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​Los que escribimos en este blog tenemos algo que decir que muchos medios no quieren o no pueden publicar.

Open Letter to President Barack Obama

3/15/2016

7 Comments

 
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​President Barack Obama

The White House
​
Pennsylvania 1600, Washington DC

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Mr President,

Our organization, Afro Cuban Forum, is the only one among the Cuban exiles that focuses directly on race relations both in the US and in Cuba. We are a group of Cubans who live either in Cuba or abroad, of all races, ages, sexual inclinations, creeds, political views and philosophical persuasions in which the ONLY prerequisite is our distinct awareness of the dynamics and the challenges of a full racial integration.
We support ourselves with the proceeds of our membership and will negotiate contributions from private donors; we have not applied for any tax payer's funded grants. 
The very fabric of AFC makes it possible for some of us to approach the change of course in the US - Cuban regime relations from many different angles; however, the dream of somehow helping the average Cuban is unanimously shared.
We understand that the sacred duty of a US president is to defend the vital interests of our great nation and monitoring a "soft landing" in the neighboring island makes perfect sense from the geopolitical standpoint. It is, thus precisely in the pursuit of those interests that the racial issue must be uppermost in dealing with the Cuban government. More than half of the island's population is of African descent according to our estimates (the accurate percentage of blacks has always been the object of utmost secrecy and manipulation) and they have been historically discriminated against and are now intentionally neglected by the Castros. They are the overwhelming majority in the penal population and very rarely enjoy the meager benefits of the wrongly called "private sector".
Black Cubans are conspicuously absent from the board meetings of state owned corporations (all corporations belong to the state), the hotel front desks and any of those positions where a dollar or two may be earned.
The aforementioned situation is the perfect formula for a social explosion once the regime inevitably loosens its grip on power. All sorts of creatures exit the dustbin once the lid is off, and THAT, merely 90 miles away, is a distinct threat to our national security.
To be more clear Mr President; the future of the Cuban people must be discussed, negotiated, or fought out among Cubans; we should not and must not expect you to bring freedom to our native island; however, it is not encouraging to realize that despite all the rhetoric of change and a new course of action the meeting behind closed doors theory persists. Mr Ben Rhodes came to Miami and met with a handful of Cubans; he was videotaped in the company of a black Cuban entertainer; which reinforces the stereotyped narrative of black Cubans being good only to entertain and run after a ball. Why not an open meeting with all of us? we regret that the sample was too small to objectively convey our views.
But we have done our part, now you know that continuing to sweep the racial problem under the rug can lead to disaster in the island and could even trigger an undesired violent outcome should we keep ignoring it. This transcends the realm of Cuba's internal affairs and is a ticking time bomb.
As the powerful tires of Air Force One regally skid on the runway at Jose Marti International Airport the world will be engaged in celebrating the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, no contrast can be starker, no symbol can be more suitable, no challenge can be more formidable.
We remain hopeful that this missive contributes to establishing a transparent channel of communication between our government and the entirety of the Cuban American community; meanwhile allow us to wish you and your family the best in the remainder of your term as our Commander in Chief and in your life as a private citizen.
Sincerely,
​
Executive Committee.
AFRO CUBAN FORUM INC

269 NW 7th St. Suite 117 Miami Fl. 33136
Email: contact@afrocubanforum.org
7 Comments
Rafel link
3/15/2016 11:36:33 pm

This is what WH answered to our letter online :

Thank you for contacting the White House!
President Obama is committed to creating the most open and accessible Administration in history. That begins with taking comments and questions from you, the American people, through our website.

Our office receives thousands of messages from Americans each day. We do our best to reply to as many as we can, but please be aware that you may find more information and answers to your questions online.

We encourage you to visit WhiteHouse.gov regularly to follow news and updates, and to learn more about President Obama's commitment to moving our Nation forward.

For an easy-to-navigate source of information on Federal government services, please visit: www.USA.gov.

