism
and White Supremacy," the
Atlanta Black Star noted
how Cuba has never hesi
tated to contribute weapons
and its own military forces
to freedom fighters, those
the U.S. called rebels,
insurgents, guerillas, and
terrorists, especially in"
Africa, such as the cases in
the wars for independence
in Angola, Namibia, and
Mozambique. In the
Western Hemisphere,
Cuban troops fought the
U.S. military when it
invaded the tiny Caribbean
nation of Granada in 1983.
?Nelson Mandela,
soon after being released
from prison in 1990 after
nearly 30 years of impris
onment, called his friend
Fidel Castro, thanking him
for sustaining the military
arm of the African National
Congress (ANC) party,
which elected Mandela
President of South Africa.
Before and for the duration
of Mandela's years as a
political prisoner, the U.S.
supported the apartheid
system.
?Cuba offered to send
its world renowned med
ical workforce to New
Orleans in 2005 when
Hurricane Katrina hit. Of
course, the U.S. State
Department declined the
offer. Cuba sent a large
group of disaster relief per
sonnel to Haiti in the after
math of the earthquake
there five years ago.
Cuba's impact continues
into the present, especially
in Latin America where,
most notably, it assists
Venezuela, a target of U.S.
sanctions. Cuba is credited
internationally for spear
heading efforts to extin
guish the Ebola outbreak in
Liberia, West Africa, last
year.
The thaw in dealings
between Cuba and the USA
started, significantly, when
President Obama shook
hands with President Raul
Castro in 2013 at President
Nelson Mandela's funeral.
No doubt, Cuba will matter
even more, now that we're
closer.
Dr. Bill Turner is a
noted educator, writer and
thinker who called
Winston-Salem home for
many years. Reach him at
bill-turner@comcast.net.
New Southeast Community Partnership hosts event at school
BACK TO SCHOOL
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
The children in the Southeast Ward were recently
treated to a back-to-school event at Main Street Academy.
During the event, students were given book bags contain
ing school supplies and were fed.
The Southeast International Community Day was
organized by the newly formed Southeast Community
Partnership. The team consists of several churches, organ
izations and government agencies. Many from the com
munity were excited about the event and pleased to see an
event in the Southeast community.
The Rev. Anthony Jones, pastor of United Cornerstone
Missionary Baptist Church, described the experience:
"For 10 years, I have been serving as the senior minis
ter of United Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church,
located in the Southeast Ward. One of my passions for
ministry is working with children and youth. Over the
years, I've noticed there was a lack of positive activity for
children and youth in the area. I prayed to God to provide
an idea to help build upon my desire to provide succor and
strength to the children and youth and in our area. As a
result of the Southeast International Community Day, the
I
efficacy of agencies and people who share the passion to
produce a proper environment [united]."
Big Brothers/Big Sisters is also a member of the
Southeast Community Partnership. Shawan Gabriel,
CEO, expressed her opinion of the event as follows: "It
was great to have so many community partners to unite
and host this type of event for the southeast community,
and Big Brothers/Big Sisters was glad to be a part of it."
There were countless families represented at the event.
The Martinez family has three children in the Winston
Salem/Forsyth County Schools system. They were very
grateful to be able to receive free school supplies.
Stan Martinez said: "This is a blessing, buying school
supplies for three children can be very costly, we in the
community really appreciate this event."
Ronald Travis, principal of Main Street Academy, con
cluded with the following: "I am very grateful we are able
to partner with so many outstanding agencies. We appre
ciate their support.
"We are very grateful that our community supported
an event of this magnitude. We are also thankful for the
support of Officer Pam Peoples-Joyner and the Winston
Salem Police Department. Her leadership was very criti
cal to the success of this affair.
"Lastly, to Councilman James Taylor, Councilman ol
the Southeast Ward. He supported this occasion and has
visited our campus and pledged his support of our endeav
ors. Main Street Academy wants to continue to be a pro
ductive partner in the Southeast Community."
Submitted phot
A few children pose with supplies they received dur
ing the back- -to-school event at Main Street
Academy on Aug. 13.
REQUEST YOUR TICKETS NOW!
Paying \tnfrim's
Marine Band concerts offer a unique
m 8||| |^**Y****^-imraB blend of traditional concert band and
//CDnrCir^T1 XTT'C1 \V contemporary wind ensemble music
ff 1 lyljOlL/IjIN 1 ^ \\ suitable for people of all ages and
II raWNJ )l musical tastes. The Marine Band
\\ V-/ yj has toured throughout the country
^^^jnited states marine ban^r performing in communities both large
f" _ and small for more than a century.
?? *mcet7*
? One Performance Only
? FREE ADMISSION
? Open seating
? Tickets limited to four (4) per request
? f.amprac nnt allnwprl
? Ticket holders must be seated by 7:15 p.m.
? Doors will open to general public at 7:20 p.m.
? For your added convenience, tickets may be picked up at the University
Ticket Office in the lobby of the Albert H. Anderson Center, weekdays from
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ^
ORDER FORM FOR MAIL-IN REQUESTS
Please send order form and
self-addressed, stamped envelope to:
Number of tickets:
Lyceum Cultural Events
Marine Band Tickets
Winston-Salem State University
Campus Box 19432
Winston-Salem, NC 27110
please Name
pnnt Address
City State Zip Code
rr, n '
.'?Pr W w
AT&T is expanding the It Can Wait^1 campaign
from its original focus on texting while driving
to now include other smartphone driving
distractions that are threatening the safety of
our roadways. Our research shows that 7-in-10
people engage in smartphone activities while
driving. Texting and emailing still top the list,
but other smartphone activity behind the wheel
is now too common, including the use of social
media, taking selfies and even video chatting.
Our message is simple: Be safe. Keep your
eyes on the road, not on your phone.