by JR Valrey
Reminiscent of Malcolm X, aka El Hajj Malik Shabazz, hosting Fidel Castro and the Cuban U.N. delegation at the legendary Hotel Theresa in Harlem in the early ’60s, two Cuban diplomats set foot in Oakland and San Francisco, with the SF Bay View Newspaper playing a part in organizing the tour.
First Secretary Sulia Paez and Second Secretary Gabriela Castillo of the Cuban Embassy described their island as a nation dealing with a serious mental health crisis, drinking water shortages, starvation, no electricity and no oil at the three events they had in the Bay Area from Aug. 20-23.
They talked in detail about how, after eight months of dealing with an ongoing unjustified, U.S. taxpayer-funded and U.S. government-imposed oil blockade, as well as a 67-year-old general blockade, Cubans are currently suffering through a U.S. government-imposed genocide.
They spoke at The Black Panther Museum, the African American Art and Culture Complex in Fillmore and Oakland Rising. They also attended Feed the Hood 38 in Honor of Oakland’s own Shock G in Deep East Oakland.
While in the Bay, Secretaries Paez and Castillo touched down with numerous Bay Area movers and shakers, including legendary actor and activist Danny Glover; Black Panther Party Minister of Culture and Revolutionary Artist Emory Douglas; Congresswoman Lateefah Simon; Executive Director of the East Oakland Collective, Candice Elder; activist attorney Walter Riley; Tylicia Hooker of the Children’s Education Project; SF D10 supervisor candidate Jamo Muhammed; KPFA’s “Transitions on Traditions” host Greg Bridges; Greg Hodge of the Brotherhood of Elders; super producer 4 Rax of the Mekanix; legendary pianist Kev Choice; and rappers Mistah FAB and Mystic, to name a few.
Black people around the world and all oppressed people have to think: It is extremely nefarious and criminal for the only nation in current history to have assembled an army of doctors regularly sent overseas in solidarity to help Third World nations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean build health care and medical infrastructure to now have to do surgeries under cellphone lights in hospitals and pump air to infants by hand because a foreign government, aka the U.S. government, wants to control their government.
The U.S. government policies justifying the blockades are torturing young and elderly Cubans alike by making the country deal with sweltering Caribbean heat without air conditioning. Without petro, it is nearly impossible to distribute food throughout the country, which is also leading to malnutrition and starvation for masses of people.
The San Francisco Bay View was honored to play a part in helping with this Bay Area speaking tour. We urge people to educate themselves on the Cuban Revolution and on the blockades that the U.S. has imposed, as well as call Congresswoman Lateefah Simon and Oakland Mayor Barbra Lee to let them know that we would like to see them do more in the Bay Area’s name to fight this overseas atrocity that is being funded by our tax dollars.
Reach out to your elected officials here:
Congresswoman Simon – (510) 763-0370
Mayor Barbra Lee – (510) 238-3141
JR Valrey is editor in chief at the San Francisco Bayview and can be reached at jr@sfbayview.com.