Women's Forum; F31; Interview with Johnnetta Cole, Jackie Ramos, and Jerry Casey on the Vinceremos Brigade's Trip to Cuba

Thanks. Janice Adams and this is Women's Forum. Tonight a trip to Cuba the seventh contingent of the BEEN SET A most brigade with our guests Dr. Jeanetta Cole a professor of African-American studies at the University of Massachusetts. Jackie Ramos and Gerry Casey both of whom are students as well at the University of Massachusetts. All of them were part of the seven contingent of the brigade to Cuba Dr. Cole. We'd like to tell you a little bit about what we've been doing over the last few months. The three of us along with roughly a hundred and twenty some odd people from the United States. Spent a total of nine weeks in Cuba. We were there as members of the bench that I am most brigade. An educational project that has gone on in this country. Cents one thousand one hundred and sixty six thousand ninety. We were part of the seventh contingent as you might know. The big

gain is one of the few ways that the North American people are able to understand what is going on in a very exciting country of Cuba which is after all only 90 miles off of the coast of Florida. As a result of the triumph of that revolution which involved among other things and in to American imperialism United States government responded with two kinds of blockades. One an economic blockade which is interesting in the sense that Cuba although poor and still a developing nation has managed to do without. She's managed to do without a high platform shoes spray cans and the other to run it and the rest of the things that somehow we've learned we can't live without. But perhaps more interesting for our particular experience is the information blockade which the United States attempted to impose on us. It was as if this country said if you don't know about it then you couldn't possibly dig it.

And so over the last few years since the break in relations between the U.S. and Cuba it has been difficult for most people in the United States to know what is happening there. We are very pleased that we somehow have an association with a project that has managed to defy that blockade to defy our by not only sending people from the United States to Cuba but perhaps even more importantly by trying to bring that information back into our communities to make that sort of hook up in terms of our nine week spend in Cuba we spent the first six weeks at a time deeply integrated into Cuban society involved not only in. Experiencing all of the kind of cultural and social programs but the work that is going on in Cuba all the time everywhere you look. On Saturdays and Sundays to the work that is building Cuba up from that underdeveloped country that it was especially as a result of that process of imperialism that took all the riches out of Cuba and bring leave much for the people except

unemployment and broke heroes and shacks. And the way that that worked for us the way it was structured was the first six weeks we were part of a work project building a whole new town that was started by the 5th Brigade and has been worked on ever since by international brigades from Scandinavia and other parts of Latin America. A town called last night on horse which is out in the in the countryside in the province of Vana about 40 minutes from the city. And every Monday through Friday. Full day's work and half a day's work on Saturday we were responsible for finishing parts of that town our brigade. The whole brigade was divided into seven work groups work brigade and the Western Mass people along with people from other parts of the country like Detroit were responsible for building a school with where we worked with Cuban workers skilled carpenters and masons and our Cuban delegation of students who worked with us lived with us and even toward with us after the work experience. We get up every morning about six o'clock after a good hearty breakfast in a ration of those good Cuban cigarettes which I'm still got a little bit of right now. We'd be out to the

worksite by about quarter seven and work through until I have a noon break when the sun was the hottest and back out again to 5:30 and in the period of time of six weeks we transformed what looked like a bunch of pillars. That's all they were like Stonehenge sitting in the middle of nowhere into a real school built the walls the foundations had the roof on it had the electricity all laid out ready to work and when we left Cuba we went back at the end of our tour. The painting was on the blackboards were in and that school is going to be open for children who never before had a chance to go to school. You know before the revolution. In September. Well let me let me give another kind of approach to that. What that work meant was that Jackie Raine was had a pick and was death on those stone and Jerry Casey especially seemed to be wheel barrels right up under the cement mixer getting the stuff in and pouring it out.

I think we've got to somehow communicate a large part of that brigade experience is hard work. That is we don't have many machines to work with. I mean that doesn't say you know that there are no machines. But certainly compared to a fancy North American kind of construction site I mean we were in ditches. We were digging ditches and we had the black marks to prove marks to prove it. We got some muscles around this table that weren't there before. But I'm also convinced that it would have been impossible to genuinely understand Cuban society without seeing work because it was on that work so I that we not only built the school but that we engaged in the criticism and the self-criticism that we talked about our experiences in this country and share them with cabanas and heard what was going on. I guess we also give a little piece of advice and that is anybody thinking about applying to them again next year. It wasn't the right exercise. But you know there is there's one other little insight that I had that I think was important to

