I'm Inspired by the Cuban Revolution

Here are my initial thoughts and learnings on the revolution in Cuba and what we're really fighting for xo

I landed in the U.S. back from Cuba yesterday and already I’m missing the Caribbean breeze and being in a land built on resistance. I went on a delegation led by Code Pink and Progressive International with hundreds of volunteers from all over the world, bringing humanitarian aid, solidarity, and uplifting the stories of what is actually happening on the ground in Cuba.

The most inspiring lesson I learned in Cuba is that it IS possible to resist U.S. imperialism and the great pyramid scheme of capitalism every day.

We’ll just never hear that reported on the news.

For over 60 years, the U.S. has enforced a blockade on Cuba. The gist of it is this: the U.S. HATED the fact that Fidel Castro led Cuba to a communist revolution, so they blocked any trade with the island as a means of punishment and oppression.

The U.S. is THIRSTY to capture and colonize Cuba just as it has done with Puerto Rico and so many other lands, a tradition revered by the patriarchal elite, disembodied from their own humanity. Our own goddamn president orange man recently said he’d love to do “whatever I want with it.” Disgusting… and yet: Cuba RESISTS!!!

The Revolution

I had never learned about the Cuban revolution before because, obviously, U.S. public schools aren’t gonna teach us useful socialist shit like that. I learned about the revolution through this experience and I’m so grateful I did because it is one of the most inspiring lessons in solidarity in global history.

In 1959, Fidel Castro led the Cuban Revolution to overthrow U.S. puppet dictator Fulgencio Batista. In response, U.S. President Eisenhower slashed sugar imports and imposed an embargo on exports to Cuba. The next U.S. President JFK himself turned this into a total economic and financial blockade to the island. In 1962, JFK prohibited ALL trade with Cuba, including medical supplies. The goal has been to starve the Cuban economy into collapse.

JFK’s nasty dealings were a reaction to the massive failure that was his attempt to overthrow Castro with the Bay of Pigs invasion. So instead of direct military intervention, they turned to economic strangulation. Nasty.

Before the Bay of Pigs invasion, Castro had not officially aligned himself as a communist. However, after defeating the U.S. forceds, he chose to claim communism to gain support from the USSR.

And there the battle was born: an extension of the long-time red scare, capitalism vs. communism forever.

There has been so much misinformation about Castro and the revolution. But as I was in Cuba, I learned that he was a benevolent leader who was revered by MANY (despite how the U.S. tries to paint him) and he constantly pushed media attention away from him to focus on the people, unlike any U.S. President ever.

Cuba Takes Care of People

Deeply unlike the U.S. where I live, Cuba is a country that takes care of people. This was the most fascinating aspect to me. Currently, the taxes we pay in the U.S. barely go to anything that help us… instead the government spends trillions on unnecessary wars that pretend to “bring democracy” but only cause more destabilization and usually is a front for colonization and gaining oil.

In Cuba, after the revolution, Castro made sure his people were the winners. For once, we see the proletariat WINNING!!!

Free Housing

After toppling the old regime, Castro redistributed land to the peasants. Old mansions once owned by European elites now housed the housekeeper and her family. Those families don’t pay rent. They don’t have mortgages worth millions of dollars to lose sleep over. They own their houses. Their children are taken care of. They are happy.

Free Education

Education is free to all Cubans. From primary school to undergrad to post graduate. Can you even imagine that?!!?!?!?! In the U.S. most people are in debt from school that they may never finish paying off, while living in an economy that can’t even provide jobs that honor the education they’ve undergone.

Cuba’s literacy rate is nearly 100% !!!!! They are virtually tied first place globally. Under Castro, the 1961 Literacy Campaign sent 250,000 volunteers into mountains and rural areas to teach people to read and write in a single year. In the U.S., they pay teachers dog shit and they have to buy their own supplies…. wtf.

When we were walking around Cuba and we’d strike up conversations with young Cuban teens, they’d ask us such thoughtful questions on U.S. politics, showing they’re well read. In the U.S., teens are mostly talking about influencers. It’s not the same.

Free Healthcare

In Cuba, a poor person can become a medical doctor with no debt. In fact, Cuba produces the most doctors per capita in the entire world. According to WHO data, there are 9 doctors per 1,000 people! This is compared to the U.S. where we only have 2.6 doctors per 1,000 people…

These doctors are sent abroad on medical missions to help people in need all around the world at no cost. A village without access to any healthcare can receive help from a Cuban doctor who can save their lives when they otherwise have no other options.