Thank you again for your message,

The Office of Presidential Correspondence

Reply
Riquet J Caballero
3/16/2016 03:46:05 am

Let's give him a little time.

Reply
Rosa Paya
3/16/2016 09:01:43 am

Esa organizacion no es inclusiva porque no observa que la composicion racial cubana no es solamente negra ni de origen africano. En Cuba siempre ha habido blancos descendientes de españoles directamente , como de ingleses , franceses , polacos , rusos y judios y hasta chinos . Andres Albuquerque irrespeta el origen y composicion etnica del cubano, para agradar a Obama que no ha hecho otra cosa que lo mismo , que enfrentar al negro contra el blanco. No se puede pretender poner a todos los origenes bajo la representacion de una organizacion que lleva el nombre de una raza determiada a la cual no pertenece el resto. Si elseñor Albuquerque pretende obtener un Grant que le sea otorgado por nada menos que el president Obama, me parece que esta cometiendo un acto de negligencia patrotica y demagogica para su beneficio propio.

Reply
Riquet J Caballero
3/16/2016 10:48:03 am

Si la señora pretende leer, notará que ACF claramente no tiene ningún deseo de obtener grants públicos.

Reply
Rosa María Payá Acevedo link
3/16/2016 02:02:59 pm

Saludos,

Soy Rosa María Payá Acevedo, quisiera hacerles saber que no conozco la fuente del comentario escrito bajo el nombre de "Rosa Paya". No fue escrito por mi, ni guarda ninguna relación con mis opiniones.

Gracias al Executive Committee de AFRO CUBAN FORUM INC por contactarme y darme la oportunidad de esclarecer la calumnia.

Reply
Andrés Alburquerque
3/18/2016 07:41:20 am

Señora Rosa Paya:
Normalmente la política de la organización a que pertenezco es de no responder a acusaciones lanzadas al azar y concentrarse en marchar adelante y cumplir objetivos concretos; pero como usted menciona mi nombre dos veces en su diatriba tengo a bien responderle:
1- Por favor tenga presente que mi apellido el Alburquerque y no como la ciudad de New México.
2- Parece que usted no leyó la carta porque de lo primero que nos enorgullecemos es de agrupar cubanos de todos los colores, razas, inclinaciones sexuales, credos, ideologías, etc. creo que más inclusivo que eso no se puede ser; aunque si usted encuentra un grupo o segmento nuevo señalelo que con gusto lo incluiremos; por favor pedofilos, ladrones y delincuentes no son aceptados; aún no hemos llegado a tal grado de tolerancia.
3- Sentimos así mismo particular orgullo en ser de los que NO solicitan dinero del contribuyente, nos mantenemos con la membresia y eventualmente negociando donaciones privadas que nada tienen que ver con los grants que usted una vez más sumida en confusión escribe con mayúscula como si se hablase del general Ulises.
4- Le ruego que se informe un poco más sobre las leyes de este país porque Obama NO otorga grants así que sería perder tiempo pedirle algo en este sentido al primer ciudadano.
5- Casi todos los grupos etnicos que menciona en su comentario de hecho se han organizado; existen clubs o asociaciones hebreas, árabes, vascas, asturianas; como es posible que usted le moleste SOLO esa que lleva la palabra afro?
Por último me llama la atención la semejanza de su nombre con el de Rosa María Paya Acevedo, quien ha oportunamente negado la autoría de su virulento comentario. Creo haber abordado todos los puntos de su desordenada prosa

Pase usted un buen fin de semana

Reply
clara martinez
3/16/2016 09:57:27 am

It seems to me that meeting behind closed doors is an actual "practice" not a theory. A hegemonic practice.

Reply



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  • Home
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  • CIBERBARRIO
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  • Contact
    • ACF Directory >
      • Andres Albuquerque
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      • Ricardo E. Gonzalez
      • Rafelrey Campoamor
      • Yoel Mo Molina
  • Membresía
  • ACF Business
  • Afrocubanliving.com