Race and Revolution

Fidel Castro famously wrote he had “lived in the belly of the beast” and understood his enemy, America. Dr. Carlos Moore, a prolific author, journalist, and scholar, has returned the favor, penning an insider’s perspective of the plight of black Cubans who were socially and politically shunned by Castro’s revolution.

Moore was born on the island to Jamaican parents and experienced poverty and prejudice as a youngster. His family fled to the United States when Fidel took power. While in New York, Moore became involved in the civil rights movement and was influenced by Malcolm X, Alex Haley, and Maya Angelou, among others. He returned to his homeland in 1961 to fight racial injustice and was eventually jailed and exiled by the regime. This Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Diaspora Vibe Gallery, Moore will read from his new book, Pichón: A Memoir: Race and Revolution in Castro’s Cuba. The book offers a stark, sobering account of the social and political struggles of pichones, a degrading Cuban term for blacks of Haitian and Caribbean decent.
Thu., Jan. 8, 2009