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On the 60th anniversary of the triumph of the great Cuban Revolution, led by Comandante Fidel Castro, Struggle for Socialism ★ La Lucha por el Socialismo sends warm greetings and congratulations to the Cuban people, the revolutionary government and the Cuban Communist Party.

What glorious victories and tragic setbacks the workers of the world have experienced through these last six decades! But through it all, revolutionary Cuba has been a beacon — dynamic, vibrant, inspiring — for the workers and oppressed everywhere, from Venezuela to South Africa to Palestine to the United States. Cuba shows what socialism can achieve, even under the most difficult conditions, when it’s imbued with revolutionary leadership, fighting spirit and unity of the masses.

It would be impossible to list all the accomplishments of the Revolution. For those struggling here in the belly of the beast, a few stand out. Take, for example, the neverending fight of poor and working people in the U.S. to fund adequate health care, education and housing. In Cuba, these essential human needs are the rights of all, and the world acknowledges Cuba’s leadership in these fields beyond much larger and richer countries. Nothing so embodies the Revolution’s commitment to the people as its continuing strides in maternal health and reducing infant mortality.

We honor Cuba’s commitment to internationalism, from the heroic guerrilla missions mounted by el Che and his compatriots to the role of Cuban volunteers in aiding the triumph of African liberation forces at the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. And, of course, the tens of thousands of Cuban doctors and health care workers who continue to provide vital assistance to people around the world.

Speaking of that — we recall with gratitude Cuba’s offer to provide health care workers to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, an offer that was rebuffed by the criminal George W. Bush administration, which abandoned thousands of Black, Brown and white working-class families to suffer and die. We cherish Cuba’s longstanding commitment to train doctors from oppressed and low-income U.S. communities at the Latin American School of Medicine.

We remember, too, how Cuba has provided sanctuary for persecuted activists and revolutionaries from the U.S. — from Robert F. Williams to Huey P. Newton, and, of course, our beloved comrade Assata Shakur, who was granted asylum by Fidel in 1984 and remains safe today from the clutches of racist cops and prisons.

Cuba demonstrates how socialism is the system that can redress the historic injustices rooted in capitalism and earlier class societies. In Cuba, women now make up more than half of the National Popular Assembly. The rights of Afro-Cubans are protected and respected, and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community has made enormous strides.

We also know that workers and revolutionaries in the U.S. carry a special responsibility to fight in defense of Cuba. From the attempted invasion of Playa Girón in 1961, to the six-decades-long criminal blockade, to Trump’s moves to reintroduce restrictions on travel, U.S. imperialism — under both Republican and Democratic administrations — has sought to undermine or outright destroy the people that dared to make a socialist revolution 90 miles from its shores.

That they have failed, time and again, is testimony to the continuing vitality of the Cuban Revolution and the loyalty and determination it inspires in progressive people around the globe.

We pledge to continue our efforts in 2019 to demand an end to the criminal U.S. blockade of Cuba and to return Guantánamo to the Cuban people.

¡Viva el pueblo cubano!

¡Hasta la victoria siempre!

Struggle for Socialism ★ La Lucha por el Socialismo
January 1, 2019

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Socialistas en los Estados Unidos saludan los 60 años de la Revolución Cubana.

En el aniversario 60 del triunfo de la gran Revolución Cubana, liderada por el Comandante Fidel Castro, Struggle for Socialism ★ La Lucha por el Socialismo manda cálidos saludos y felicitaciones al pueblo de Cuba, al gobierno revolucionario y al Partido Comunista de Cuba.

¡Cuantas victorias gloriosas y reveses trágicos han experimentado lxs trabajadores del mundo en estas últimas seis décadas! Pero en medio de todo, Cuba revolucionaria ha sido una luz— dinámica, vibrante, inspiradora — para lxs trabajadores y oprimidos por todos lados, desde Venezuela y África del Sur, hasta Palestina y los Estados Unidos. Cuba demuestra lo que el Socialismo puede lograr, incluso bajo condiciones muy difíciles, cuando está conducido por un liderazgo revolucionario, un espíritu luchador y la unidad de las masas.