me in this in this country filled with a pill for every ache and pain in a drug for every other thing. It was also important to kind of recognize the fact that your body you know your mind you really were capable of doing things far beyond what you know what was true would be expected of you in a society. And would you even think about doing you know a lot of times were faced with hard work and I'm sure we can all attest to having a series a backlog of excuses why you know why we got to go to where maybe we have to do all kinds of things to get away from doing serious physical labor. Yet and still in Cuba it was it became. You know it became a source of excitement for me and to know that one day you know the first week I couldn't I couldn't live. This will be full of rocks. I just could not do it and I wasn't going to do it. And the roots we're following. I was right up

there with everybody else doing all of that exactly. It's also fulfilling work. And the difference between all the kind of work we do in the States and the work I extend the experience I had with work in Cuba is just phenomenal that difference. It's the difference when you know that what you're doing is constructive when you know that what you're producing is going to be for the benefit of a whole community of people and I found myself working harder not only doing what was expected you know carrying those hundred twenty pound sacks of cement but trying to test myself to do even more and feeling so that I could push myself because you wanted to and I'm human beings I'm a really creative and full of a great deal of energy and in the United States when you're working in a factory or when you're working even as a waitress you know you can it's hard to see the purpose in your work you never see the results of that work. The profits of that work go to the you know a few people's pockets and never gets back into the community and it's just it's just a difference when you can you know and you can see it happening with the with the products of your labor.

Going for the community good it just makes waves you know when when you are in fact in control of your you know means of production. It really is all more meaningful to you know to each person. To go to a factory you know for example you know you're talking about factories for secondary. I had I couldn't help but notice the profound difference between workers in factories doing very similar what you might consider monotonous kinds of jobs the same thing over and over again just as people do here in the United States. But the attitude people happy people are talking to each other you know but they never stopped working. And most importantly the newspaper was read over a loudspeaker through the entire factory in a particular point a tobacco plant that we were at. And people sat and worked and really just maximized each minute. You know happily. And it's also that kind of development is interesting to encourage because not only is there a lot

of work but there's a lot of discussion and educational to go on after work which is what part of our experience was to every night after work. There was a big program. Set up in camp where we were and where we stay in the international camp. They consisted of either films Cuban films North American films in European films or presentations I think they were even more important. The presentations by Cubans telling us what's going on in your society presentations by North Americans as we tried to explain to the Cubans what was happening in the progressive movement in United States around issues like the workers movement here the trends in the third world movement national liberation struggle support for national liberation struggles. And then also there were delegations from other international groups that came to the camp to talk to us because the Cubans see for themselves for all the Cubans and for any visitor that is really important to build that international consciousness so we have issues of solidarity are important. Had those vision visits from the Vietnamese from people from the New Republic of South Yemen from the Puerto

Rican Socialist Party different groups came and that sort of complemented our work and broaden our perspective and it's not just. Us as North Americans that have that experience but those same things go on in the communities and in the union halls for all the Cuban worker so you find a person who is on one of those assembly lines who will talk to you about what's going down in Earl Grey what's going down in Vietnam and it really helps to erase that image of a worker's Archie Bunker who has nothing better to do but be a bigot sit around in a sloppy T-shirt and drink beer or go to work. You know all day come home and sit around the television for the rest of the evening. Which really gives very little education that you know that the whole the whole cycle. Why don't we describe a little bit the latter part of the brigade experience. Jackie you want to do that too. In essence what we did was travel from one end of Cuba clear across to the other. We weren't

tourists. That's the most important factor I think in the in the whole in the whole tour we weren't taken around to see the most beautiful things to see to see all of the beaches and things of that nature what we did in fact. Was visit places historical places of importance to the Cuban people to the Cuban revolution. For example when we reached Oriente the province where the primary activities of the Cuban revolution took place we visited such places as the Mungana garrison where which was family the main lodging of the tasters forces. We also went up into the mountains over there and talk about climbing some mountains maybe. At least 85 percent of the brigade and as soon as our initial greetings were through

hit the road and climb those mountains and I want to tell you it was hard. But we did it. And you know one might even ask why climb a mountain you know. But you know I think again in keeping you know with human expressions of solidarity it was important for us to do that. And very frankly it was exciting you know to know that we passed the same road the same path maybe stepped on the same border actually ha. Fidel and all the Cuban comrades that fought in the CNM I say travel you know and we travel the let's face it with light baggage just as they travel and those you know those days with packs on their back rifles you know all kinds of weather. So you know I mean it was really kind of fantastic to be able to do that. And of course we visited schools so many schools all across

