Black and Cuba

Gr 10 Up—This documentary explores how a group of African American students recently journeyed from Yale University to Cuba to learn about life for Cuban blacks and to compare issues of race and human rights in that country to those in the United States. The film offers a brief history lesson on the African diaspora, colonialism, socialism, imperialism, slavery, and how these issues were central to life in North America and the Caribbean. Interspersed is a glimpse of Cuban culture, music, and society that few Americans have been able to see since the U.S. embargo. The film is entertaining, enlightening, and edgy. Many students will need a bit more prior knowledge on Cuba and its history to fully grasp the implications of socialism and communism, as well as how Cuba's relationship with the United States has evolved. The film provides several interviews about black Cuban life, and it is punctuated by statistics meant to shock or evoke shame about the treatment of African Americans.