[Editorial note: In April 1997 "Hunt" (as he was known to his friends) traveled to Cuba with a small group of U. S. clergy and laity to see for himself the society so reviled in the U. S. press. Mr. Blair's account of his visit--clearly not written from a Red perspective--provides a view at once honest, useful, and refreshing.
Sadly, Mr. Blair has since died. His wife has graciously given permission to SeeingRed to reprint the letter he wrote for his many friends.
Mr. Blair was a graduate of Yale University who spent, as Chicago Tribune obituary put it "15 years in industry as an executive and management consultant. .... He then earned a master's degree in counseling at Case Western Reserve and served as dean of students there until he was fired for his support of the student protests at nearby Kent State University." Mr. Blair later helped found numerous community services organizations in the U.S. ([particularly in his adopted city of Chicago) and human development projects around the world.
"He was 6-feet-2-inches tall with white hair and a Yale look" his wife told the Tribune. "He always dressed up to leaflet because he believed it helped get people's attention". His forthright voice, raised many times on behalf on countless issues of social justice, will be missed by friends both met and unmet . --SeeingRed]

11 May 1997

Greetings:

My Cuban trip was full of surprises (not the least of which was to find my wife with a ruptured appendix and near death's door upon my return).

I'm not sure what I expected to see, discover, or learn from my experience, but I did try to go with an open mind, in spite of prior exposure to biased reporting in the U. S. press. Upon our arrival and during most of our team's visit--there were 12 of us, half clergy and half lay--we were fully hosted by local churches and grassroots folks. Everywhere we went, we were greeted with "Know that this is always your home. " I felt grateful and without fear.

My impression of Cuba's economic situation is that it is a combination of socialism and increasing capitalism, the latter including foreign capital for joint ventures with the government, small restaurants in family homes, farmers' markets, small bookstores, and freelance taxi services. The socialism part includes free (though severely rationed) food for all, free world-class medical care (hampered by an embargo-limited supply of medicine and medical equipment), free compulsory education through the 9th grade, free college for the qualified, and stipends for the unemployed. Sixty percent of the once state-owned land has been returned to the people.

I see the political situation as a combination of participatory democracy and a benevolent oligarchy. (Multi-party elections for the president are still not being held. ) To understand Cuba's governance on the local level, picture a neighborhood block club To understand Cuba's governance at the local level, picture a neighborhood block club of 3,000 to 4,000 members, with its "headquarters" resembling an Elks Club hall. Two-thirds of the adult population are members of these local CDRs ("Committee to Defend the Revolution"). The major role of each CDR unit is to ensure cohesiveness of its community. It sees that vaccinations are done, that children and the elderly are cared for within the community's own homes, that littering and graffiti are prevented, that health care is provided, that streets are safe, that community celebrations are held periodically. There are no homeless in Cuba. No gambling. No gangs. Little drug use. Literacy is 97 percent. The infant mortality rate is seven out of 1,000 live births.

There are 169 city halls. Here, the mayor presents a slate for the town officers, and through a method akin to a New England Town Meeting, the people present alternative candidates and then vote.

At the national level, a General Assembly is composed of 589 deputies ( one per 20,000, a third of the population of one of Chicago's 50 wards) who serve five-year terms, with no term limits. Decisions are made by consensus. Deputies are paid the average salary of all the people; when touring their district, they stay in the homes of their constituents. About 67,000 candidates are proposed for the 589 deputy seats. Overall in Cuba, some 30,000 electoral offices are filled each election.

Other observa[tions] of interest to me:

• Monthly income averages 192 pesos (US$9. 60)--ranging from $5. 50 to $20 per month. Because of tourist dollars, a bellhop may earn more than a physician. Everyone is well-educated but poor, underfed, and skinny--even at the upper echelon level. Perhaps sharing their poverty is what produces such a sense of camaraderie among them.
• Eighty-five percent have their own homes. They pay 10 percent per month of their income to the state until the home is paid for, usually five to 20 years. When they die, the home is returned to the state.
• housing is critical because people can't import building materials. Three to four generations may live in a two-to-three bedroom apartment, which might be one explanation of the increased divorce rate.
• thirty percent of Cuba's population is black, 30 percent white, 30 percent mulatto, 10 percent other. Racial harmony prevails, with much egalitarian spirit and (since 1959) total absence of institutional racism.
• forty-four percent of Cuba's labor force are women, who earn equal pay with men. Because CDR member neighbors babysit for them, there are no latchkey kids.
• A favorite occupation is that of night watchman, where the employee can more easily "resolve" some of the merchandise--i. e. liberate it for resale on the black market.
• although "resolving" and mugging are on the increase, there is little violent crime, such as rape and murder. Prostitution has grown in relationship to the increasing tourism.
• out of a population of 11 million, only 1,100 are HIV-positive. We visited an AIDS hospital where patients were free to come and go as they wished.
• all children and pregnant women receive on litre of milk per day for 2 cents. (Because of the [U. S. ] Helms-Burton Act, powdered milk must be imported from distant Asia. )
• about half the Christian population is Roman Catholic, the other half mainline Protestant and evangelicals. It is now legal to worship in private homes so the house church movement is growing. atheism has been eliminated as a condition for Communist Party membership.
• there is no military presence in Cuba, as [there is] in other Latin American countries. All men are required to perform military service, however, if not employed or in college. The usual stint is three years.
• because of paper and ink shortage, there are few newspapers. Radio, the most influential press medium, is largely controlled by the Party and discouraged from exposing political corruption.
• one million tourists may be found in Cuba at any given moment. Tourism is growing 30 percent annually.
• as to how people at the local level feel about Fidel Castro, youth appear to admire his charisma and flamboyance but don't much care for the Party's restrictions on travel, entertainment, and contacts with their U. S. relatives. Adults were fairly noncommittal. One did tell us that Castro's nephew is in prison for fraud. Another mentioned that Castro has a close friend who is a gay poet. A religious leader remarked that Castro's policies in no way contradict the teachings of Jesus Christ. And one woman said, :Castro likes poor people. "
• even in this somewhat "machismo" culture, there appears to be an openness toward homosexuality as well as tolerance of abortion.
  

  As I wrote in a recent letter to the Chicago Tribune, could we not repeal the Helms-Burton Act, the sanctions so hazardous to children and families, the embargo that deprives the innocent of food and medicine? Could we not learn to love the beautiful people of the beautiful island, so near to us geographically and spiritually? Could we not?

  Thanks again for your support.
  

  Grace and peace,
  

  [signed]

  Hunt
  

  _____________

  Permission to reprint and circulate this piece is granted by the estate of Dan Huntington Blair so long as authorship credit is given. Additionally, SeeingRed especially requests that reprints specifically cite the address <www.SeeingRed.com>.

  _____________

      home     |     subscribe     |     talk     |     help-about     |     back issues     |     resources