the entire island. And Jerry you might want to talk a little bit about that but that was a fair test that for me being Since education is my area it was really beautiful for me to see the way Cuban children deal with their education. They enjoy it very very much they work as well as study. Given the whole Cuban emphasis on work and practiced you know connecting with two very very concretely children for example that live in an area where they process citrus citrus fruit may work in and that you know work picking or planting bananas banana trees you know where with the various fruits and they study you know the other half of the day. And they're doing it again. I mean they it's hard work and you know

but they they believe that it's very very important. The Cuban Revolution. And I think one of the things that the American press and the whole structure of this country suggest to us which is true is that somehow socialism is a drug. You know there's boring that after all all the people are going to look at Ally and dress alike and eat the same things. And it's just going to be a drag. Cuba is probably the most exciting place that anybody want to spend some time. What's the source of that real excitement. Is the revolution was the source of it is the excitement of building a society I mean you know to live someplace that's humane is an exciting experience. It gives time for people to it when your society is organized and structured so that it can meet the needs of the people at the same time that it can provide a lot of time for the cultural expression so that those children who spend half a day studying and half a day working in the

fields have time at night to develop some of the most exciting and new experimental theater that I've ever seen. Yeah a real one up on the living theater that we see in United States and able to also develop there. There are awareness of all the international struggles going around in international situations so that you have 14 year olds telling you about what's going on throughout the world. And there's time for not only students to do this but people in the community because there are the mass organizations that are effective in all of the of the projects all of the housing districts in the factories that set time aside for cultural events a time aside for educational events. And it's just a society that is that is structured in such a way that by people pulling together and the Socialism is basically the collectivization of your prophecies. So the production is collectivized and more efficient and of the products that a society makes is distributed equally. And if there is time and effort put aside for childcare so that parents can go to work without hassles about having to find babysitters all the time having to pay so much money for that. And then

there's time for people to be together in the families like their and their parks that have built some of the money that comes from the cash crop that they have goes directly into the not just back into production but into the cultural things too so that you have theaters you have aquariums you have art galleries. And on Sundays when we beat on or even when we're working we had Sunday visits and Sunday fun times and we'd see all the Cuban people out checking out the museums it's not just something that is reserved for the upper classes like the United States who goes to art museums you know only the hoity toity are you know it's got a kind of classic thing to it. Whereas in Cuba where there with art the history and ongoing revolution belongs to the people they take. There's a great deal of pride in people are learning about that and experiencing that firsthand. I'm just sitting here thinking that we better be careful or we're going to give the impression that the brigade experience is this totally smooth a conflict free

experience. And that would not be correct. But I think we've got to not only indicate that there are difficulties in sending one hundred and thirty to 200 people to Cuba breaking a blockade. But we've also got to communicate that what makes Cuba very special at least for North Americans are people from the United States is that there's always a process for dealing with those difficulties. But maybe we ought to you know lay out what some of those difficulties what some of those difficulties are. Let me just introduce that by saying that when 130 people from this country traveling to Mexico and then into Cuba when we arrived we obviously had a certain amount of luggage I guess roughly 44 pounds. But we also had another set of luggage and that was the stuff that was perhaps the source of our difficulties. That is we managed somehow to cart all the way to

Cuba. Most of the major problems that exist in this country and that's not surprising. But perhaps what is surprising is that we had a chance to look at those not just to see the problems that are that are kind of a part of the United States but also the problems that are peculiar in some sense to the North American left at this point in time. So why don't we talk about some of the baggage that we carted all the way down to Cuba. I think that the framework to put that in is also that we were helped by the Cuban people in first of all becoming aware of what what exactly that cultural baggage was and finding ways of dealing with it because they themselves are so open to that process of criticism and they tell us that one of the first things they talked about instead of giving us this glorious overview of all of Cuba is oh we have a problem here and here and here's a problem we have of housing and here's how we're trying to deal with it.

And when you see when when when problems are put in that kind of a light. Of course there are problems and there ARE WE CAN BE problem social and take care of problems. It gives you a framework that you can deal with them within. And so instead of feeling bad oh God I've got a negative element in my in my head somewhere and trying to hide it cover it up and have that sort of fester inside you and pass out someplace. We've found ways of trying to dig those things out trying to be reflective of them. I think that. Yeah that that sort of set a process for us to be able to analyze what we're doing. One of the one of the troubles that comes to my mind quickly is in particular a problem of the American left as well as well as the North American left as well as across the country on all different levels and that is a difference in political ideology a difference of opinion period. You know you you can take it on every level you choose you know. And so you get 100 roughly 130 people from all across the country.

And given our history our background here in this country you know we have the right to have our own individual opinion so that we you know we suffered a lot under the strain of individuals you know within the brigade. But again as Jerry said it was helpful in a lot of ways because the Cuban people assisted us in developing a process to deal with that. We were not always so successful but it was a beginning and a lot of ways and I think a lot more people began to realize that any kind of social change that may come in this country. We'll have to come only after we align ourselves on a common on one common basis not one hundred and thirty different positions.