Sería imposible nombrar todos los logros de la Revolución. Pero para aquellxs que luchan aquí en el vientre de la bestia, algunos sobresalen. Tomemos por ejemplo, la lucha interminable de lxs pobres y lxs trabajadores en los Estados Unidos para financiar una adecuada atención de salud, educación y vivienda. En Cuba, estas necesidades humanas esenciales son el derecho de todxs, y el mundo reconoce el liderazgo de Cuba en estos campos más allá de países mucho más grandes y ricos. Nada encarna el compromiso de la Revolución con el pueblo como sus continuos avances en la salud materna y la reducción de la mortalidad infantil.

Honramos el compromiso de Cuba al internacionalismo, desde las misiones heroicas de las guerrillas montadas por el Che y sus compatriotas, hasta el rol de los voluntarios cubanos que ayudaron al triunfo de las fuerzas de liberación de África en la Batalla de Cuito Cuanavale. Y por supuesto, lxs más de 10 mil médicos cubanos y trabajadores de salud que continúan dando asistencia vital a personas de todo el mundo.

Y hablando de eso — recordamos con gratitud la oferta de Cuba de proveer trabajadorxs de salud a las victimas del huracán Katrina in 2005, oferta que fue rechazada por la administración criminal de George Bush quien abandonó a miles de familias de clase obrera negras, latinas y blancas, dejándolas sufrir y morir. Apreciamos el prolongado compromiso de Cuba a entrenar doctores de comunidades oprimidas y de bajos ingresos en los Estados Unidos en la Escuela Latinoamericana de Medicina.

Recordamos también como Cuba ha provisto santuario a activistas y revolucionarios perseguidxs de los Estados Unidos—desde Robert F. Williams hasta Huey P. Newton, y por supuesto a nuestra querida compañera Assata Shakur, a quien Fidel le dio asilo en 1984 y quien permanece a salvo hoy de las garras de policías y prisiones racistas estadounidenses.

Cuba demuestra cómo el Socialismo es el sistema que puede reparar las injusticias históricas arraigadas en el capitalismo y las anteriores sociedades de clases. En Cuba, las mujeres ahora componen más de la mitad de la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular. Los derechos de lxs afrocubanos son protegidos y respetados y la comunidad gay, lesbiana, bisexual y trans ha avanzado grandes pasos.

También sabemos que lxs obreros y revolucionarios en los Estados Unidos tienen una responsabilidad especial de luchar en defensa de Cuba. Desde la invasión de Playa Girón en 1961 y las seis largas décadas criminales del bloqueo, hasta los movimientos de Trump para reintroducir restricciones a los viajes, el imperialismo estadounidense — bajo ambas administraciones republicanas y demócratas — han tratado de socavar o destruir completamente al pueblo que se atrevió a hacer una revolución socialista a 90 millas de sus costas.

El que hayan fracasado una y otra vez, es testimonio de la continua vitalidad de la Revolución Cubana y la lealtad y determinación que inspira en los pueblos progresistas en todo el globo.

Nos comprometemos a continuar nuestros esfuerzos en 2019 para exigir el fin del bloqueo criminal de los Estados Unidos hacia Cuba y a que regresen Guantánamo al pueblo cubano.

¡Viva el pueblo cubano!

¡Hasta la victoria siempre!

Struggle for Socialism ★ La Lucha por el Socialismo
1 de enero de 2019

English

En el aniversario 60 del triunfo de la gran Revolución Cubana, liderada por el Comandante Fidel Castro, Struggle for Socialism ★ La Lucha por el Socialismo manda cálidos saludos y felicitaciones al pueblo de Cuba, al gobierno revolucionario y al Partido Comunista de Cuba.

