In 1959, Fidel Castro announced that Cuba is a "raceless" society under Communism when he violently took power.  The Center for International Policy (CIP) hosted a one-day conference entitled Questions of Racial Identity, Racism and Anti-Racist Policies in Cuba Today that challenge’s his statement.  The event was held at the University of California Washington Center, in downtown D.C.  During the one-day conference, there was a wide array of thoughts and opinions. One audience member said, “I wish this was longer than one day because it would take more than a day to cover all of this.”

While the event covered the on-going issue of racism in Cuba and what is being done to unravel the trend, one particular part of the conference dealt with the issue of Afro-Cubans and their strive toward racial equality.  This particular session was moderated by Mwiza Munthali, Director of Public Outreach of the Trans-Africa Forum.  On the panel was Wayne Smith, Senior Fellow and Director of the Cuba project at CIP, and Heriberto Feraudy, President of the Cuban Commission Against Racism.

The term Afro-Cuban refers to all Cubans of Sub Saharan African ancestry (those who’s ancestors were brought over into Cuba during the slave trade or after:  i.e. Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, etc.), and the community’s historical [or cultural] elements in Cuba; along with a melding of African and Cuban religion, music, language, the arts, and class culture.  The culture is alive and well, but so is racism in Cuba.

In 2002, a Cuban national census surveyed 11.2 million Cubans; 1.1 million Cubans described themselves as Afro-Cuban, while 2.8 million considered themselves to be "mulatto" or "mestizo".  That means at least over 4 million Afro-Cubans are systematically excluded from positions.  The U.S. and Cuba share the same history when it comes to how Africans came to their respective countries.  "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 Smith.

He added, “The Center [for International Policy] believes it’s important for all Americans [and all people for that matter] to have true equality. “  CIP also thinks it’s important for Americans to have a clear and true understanding of how Cuban citizens and policymakers are dealing with the issues of race, equality and national identity. 

Also speaking was James Early of Smithsonian Center of Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Sarah Stephens of the Center of Democracy in the Americas, Emira Woods of the IPS Foreign Policy in Focus Board, and Esteban Morales of Center for the Study of U.S.-Cuban Relations. 

 “The conversation of race is becoming more open,” said Muhammad Tamil, one of the conference attendees, “which shows things are changing in Cuba.  I’ve visited the country twice and each time I went, I saw progress.” 

 The event was sponsored with cooperation from The Latin America Working Group Education Fund, and the Washington Office on Latin America.