If we were to lay out a little bit of the the differentness that was among us because I think that that not only sets the tone of what some of those difficulties were but also permits us to kind of clap our hands a little bit. After all the brigade is a multi national project and it's distinctive in that way. It doesn't take much much looking around to see that there are not many organizations or groups of formations in this country now which are operating on a genuinely multi national basis and the brigade is the brigade was without knowing the specific figures was roughly half third world peoples. Black Americans Puerto Ricans Chicanos and half white. And I think that some of it some. Something to to be noted that the brigade even existed. That is if we lived in some sense collectively for 9 weeks as a as a multinational group. It's also I think important that we

were we were different peoples in the sense of what we do and as Jackie says how we look at the world the brigade has had some problem in the past of only being able to attract people with a certain political level a certain political consciousness brigade is attempting now to recruit people from a wide spectrum of the United States. There were people there for example who work in union who are who work in implants. People who work in schools. A lot of people involved in alternative institutions there were people there who are professionals in some sense. And therefore we represented just about every aspect of North America but also means of course that this was a first experience for many of us in not only living multinational but living with people who come from various sectors of this country. How about the cultural chauvinism that we managed to bring with us.

We'd like more eggs for breakfast. Why do we have to go there. I want to do vis. Let's have the music turn down while we eat our dinner we can't hear ourselves talk our Cuban doctors really good enough to treat my illness that was there too. But again we had we had a mechanism for dealing with that and if nothing else I think we had a chance to recognize what it was not you know being able to label that and identify it doesn't make it go away. But I think it's important that many many people on that brigade came to understand and what cultural chauvinism is the fact that it was a multi-racial delegation was extremely important for the people there. For most of us it was the first time where there were white black Chicano Puerto Rican that we lived and worked for such a constant time period in a multi-racial situation and we brought down a lot of that racism and white chauvinism with us.

And the difference was that we were in an environment. They could really provide some opening up of that kind of thing. People working together side by side one person with a pic another with a shovel and based on the commonality that we had the desire to do something constructive be something in Cuba and they can learn something from that experience. Provided a basis for communications and I found that you know that racism was there and it was in all of us but I think the exposure experience produced an awareness of the problems and also opportunities to deal with it. Cuba is a really multi-racial society with a history of the longest period of slavery slavery wasn't abolished until even after the Civil War in the United States that time period they were in in course during the U.S. And you know kind of time period in Cuba they were exclusive beaches exclusive areas and blacks were Afro Cubans were not allowed into certain sections of town even. And to see how the Cuban people have become one people with one purpose one genuine

Cuban culture provided us an alternative to look at our own experiences with and provided that experience that we had that concrete experience makes it a lot easier to come back to the United States with an increased awareness of racism of the responsibility of white people to check that in other white people and of the. Possibilities of working together which is what we've got to find ways of doing the United States working together in multi racial situations around common issues rather than picking each other party's Jack you mention before. You know I've got my way you've got your way and each of us goes off on our own to find the things that we agree upon some concrete commonalities around which we can build programs and unify ourselves and break down those kinds of of separations that basically only serve as the system basically only pretty and only helps the power structure and in fact we would you know we were given concrete examples of ways in which we can do that. We can sit here and say well now that we've been to Cuba we're going to transform you know the United States based on the Cuban revolution. We can't say that but what we

can do is use the examples and apply them to our situation where they fit. Exactly. Yes. Yes. Well I think if if we've managed in some sense to communicate an educational experience a deeply political experience and a credible amount of excitement then maybe we've approached what we experience nine weeks in Cuba by now to turn to questions which are a lot closer to the Grand Am and in fact to the United States. There's certainly something that's got to be different about going to spend nine weeks in Cuba and going off to some lovely Caribbean island to sit out in front of a swimming pool. We suspect that what it is is that the brigade experience that is being a part of this international

experience because Cuba after all sits in the middle of a whole world context that there's something about that that ought to have some continuity and it ought not simply to be where can I travel to next year. But concretely what does that Cuban experience mean in terms of the kind of work that we do in this country. I guess I could jam us by simply saying. So what we're going to do now here we are a group. We're back. And what in the world are we going to do with all of that. Perhaps we could talk a little bit about a very specific example. Gerry Casey who's with us. Could perhaps talk a little bit about the National Alliance and how the brigade in some sense was a very deep and integral part of that whole experience.