¡Cuantas victorias gloriosas y reveses trágicos han experimentado lxs trabajadores del mundo en estas últimas seis décadas! Pero en medio de todo, Cuba revolucionaria ha sido una luz— dinámica, vibrante, inspiradora — para lxs trabajadores y oprimidos por todos lados, desde Venezuela y África del Sur, hasta Palestina y los Estados Unidos. Cuba demuestra lo que el Socialismo puede lograr, incluso bajo condiciones muy difíciles, cuando está conducido por un liderazgo revolucionario, un espíritu luchador y la unidad de las masas.

Sería imposible nombrar todos los logros de la Revolución. Pero para aquellxs que luchan aquí en el vientre de la bestia, algunos sobresalen. Tomemos por ejemplo, la lucha interminable de lxs pobres y lxs trabajadores en los Estados Unidos para financiar una adecuada atención de salud, educación y vivienda. En Cuba, estas necesidades humanas esenciales son el derecho de todxs, y el mundo reconoce el liderazgo de Cuba en estos campos más allá de países mucho más grandes y ricos. Nada encarna el compromiso de la Revolución con el pueblo como sus continuos avances en la salud materna y la reducción de la mortalidad infantil.

Honramos el compromiso de Cuba al internacionalismo, desde las misiones heroicas de las guerrillas montadas por el Che y sus compatriotas, hasta el rol de los voluntarios cubanos que ayudaron al triunfo de las fuerzas de liberación de África en la Batalla de Cuito Cuanavale. Y por supuesto, lxs más de 10 mil médicos cubanos y trabajadores de salud que continúan dando asistencia vital a personas de todo el mundo.

Y hablando de eso — recordamos con gratitud la oferta de Cuba de proveer trabajadorxs de salud a las victimas del huracán Katrina in 2005, oferta que fue rechazada por la administración criminal de George Bush quien abandonó a miles de familias de clase obrera negras, latinas y blancas, dejándolas sufrir y morir. Apreciamos el prolongado compromiso de Cuba a entrenar doctores de comunidades oprimidas y de bajos ingresos en los Estados Unidos en la Escuela Latinoamericana de Medicina.

Recordamos también como Cuba ha provisto santuario a activistas y revolucionarios perseguidxs de los Estados Unidos—desde Robert F. Williams hasta Huey P. Newton, y por supuesto a nuestra querida compañera Assata Shakur, a quien Fidel le dio asilo en 1984 y quien permanece a salvo hoy de las garras de policías y prisiones racistas estadounidenses.

Cuba demuestra cómo el Socialismo es el sistema que puede reparar las injusticias históricas arraigadas en el capitalismo y las anteriores sociedades de clases. En Cuba, las mujeres ahora componen más de la mitad de la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular. Los derechos de lxs afrocubanos son protegidos y respetados y la comunidad gay, lesbiana, bisexual y trans ha avanzado grandes pasos.

También sabemos que lxs obreros y revolucionarios en los Estados Unidos tienen una responsabilidad especial de luchar en defensa de Cuba. Desde la invasión de Playa Girón en 1961 y las seis largas décadas criminales del bloqueo, hasta los movimientos de Trump para reintroducir restricciones a los viajes, el imperialismo estadounidense — bajo ambas administraciones republicanas y demócratas — han tratado de socavar o destruir completamente al pueblo que se atrevió a hacer una revolución socialista a 90 millas de sus costas.

El que hayan fracasado una y otra vez, es testimonio de la continua vitalidad de la Revolución Cubana y la lealtad y determinación que inspira en los pueblos progresistas en todo el globo.

Nos comprometemos a continuar nuestros esfuerzos en 2019 para exigir el fin del bloqueo criminal de los Estados Unidos hacia Cuba y a que regresen Guantánamo al pueblo cubano.

¡Viva el pueblo cubano!

¡Hasta la victoria siempre!

Struggle for Socialism ★ La Lucha por el Socialismo
1 de enero de 2019

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Socialists in the U.S. salute 60 years of the Cuban Revolution

On the 60th anniversary of the triumph of the great Cuban Revolution, led by Comandante Fidel Castro, Struggle for Socialism ★ La Lucha por el Socialismo sends warm greetings and congratulations to the Cuban people, the revolutionary government and the Cuban Communist Party.