There are polyclinics where doctors are available to check on patients regularly, almost every day. If there is someone with an ongoing medical condition, they don’t have to wait hours in a busy doctors office only to see them for 20 minutes and that’s it for months. Someone actually CHECKS ON THEM!!! Can you imagine if your primary care doctor even had time for that?!?!

Happy Childhoods

Cuba also has some of the highest childhood happiness indicators. For example:

• Children have access to education which helps them develop intellectually and learn at rates more rapid than the U.S. school system, which the government drains of money to instead use for war

• Cuba is considered extremely safe with very low crime rates and ZERO SCHOOL SHOOTINGS, compared to 200-300 school shootings per year in the U.S. in the past five years

• In Cuba, people look out for each other – they aren’t forced to spend every second of their lives working, as we do in the U.S. They have time to spend together. They have time to hang out. They have time to look out for their neighbors. Imagine if we had that? How different would our lives be?

So Why is the U.S. Starving Cuba? Because they are Petty.

Looking at all of this data, I can’t help but wonder: how is Cuba a threat to the U.S.? Spoiler: Cuba is NOT a threat to the U.S. They are survivors who resist being colonized. And that’s why the U.S. has punished them for decades.

The Orange Trumper Man regime has hardened the blockade even more, cutting off all fuel to the island. When they kidnapped the Venezuelan president, they cut off Cuba’s last lifeline to oil. So now, Cuba is suffering without fuel to run hospitals, transport food from farms to the city, and more. Without fuel, people can’t even get to work.

And the infrastructure in Cuba is failing, leading to nationwide blackouts which we experienced while we were there. Again, the most inspiring part of all of this is Cuban resilience. When there’s a will, there’s a way, baby! Without lights, Cuban restaurants would light candles and cook food with what they had. People in the streets still sing and dance and children play.

Cuba is facing the hardest time they’ve had so far. What the U.S. is doing is nothing short of evil. They make it impossible for any other country to trade with Cuba or they’ll be punished, which means during the COVID crisis Cuba couldn’t even get much needed ventilators.

Due to all of this geopolitical pressure, tourism has significantly declined, which used to be the top source of income for many locals. Due to lack of fuel, the island can’t send planes back to other countries, which leads to flight cancellations. Without fuel, public transportation has largely stopped and tours have been cancelled across the island. Many countries issue travel advisories to Cuba unless travel is essential, due to risk of being stranded without electricity or fuel.

The U.S. has also designated Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (insert major eye roll here). This means travelers from other countries, including the EU, are punished for visiting Cuba and lose eligibility for a U.S. visa.

Without trade or fuel, there is a major shortage of food and clean water, basic medicine, and resources people need to survive.

How did We Go to Cuba?

We were able to go with our delegation because we obtained visas under the premise that we’re providing support for the Cuban people. So we legally brought aid through planes and the flotilla, Granma 2.0, which arrived to Cuba yesterday. Each of us even packed basic aid in our own suitcases which we shared with polyclinics, including pads, tampons, advil, school supplies, and more.

We stayed in a U.S. approved hotel, which there are only four and they are run by anyone but Cubans. We stayed in a Spanish hotel which happens to be a fancy five star joint with a generator. The New York Times (Crimes) reported that Hasan Piker, who was there with our delegation, was staying in a luxury resort while regular Cubans suffered. The kind of bullshit these media outlets are posting to incite controversy over a humanitarian mission is a pathetic display of centrist zionism that attempts to distract from the real issues on the ground.

In fact, what’s happening in Gaza is inextricably linked to what is happening in Cuba. The U.S. is funding the genocide of every day innocent people in both places, all in an attempt to take the land and build a Trump hotel.

How Can You Help?

Reading all this might make you feel despair. But I don’t want you to feel helpless! In fact, attending the delegation inspired me so much. I met so many leaders of the revolution today all around the world. And they are every day people who rise up to make a difference. Keep showing up to protests. Keep linking with local mutual aid. Keep building coalitions in your own community. And all of this will lead to the revolution in America that is coming now.

One direct action you can take today is supporting a DSA Stop the Siege fundraiser, Venceremos Fund, to send solar panels to Cuba. The more Cuba can become independent from fuel, the more Cuba will lead the whole world to divest from fuel, the main source of fascist oppression.

I’ll share more thoughts later, but for now, this is what I wanted to say.

God bless and may the revolution be swift ❤️