The brigade is like not only concerned with the process of people from the north it's going to Cuba but also ongoing work as North Americans in the United States and as such the brigade is with whole groups of other people throughout the nation made a commitment to the National Alliance against racist and political oppression. SR That's an organization is talking about some of the concrete issues that are facing us people the increased police brutality the kinds of repression going on especially in the communities of black Chicano put Rican Asian Americans Indian-Americans. Native Americans who are given that heightened kind of attack by the power structure of that system through its agents of the police force and as such are the brigade mobilized its forces for the July 4th mobilization in North Carolina which 15 percent of the seventh contingent of the Brigade not including the people have been burgled These days before and have continued there's work in the movement came down with other kinds of groups. But 15 percent of our seventh contingent of the Venceremos Brigade was in Raleigh North Carolina on July 4th which is a big demonstration against the police brutality the prison

system in North Carolina and the political prisoners in North Carolina and the brigade that we worked with our work brigade building the school out of that 44 percent of people like a phenomenal none man from its people came from the brigade from as far away as California people from Detroit from Kansas City as well as Boston Mass Western Mass New York were there. And it's sort of a scene that the situation of oppression in this country and racism is at its such heightened state as it is today really needs to be dealt with. And people have got to mobilize and unify around those kind of issues. And I think we learned a little bit about that in Cuba they had unbelievable repression by Teamsters forces before the revolution was shooting people who just had peaceful demonstrations in the streets. And in a way it was a way it was a time for us who had had that experience in Cuba to be. To show some solidarity biased any kind of movement work that we do in the United States to combat the imperialism of the United States here at home helps not only the Cuban people but

all the forces around the world whether it's an end goal or Vietnam. Because as we fight against that system in the United States and try and weaken that try and bring it to its knees it stops its ability to increase its aggression throughout the world. And that's how the brigade hooks up with both national issues and international issues. That's I think a concrete example jacking Perhaps you could make some some connections in terms of PIRG see the kind of work that you're doing in New Bedford and being in Cuba for nine weeks. OK one thing that struck me immediately as I think about the two. Countries where the due to struggles because you know still they're still struggling in Cuba as they are in getting the south capered Island the movement that I work with here in the United States is the U.S. Support Committee which is

located in New Bedford with a very large capering community and within a capering community people in color range the same kinds of ways as the people in the Cuban people do coming from in a lot of ways similar kinds of cultural backgrounds through through the centuries. People are very fair in color to very dark in color and to see the way the Cubans relate to each other not based on color. You know it was very helpful to me in providing ways in which I can deal in the communities at home where we've been so affected by the assimilation not only by the Portuguese but by the United States the way we treat each other. The Way We Do It in essence the

man's own work for him by tearing each other apart. It gave me a few ways in which I can now you know now open my eyes and possibly help a few other people do their very same thing and do with each other. We're less racist attitudes because basically that's what it's all about. We are people you know in this particular instance of the very very same culture very very same. And the distinctions we make on each other based on color are totally irrational and that's that's one that's one thing that I saw initially as a way to work back in this country and also see the movement in Guinea-Bissau has a fraternal relationship with Cuba. As you may well know. Orphanage from Guinea-Bissau I was sent to Cuba when the movement

didn't really know what didn't have a place for them at that time. And there there are still numbers of war orphans and it was the Cuban government so to speak. Open up her arms and took in Guinea-Bissau wore off and there's there's a school with 85 students from Guinea-Bissau the study in Cuba specifically to go back home and do their work back in Guinea-Bissau. Those kinds of expressions of solidarity can you know can be sneered at can't be laughed at. They are very very important they're very serious. And my going to Cuba. Please me in the sense that I could return in a way that expression of solidarity and take the take the greetings and good wishes of the party the very very first party of African independence of Guinea-Bissau and capered from the United States to Cuba.

I think that's one of like one of the most priceless things we got from Cuba is the opportunity to have not only gone and learned things but to come back and bring it back. Most of the people that we work with every day in the kind of struggles whether it's around students issues issues in the community or issues in the shops have not had the opportunity to spend that two and a half months in a land where they can be free from the kind of day to day oppression and alienation free to spend time working talking and study. And so I think we come back refreshed with new enthusiasm and new energy. That is a gift to our communities. I found that that I feel I have a special obligation to the people that I work with every day who haven't yet been outside the doors the United States in any country to give to them. What I learned here in the way is that it's applicable and of. Can you give the kind of renewed strength that I have from that time that I spent nurturing my