What glorious victories and tragic setbacks the workers of the world have experienced through these last six decades! But through it all, revolutionary Cuba has been a beacon — dynamic, vibrant, inspiring — for the workers and oppressed everywhere, from Venezuela to South Africa to Palestine to the United States. Cuba shows what socialism can achieve, even under the most difficult conditions, when it’s imbued with revolutionary leadership, fighting spirit and unity of the masses.

It would be impossible to list all the accomplishments of the Revolution. For those struggling here in the belly of the beast, a few stand out. Take, for example, the neverending fight of poor and working people in the U.S. to fund adequate health care, education and housing. In Cuba, these essential human needs are the rights of all, and the world acknowledges Cuba’s leadership in these fields beyond much larger and richer countries. Nothing so embodies the Revolution’s commitment to the people as its continuing strides in maternal health and reducing infant mortality.

We honor Cuba’s commitment to internationalism, from the heroic guerrilla missions mounted by el Che and his compatriots to the role of Cuban volunteers in aiding the triumph of African liberation forces at the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. And, of course, the tens of thousands of Cuban doctors and health care workers who continue to provide vital assistance to people around the world.

Speaking of that — we recall with gratitude Cuba’s offer to provide health care workers to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, an offer that was rebuffed by the criminal George W. Bush administration, which abandoned thousands of Black, Brown and white working-class families to suffer and die. We cherish Cuba’s longstanding commitment to train doctors from oppressed and low-income U.S. communities at the Latin American School of Medicine.

We remember, too, how Cuba has provided sanctuary for persecuted activists and revolutionaries from the U.S. — from Robert F. Williams to Huey P. Newton, and, of course, our beloved comrade Assata Shakur, who was granted asylum by Fidel in 1984 and remains safe today from the clutches of racist cops and prisons.

Cuba demonstrates how socialism is the system that can redress the historic injustices rooted in capitalism and earlier class societies. In Cuba, women now make up more than half of the National Popular Assembly. The rights of Afro-Cubans are protected and respected, and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community has made enormous strides.

We also know that workers and revolutionaries in the U.S. carry a special responsibility to fight in defense of Cuba. From the attempted invasion of Playa Girón in 1961, to the six-decades-long criminal blockade, to Trump’s moves to reintroduce restrictions on travel, U.S. imperialism — under both Republican and Democratic administrations — has sought to undermine or outright destroy the people that dared to make a socialist revolution 90 miles from its shores.

That they have failed, time and again, is testimony to the continuing vitality of the Cuban Revolution and the loyalty and determination it inspires in progressive people around the globe.

We pledge to continue our efforts in 2019 to demand an end to the criminal U.S. blockade of Cuba and to return Guantánamo to the Cuban people.

¡Viva el pueblo cubano!

¡Hasta la victoria siempre!

Struggle for Socialism ★ La Lucha por el Socialismo
January 1, 2019

On Nov. 25, 2016, Fidel Castro, the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, died at age 90.

Around the world and especially on the island he helped free from capitalist exploitation, organizations and individuals celebrated his life and contributions on the second anniversary of his death. These remembrances coincided with the final stages of wide public discussion both in Cuba and its diaspora to update the Cuban Constitution — a document that guarantees socialist development and the right to universal free health care and education as well as access to culture and sports.

Of the many proposed constitutional updates, one of the most discussed and noted is Article 68, which deletes references to gender in defining marriage. The proposed new Cuban Constitution defines marriage as between two people instead of between a man and a woman, opening the door for same-sex marriage.

In his first interview, Cuba’s recently-elected President Miguel Diaz-Canel supported equal marriage rights. He told TeleSUR on Sept. 17 that recognizing marriage as between two people without limitations is part of eliminating all forms of discrimination in society.

How is it that Cuba leapfrogs forward?  

