The Afro-Cuban Revolution

Another colonial Latin American country that had racial profiles was Cuba. The Cuban Revolution (1953-59,) resulted in the overthrow of the Cuban dictator, Fulgencio Batista, and created a new communist government under Fidel Castro. The revolution replaced Batista’s regime which favored the capitalist interest, with Castro's revolutionary government that focused on nationalizing industry and developing basic services (education, health). However, after the victory of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro noticed the racism in Cuba, specifically in the job market and this led him to issue anti-discrimination laws. The history of racism in Cuba goes back to when the Spanish settlers arrived with their African slaves. However, the racism that Castro
On the down side, his policies did not change the structural biases underlying society; he only addressed issues of unequal access. Thus, after the Soviet Union fell, Cubans started to face economic hardships which included shortages and cuts in social services. With Cuba’s change along with its economic struggle Afro-Cubans were the ones who were affected the most. However, U.S. dollars from remittances, tourism and paladares contributed to the growing inequality along racial lines in Cuba. Remittances were when white Cubans migrated after the revolution to the U.S and they sent money back to their families in Cuba. This notion made the whites richer and the poor poorer, widening the class gap. However, negative stereotypes of Afro- Cubans were being demonstrated with the growing Cuban rap and hip-hop movements. They brought back the issues of racism and discrimination by describing racism as lived experiences and this challenged the official silence and the popular belief that racism was no longer existent in
However, certain individuals were given more power and higher status despite their race or gender, because of the higher amount of wealth that they had. However, despite the efforts of certain individuals, hierarchies of race and gender remained throughout the history of Colonial Latin America and beyond. Race, culture and class were all created by humans and as time goes on they were shaped and reshaped. The concept of race was different in the U.S from colonial Latin America. Sadly, the racism that lied between most of these nations in colonial times still exists today. Racism needs to stop, but the solution is yet to be found. The way that we see people will always be in the back of our minds and so it is difficult to get that image out. The same goes with gender; men were always seen as better than women and it’s difficult to get that idea out of one’s mind. Thus, race and gender have created significant systems of power in colonial Latin America, but it’s time for change. The challenge is to assure equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of their skin color, their ethnicity or even their gender. However, to end racism and inequality between genders, the mindset of society has to change which is not easy. Until this happens, if it ever does, then nothing will