personal political development my emotional and social development at the same time. And one of the ways that I see that possible is like now I'm working in the choir in the area of housing from the legal viewpoint in Springfield. And what kind bring there well we don't have the heroes that's cottages with no running water or anything like that here in Springfield although we got stuff that's pretty close people you know Gary no heat no lights. And what I can bring back is an approach to how people solve their problems. The Cubans had very different conditions to work in and therefore the solutions are going to be different. But the questions that they have to ask themselves in order to meet the needs of their people to provide quality housing to provide a community atmosphere and to provide the social services that go along with the community like health care and child care. Those are the same things that we have to deal with here. And I found that my input has been the new insight that I got from Cuba has been a very valuable addition to the work to the group that I'm working with in legal services trying to deal with the housing needs and

housing problems in Springfield. And I think that's true for all of us. For anybody to step wherever you wherever you are working for in be for whatever kind of community work you're doing. You go back into that community and you go back in with a new insight that you have and hopefully can can can work faster harder. More affection what fish really. And you come back. You know Jerry I can't help but smile as you say that because I was sitting here thinking about how as a teacher of students on an elementary level I find myself really incorporating a lot of the fantastic skills that I saw use in the schools with the young children in Cuba for a very small example. Everyone has work to do in my class aside from the act of the pure academics. You know if it's something as basic as straightening

the room closing windows you know every student has tested do beyond their academics. And you know and I think you're right that we did bring a lot of our insights back with us as well as you know still excitement and another form of enthusiasm about the work that we have to do here. I'm sort of chuckling because I'm thinking of how the the word that we heard so often in Cuba concrete is really being exercised here. That is Cubans tend in a discussion as as we go on in a sort of United States way you know giving a have have the wrap to say Yes comrade could you be concrete and I'm please it will be in concrete that is Jerry is talking about her political work with the National Alliance Against Racism political repression. How Cuba hooks up with that. Jackie's talking about PR GC as as her political work and how Cuba hooks up. And then each of you also talked about in a sense the source of your

bread. But more importantly the source of of of your work over the next few years and that sense education they got services how Cuba hooks up with those two. Perhaps we can use one more concrete example because I happen to know what the two of you in fact what the three of us in fact what about a group of 20 or so people have been doing over the last couple of weeks so perhaps we could talk about July 26. The one we mentioned before about Cuba's commitment to internationalism to seeing that the Cuban revolution is only successful in a full sense of the word as the whole worldwide revolutionary forces are successful and Cuba has taken on in an intense kind of work of solidarity and support with the Chilean people. Ever since the September 11th coup but before that time when the NDA government through the years of 1973 were given fantastic amounts of support both material as well as political from the

Cuban people who did not have that much to give. I mean sugar was allowed was a was given and of to the Chilean people from the Cubans. They had technicians there construction workers helping to build schools and new towns in the slums of Santiago. And since the coup that is that is set in the assassination of President a U.N. Day the tortures and the imprisonment and just outright witterings of so many thousands of Chilean people. Cuba has opened up its doors to refugees and has broadcasted the message of the Chilean people and their fight against the winter in Chile. Throughout the world as strong as they can. And so for us in the United States. We have a particular responsibility to deal with the question of Chile because of the U.S. intervention intervention in Chile. The US paid coup CIA sponsored IPT backed up you know but particularly brigade distances as big a deal as we have responsibility. We met in Cuba with people

from Chile including Beatrice a U.N. Day who gave us the most up to date information about what's going on in Chile what the conditions are and what the needs are of the Chilean people from the U.S. people in terms of support which 26 of July is the day the national day of independence for Cuba and it's symbolized the day that the guerrillas first made the armed attack upon the Batista regime in 1053 And since that time since specially since the triumph the revolution has become the national day of independence. And this year July 26 is not just a day of solidarity with Cuba but Chile because of what's happened in the last year in the fascist takeover in Chile during you know in keeping with you saying I think it's equally important to understand that. We do these things we have an expo Cuber we have July 26 because we live as Marty said within the belly of the monster a monster that has a blockade on Cuba.

A monster that not only economically but in terms of information tries to suppress any interaction between people in this country and in Cuba. And very frankly it's none other than insulting to the intelligence of the American people. Not to be able to have that information. Understand the social transformation that Cuba is undergoing and decide for themselves what the relationship should be between the United States and Cuba but it's a sense that a month's US genetical Thank you. Jackie Ramos and Gerry Casey for that presentation. But one thing kind of asks for comment and that you mentioned before the revolution there were 15000 prostitutes in the city of Havana alone

today. What is it like to be a woman in Cuba. Certainly the most dramatic change is the absence of 15000 prostitutes and fact the absence of women put in a position that is humiliating degrading that is exploitative. I don't think it's difficult to document that there simply are no prostitutes in Cuba now. And the reason for that is that all of those things which create that kind of situation are no longer there. They're no longer the night clubs the gambling the absence of jobs. In fact the contrary is there that is to say one of the problems that women face in Cuba today is the need for them to be integrated into the workforce and so rather than seeking prostitution and or being somebodies made what women are doing now is to be really integrated into society. They're working in other words intellectual development. Intellectual Development Yes in a very basic kind of grassroots way. That is