On Nov. 29, Mariela Castro Espín, director of the Cuban National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX) in Havana and an activist for LGBTQ+ rights, explained why Cuba was ready for same-sex marriage in a video interview with the BBC. She said through a translator:

“This change is important because it is the political will of the Cuban government to advance a human rights agenda and to extend it to as many areas as possible.

“It is time that the people of Cuba understand the need to recognize and protect the rights of everyone without excluding people by their sexuality, their gender identity, disability or race. …

“Cuban society is showing it is continuing as a society in revolution. It is in an experimental stage of a socio-economic and political system in a socialist democracy, not a social-democratic one. This means we can have the mechanisms for a fair society.

“Cuba is far more advanced in comparison with other Latin American countries because the people have managed to take power and they are backed by the Communist Party.”

And this is also why Fidel Castro’s memory and life still give struggling people so many lessons. On May 1, 2000, he said:

“Revolution is having a sense of the historic moment; it is changing everything that must be changed; it is full equality and freedom; it is being treated and treating others like human beings; it is emancipating ourselves on our own and through our own efforts; it is challenging powerful dominant forces in and beyond the social and national arena; it is defending the values in which we believe at the price of any sacrifice; it is modesty, selflessness, altruism, solidarity, and heroism; it is fighting with courage, intelligence and realism; it is never lying or violating ethical principles; it is a profound conviction that there is no power in the world that can crush the power of truth and ideas.

“Revolution is unity; it is independence, it is struggling for our dreams of justice for Cuba and for the world, which is the foundation of our patriotism, our socialism, and our internationalism.”

Challenging class-based gender roles

Cuban women have been integral to the struggle for independence from colonialism. Carlota Lucumí, an enslaved Cuban woman of Yoruba origin, lost her life leading an 1843-1844 slave rebellion at the Triunvirato sugar mill in Matanzas. Cuba gave the name “Operation Carlota” to its international military support that, alongside Angola’s MPLA national liberation front, defeated the racist apartheid South African regime at Cuito Cuanavale in 1988.

Cuban independence fighters Mariana Grajales and Ana Betancourt are remembered for their early roles. After the July 26, 1953, attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago, Haydée Santamaria and Melba Hernández were imprisoned. In the Sierra Maestra mountains, Celia Sánchez and Vilma Espín(mother of Mariela Castro and founder of the Federation of Cuban Women) were leaders and organizers.

Fidel Castro formed, armed and trained the Mariana Grajales women’s platoon. Brigadier General Teté Puebla is the highest-ranking woman in Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces.

“How can we give rifles to women when there are so many men who are unarmed?” asked some of the men. Fidel answered, “Because they are better soldiers than you are. More disciplined.”

Cuba’s 1961 Literacy Campaign not only eradicated illiteracy in a year, but opened new horizons, especially for the young women teachers who broke traditions’ chains to build the new socialist revolution. Check out the wonderful movie “Maestra” for more on this transformation.

Following the 2018 elections, 53.2 percent of the Cuban National Assembly delegates are women. They are diplomats, like Ambassador Anayansi Rodríguez Camejo at the United Nations and Josefina Vidal, Cuba’s chief negotiator in the reestablishment of U.S.-Cuba diplomatic relations.

As documented in Leslie Feinberg’s 2009 book, “Rainbow Solidarity in Defense of Cuba,” gender reassignment surgery is available free of charge, and a person’s right to change their name and sexual identity was acknowledged by Cuban law. (p. 86)

Mariela Castro Espín told the BBC interviewer: “The world is very different from Cuba. It doesn’t mean that Cuba is better, but Cuba is fighting to make a different world. If they left us alone, and our project doesn’t get sabotaged, it would be wonderful. It would be a wonderful alternative in the world. Why does everything have to be capitalist?”

The vote on the proposed Constitution with amendments from the national consultation is scheduled for Feb. 24, 2019. The consultation included 133,681 meetings with 8,945,521 people attending. Of those, 1,706,872 speakers made 783,174 proposals, including modifications, additions, deletions and clarifications. Cubans living abroad made 2,125 proposals. (Granma, Nov. 27).