NBC News: Prof. Benson on Cubans’ African Roots

According to NBC News, a growing number of Cuban scholars are calling for the Caribbean nation to re-examine its Afro-Cuban heritage.

A large percentage of Cubans can trace their roots to Africa and the slave trade, but despite their presence in Cuban society, Afro-Cubans are frequently overlooked or, worse, discriminated against.

Latin American and Africana Studies professor Devyn Spence Benson says that this bias makes it hard to accurately determine how many of the 11.1 million Cubans are Afro-Cubans.

"Many Afro-Cuban intellectuals have called for a new count of people of African descent because they are sure that it is higher than the one-fifth seen in the official census," adds Spence Benson.

Read the story.

Video Clips

• Historical Roots of Differing Perspectives on Race Between Cubans and Americans

  Prof. Devyn Spence Benson shares insights into notable historical differences between Cuban and American perspectives on race.

• Events in the United States Continue to Shape Cuba’s Racial Politics and Perspectives

  In the 1960s and today, Cubans take lessons from the American political discourse around race.

• Emerging Cuban Economic Opportunities Disenfranchise Afro Cubans

  What do renewed diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba mean for Cuban politics, socioeconomics and race relations?

• Contradictions Between Anti-Racism and Racism in Cuban and American Society

  How do racial politics shape current events in the United States and Cuba, and what do contradictions between racist attitudes and anti-racism efforts indicate for human development in the 21st century?

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