there's one major organization for women in Cuba not that women are excluded from any form of political or cultural life. But there is a federation of Cuban women that has as one of its specific goals political education or political education may not take place in the classroom that you know like the University of Massachusetts is reading some very heavy book with a lot of footnotes. It may be in fact something that grows out of a sewing circle it may something be something that grows out of a neighborhood organization. But there is the attempt to have women very very aware not only of what's going on in their country but what's going on in the world. And since the Federation of Cuban women has I think something like 80 percent of all Cuban women affiliated with it. We've got a pretty good indication that this political education is going on. Is there a feminist movement in Cuba. I think I've got it. I think I've got to take a couple of steps before I can respond directly to

that. In the couple of steps of the the Cuban situation I think simply reminds us that we cannot transport terms and ideas and philosophies very easily from one specific movement or revolution to another. Granted there are overriding revolutionary processes in principles but when I hear that term if I'm thinking in the North American of the United States women's movements context I think I have to respond. No there is not a feminist movement in Cuba. And in fact I've had conversations where women in Cuba would begin by saying you know as right off the bat we're not feminists you know we are socialists or we are revolutionaries or we are Cuban women. But we do not remove ourselves from the context of that total process. And I think what does exist is a genuine sense

of the elevation of women with all Cuban people. But now you see why I have to take a couple of turns before I can respond to is there a feminist movement in Cuba. Ok going from there some of the issues which here would be feminist ones like they care something as simple as that too. We leave a woman to enter the workforce because there's an overabundance of jobs there now isn't there. Well that's I'm glad you chose that because I think that's a good example of where there's a meeting of interests and concerns. Daycare is a very serious problem in Cuba. Here's a country without unemployment. Here's a country in fact that is attempting to bring more wrong women into the workforce largely because you know the revolution has provided food and free health care and free medical services and a lot of women for the first time are enjoying I guess the luxury of being at home. So the push then is to get people into the workforce today to get women there. The main

deterrent to that national go is the absence of full scale daycare. Now it's impressive. I mean it's incredibly impressive what Cuba has done by the way many of those women who used to be prostitutes were trained into into daycare but across the country it is not today possible for every single woman to have total day care for her children. It is though possible for many many Cuban women to put their kids in day care beginning in 45 days. In fact for them to to not only themselves but to have hot meals provided for their families so there isn't the pinch of you know leaving the job and then coming home and having to prepare the meal. Daycare is an important issue. But Cubans would see daycare not is a woman's issue. But it's an issue of the revolution that is to say not not abstracting women from the total process. There's no reason to see the care of

children as something which is only the concern of women. I mean it's a concern of the society. Other sorts of issues which which tend to occupy I think in certain certain groups within the within the American women's movement are not in Cuba. That is a very very severe concern for example with with notions of language. And this this annoys many North Americans that is people get very annoyed sometimes when you're talking about the new man you know straight out of Che's quote about the new society and the new man. Well there are lots of folks who say that every time you repeat that you are to say the new man in the new woman that kind of concern is not there. And I know language reflects ideas on the other hand seems to me that there's a whole kind of society that clearly is showing you that when you say the new man you mean the new people in Cuba. Ok going from that then Expo Cuba Chile.

What was it to be. You had films you had slide presentations and. What was the significance of having it in Springfield where it was held right. For those of us who who worked on it and who planned it we would define Expo cube I'm pretty sure as incredibly successful. The reason is that we knew in placing Expo Cuba Chile in the black community in Springfield that we could not automatically therefore have thousands of black people in Springfield come to such an exhibit when the reasons are clear first of all all kinds of groups come into black communities with their newest thing and black folks are tired of being ripped off of whatever is a new idea or the new ideology. That's one thing. Secondly it wasn't an easy thing to organize around Janice because in this country right now we've got pressing concerns I mean folks don't have jobs

and there's a whole question of you know is there a government up there at least with a head to it what's happening with busing in Springfield These are concrete kinds of issues. And Cuba Chile in some sense you know seems removed. I mean when you stop to think about it obviously it's all connected but it seems a wee bit removed and so explicable Chile. Obviously was not able to attract as our first try. Hundreds of people black and spanish speaking from the Springfield community in in another way I could say that there were an awful lot of people there that we know that as people that we would sort of describe as progressive folks from Springfield and from Amherst. But there were community people there. And I think in the sense that we attracted small groups of folks who live in Springfield and who are now able to you know have that experience.

