Friday, April 10, 2009

isn't it ironic

The 7 lawmakers who recently went to Cuba to visit the Castro brothers were members of the Congressional Black Caucus, yet they made no mention of the plight of Afro-Cubans. It would seem to this observer to be something worth at least a mention, no? Here's the facts:

Afro Cubans in Civil Society

• Afro-Cubans comprise over 60 percent of the island’s population, yet…
• Black and dark-skinned multiracial Cubans constitute only five percent of hospitality workers catering to Europeans and other tourists' international joint ventures with foreign firms (which tend to offer the highest wages by Cuban standards), while making up nearly 70 percent of the state-run labor force.
• Moreover, only about 35 percent of managerial positions in the state-run sector are held by black and biracial (mulatto) Cubans.
• Afro-Cubans are disproportionately represented in the prison population -- 80 percent of Cuba’s inmates are black or mulatto.
• Cubans of European ancestry receive as much as 250 percent more in remittances (cash subsidies) from family abroad than their Afro-Cuban neighbors. Growing income disparities may in turn be affecting the educational opportunities as well as occupational options of many Cubans of African ancestry.
• In terms of higher education, Afro-Cubans are already perceived to be woefully underrepresented – accounting for as little as three percent of university enrollments.

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