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Barack Obama
Related: About this forumFor Afro-Cubans President Obama is a source of pride and inspiration
Boys wearing palm fronds around their necks after going to church on Palm Sunday pose for a photograph along the Paseo de Marti, the wide boulevard running through the heart of the historic Old Havana neighborhood March 20, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. Obama is scheduled to arrive in Cuba Sunday afternoon, the first time a sitting U.S. president has visited the island nation in nearly 90 years. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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For Mauri and other black Cubans, Barack Obama isnt just the first U.S. leader to visit their country in nearly nine decades. Hes a black man whose rise to the worlds most powerful job is a source of pride and inspiration.
Obamas March 20-22 visit has raised Cubans hopes that a new era in relations with the United States will bring an end to the U.S. trade embargo and improve life for everyone on the island. For Afro-Cubans in particular, the presidential trip carries a special charge, a hope that an African-American leaders near-universal popularity among Cubans of all races will help end lingering prejudice and inequality.
Hes black and in some moment of his life he must have realized that as an African-American he had to elevate his performance level because as a black person you have to work twice as hard to get the same result as a white, Mauri said. I identify a lot with him because of that.
Cubas culture is a blend of African and Spanish influence. The islands world-renowned music and dance traditions draw deeply from the cultures of the West Africans brought to the island as slaves. Its Santeria religion is a blend of Catholicism and the Yoruba practices of western Africa.
Obamas March 20-22 visit has raised Cubans hopes that a new era in relations with the United States will bring an end to the U.S. trade embargo and improve life for everyone on the island. For Afro-Cubans in particular, the presidential trip carries a special charge, a hope that an African-American leaders near-universal popularity among Cubans of all races will help end lingering prejudice and inequality.
Hes black and in some moment of his life he must have realized that as an African-American he had to elevate his performance level because as a black person you have to work twice as hard to get the same result as a white, Mauri said. I identify a lot with him because of that.
Cubas culture is a blend of African and Spanish influence. The islands world-renowned music and dance traditions draw deeply from the cultures of the West Africans brought to the island as slaves. Its Santeria religion is a blend of Catholicism and the Yoruba practices of western Africa.
Read More: http://thegrio.com/2016/03/21/for-afro-cubans-president-obama-is-a-source-of-pride-and-inspiration/
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For Afro-Cubans President Obama is a source of pride and inspiration (Original Post)
sheshe2
Mar 2016
OP
That's a lot of pressure. One skinny black man cannot fix racism. That's up to the racists. But..
Tarheel_Dem
Mar 2016
#1
"Glad he could give them a chance to thumb their noses at the dominant culture."
Tarheel_Dem
Mar 2016
#5
Tarheel_Dem
(31,443 posts)1. That's a lot of pressure. One skinny black man cannot fix racism. That's up to the racists. But..
I'm sure proud of him for his message of inclusion, no matter where you are, or who you are.
Well, let me add that the skinny black man is drop down gorgeous and has the soul to match.
Love you~
JustAnotherGen
(33,390 posts)4. Well said!
My understanding is that Cuba has a long history of racism towards black people. Glad he could give them a chance to thumb their noses at the dominant culture.
Tarheel_Dem
(31,443 posts)5. "Glad he could give them a chance to thumb their noses at the dominant culture."
brer cat
(26,164 posts)2. He has been a beacon of hope
around the world. What a role model for children and young people!