We have to define it as successful because the films now I'm particularly interested about those there were three Isle of Youth for the first time in history of a battle. What were they. Well. The Isle of Youth in some sense speaks for itself because of the title as you know before the revolution there was an area and a little island called the Isle of Pines and the Isle of Pines was I guess in some sense symbolic of Cuba that is very very underdeveloped with all of the usual social problems. After the Revolution it became the area where young Cubans experiment if I can put that in quotations marks experiment with their contribution to the revolution. Young people go there they volunteer for a number of years to work in citrus to do whatever kinds of agricultural no other Labor has to be done. And they've pretty much set up their own form of government that is not a government which is in opposition to the national government but a government which

clearly is built by them for the specific conditions of the Isle of Youth. And so that was that film. I think the most the most fascinating of the films that we showed was for the first time. Because it shows a tremendous amount of honesty on the Cuban part. The film shows a film being shown for the first time to a group of Compazine of us two peasants to farmers way way way way way up in the mountains and here are people who are in the beginnings of the film interviewed in their ass. Have you ever seen the film and they say how a film and people scratching heads and saying was a film and the community is built up that they are going to now see a film. So what we see as the Americans viewing this Cuban film are the faces of children and old people farmers as they watch for the first time a movie. Now the movie happens to be Charlie Chaplin. OK you can imagine the correcting of people are

doing over this film. But its an attempt on the part of Cubans to say very honestly. What are conditions. You know which the which the before revolutionary days left for us they left a group of people in some areas who had never seen a film. But it also makes the second point. And that is that as a result of the revolution as a result of this emphasis on massive education mobile units go all over that country now and show films. In fact there's a specific thing in Cuba where a group whether it's the Bulgarian dance troupe or the Canadian debate team it doesn't matter what it is a group cannot come to Cuba and perform only in Havana. There is always the emphasis on getting that culture you like very good strong political culture out of the out of the city and into the rural areas. Well and now what is the status of Cuban filmmaking. Pretty exciting I guess to be the main way to describe it. On the last brigade the

Brigadier status or some brigade East is on one Sunday morning went and talk with Santiago Alvarez who may be one of Cuba's most well-known filmmakers. And he managed to capture I think what Cubans feel about film and that is that the art and politics. Sleep very comfortably together. There's there's no conflict there. In fact there is no such thing as art simply for the sake of art a film is not simply to entertain. It is to educate. It is to it is to create a vision. It is to indicate the nature of the struggle and so many Cuban films do this I mean the ones that are the most well known in this country memories of underdevelopment do siya very very artful very very creative but very deeply political filmmaking is is an important part of Cuba now and on a Sunday afternoon if you walk around in Havana or even outside of Havana the thing that you will see most Cuban people

doing is heading for one of two places to the movie house or to the ice cream parlor. Best of all to both. It's just that when you get there you don't see you know Dracula Blacula or whatever it is you're seeing state of see each other you're seeing memories of underdevelopment or you're seeing other films from around the world. But there are films which again make both the political and the artistic point. Well with this really stimulating introduction to Cuba then how do people join or recruit themselves into the 8th Brigade to Cuba contingent to Cuba. Well it's not going to be long before that process really really gets going. Anybody's interested in the brigade will find us I think and it's you know because of programs like this that people understand exactly how you do that. And the easiest thing to do is simply the right to the Vince Ramos brigade western Massachusetts and send it to five seven six main street and the others in

Amherst. Right. Because any inquiries about the brigade that go to the national office in New York would be forwarded to us as the regional. The other thing that happens of course is that it's because it's a two way process. We will be looking for people and what the brigade looks for are people who have some sense of of. Of an anti imperialist struggle and also see the relationship between that and struggles that are going on all over the Third World. But we must say that that doesn't mean quote intellectual. I mean it doesn't mean you have to be a professor it doesn't mean that any of those warnings to say in fact not only does that mean you don't have to be a a professor or an intellectual. It means that the brigade is really attempting to broaden its base. So what that means pretty much is a lot of progressive people are eligible for the brigade. Now the resources to tamper with that. The brigade also has a very very clear emphasis

on on being a multi national project. That's not to say that there's some magic quota they can only be so many white folks and so many black folks. But because the Big 8 insists that to understand Cuba and to understand correctly the United States one has to have dealt with racism that says something also about the people that we would recruit this year's contingent was roughly half third world and half white roughly half women and half men. And people who came from all kinds of conditions and all kinds of work most fun thanks to Jackie Ramos Cherry Casey. And with me now genetical. This is. For. Could be an example with. The settings. Thank. You.