Minneapolis spokesman., 1963-01-04
How Does The Cuban
Negro Stand On Castro?

Where does the Cuban Of Negro ancestry stand
on the issue Of Castroism. So far we have received
no clear picture of whose side the sizable Negro
minority in Cuba is
All Of the news pictures Of the ill-fated Bay Of
Pigs prisoners who were ransomed show very few
Negroes. In fact the only Cuban of Negro char
acteristics we saw in televised ceremonies which
President Kennedy addressed Saturday was the
member Of Brigade 25O6 who made the flag pre-
sentation to JFK 1t almost seemed the black
Cuban in view was selected a stage prop to in
dicate that there was really anti-Castro sent-
ment among Cuban blacks
Photos of Cuban refugees who are In the US.
notably all Of white Cubans. Nobody should
try to tell us that there are no such animals be-
cause we've seen both white and black Cubans and
know that before the Castro regime took there
a large amount Of color prejudice in Cuba es-
pecialy in American patronized hotels restaurants
and public accommodations. We know some Negro
Cubans who play baseball in this country will deny
this discriminatory situation which existed before
Castro, but the facts speak for themselves
Most observers will admit that the color and
prejudice in its most Hrulent forms which
came into Cuba was brought in later years by the
blue-eyed Yankees who were the top dogs in
Cuban industry and our dear white American tour
lists, many of whom still insist carrying their
white supremacy" ideas even into brown and
black countries
Believe it or not adverse black Cuban contact
with Americans or knowledge of the us. situa-
ton may be the reason why such large numbers of
Negro Cubans have come under the spell of F1del
Castro AS early in the Castro administration the
first few months when he came to the United States,
he showed his hand by moving to the Negro hotel,
the Theresa in Harlem This a obvious and
deliberate play to his Negro constituents perhaps
accorded
Cuban leader in downtown NY.
In most photos of Castro, among his uniformed
staff and among his assistants can be seen black
Cubans something which was singularly missing
during prior Cuban dynasties short or long-lived.
Batista himself the way up from sergeant to
President referred obiquely to his Negro ancestry,
but that was soon played down and most Of his
bographers learned to stress his Indian and Span
ish strains
We remember quite well that early in the his
tory of the successful Castro overthrow Of the
Baststa regime. F1de very caustically crd-
cal of the racial policies In vogue in various parts
of the us. We WINGED a Bit but since most Of
hia criticism was true, we were In no position to
cridcise him this particular subject.
ALI through the months of his regime his crit
ical attack some Of the things which happen to
American Negroes in their own country have not
been reported In the daily newspapers which we
have read.
If press association representatives have been
filing stories Castros estimate of the American
problem, few Of our daily papers or the radio
and teevision have given any significant coverage
Of his remarks.
It may be that the press associations and the
media they serve are ashamed Of what goes daily
in our country, like the near Christmas shotgun
blasting of James Merediths parents home and
various other types of overt racism which occurs In
the good old USA.
All Of this stil has US wondering where all the
Negro Cubans in the Communist take-over in
Cuba. We see few Negroes among the 'hberators"
who are wined and dined and taken care Of in the
US In contrast whenever the TV. newsreel
camera show Castro's Cuban militia, there are al
ways large numbers Of Negroes shown as officers
and soldiers in the ranks.
Does this mean that Cuban Negroes have
bought Castro's brand Of Communist revolution. Or
does 1t that the Negroes were so bad off under
the previous administration, they feel as other hon.
est Cubans felt at the beginning of the Castro move
ment: nothing could be worse than what they were
experiencing, under a government which then had
the blessing Of the us.
It will be interesting to find out just how the
Cuban Negro In general stands on the Castro Com
munist regime, and why. Certainly 1t is puzzling
to see so few Negro Cubans among those who have
fled to this country to escape the tenacles Of the
present Castro police state.
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