Black Political Activism and the Cuban Republic

337 Pages·2011·4.266 MB·English

by  Melina Pappademos

BLACK POLITICAL ACTIVISM AND THE CUBAN REPUBLIC
ENVISIONING CUBA(cid:13)Louis A. Pérez Jr., editor
Hill
pel
a
h
C

S
S
E
R
P
A
N
I
L
O
R
A
C
H
T
R
O
N
F
O
Y
T
I
S
R
E
V
I
N
U
E
H
T
Melina Pappademos
(cid:2)

BLACK POLITICAL
ACTIVISM AND THE
CUBAN REPUBLIC
© 2011 The paper in this book meets the guidelines for
The University of permanence and durability of the Committee on
North Carolina Press Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the
All rights reserved Council on Library Resources.
Manufactured in the
The University of North Carolina Press has been a
United States of America
member of the Green Press Initiative since 2003.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in-P ublication Data
Designed by
Pappademos, Melina.
Jacquline Johnson
Black political activism and the Cuban republic /
Set in Monticello by
Melina Pappademos.
Tseng Information Systems Inc.
p. cm. — (Envisioning Cuba)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8078-3490-9 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Blacks—Politics and government—Cuba—
History—20th century. 2. Blacks—Cuba—Social
conditions—20th century. 3. Cuba—Politics
and government—1909–1933. 4. Cuba—Social
conditions—20th century. 5. Cuba—Race relations—
Political aspects—History—20th century. I. Title.
F1789.N3P37 2011
323.119607291—dc22(cid:13)2011005518
15 14 13 12 11(cid:13)5 4 3 2 1
Parts of this book have been reprinted in revised
form with permission from the following works:
“From Cabildos to Continuadora Societies: Political
Community in the Black Cuban Imaginary,” Negri-
tud: Revista de Estudios Afrolatino- americanos
2, no. 2 (Winter 2009): 152–77, and “‘Political
Changüi’: Race and Political Culture in the Early
Cuban Republic,” African and Black Diaspora:
An International Journal (2011), reprinted by
permission of Taylor & Francis Ltd.,
http://www.informaworld.com.
For Amalia and Isabella
In loving memory of my father,
John, and brother, Nick
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: At the Crossroads of Republic 1
1 “Political Changüí”: Race, Culture, and Politics in
the Early Republic 17
2 Black Patronage Networks 63
3 Inventing Africa and Creating Community 92
4 Africa in the Privileged Black Imaginary 125
5 Power and Great Culture 148
6 We Come to Discredit These Leaders: Political Change
and Challenges to the Black Political Elite 170
Conclusion: Republican Politics and the
Exigencies of Blackness 223
Notes 231
Bibliography 277
Index 297
Illustrations
Black politicians, veteran officers of the Cuban
Liberation Army, and clubmen 39
Board of directors of Club Aponte 50
Generoso Campos Marquetti 68
Juan Gualberto Gómez 76
Rafael Serra 128
Martín Morúa Delgado and daughters 135
The first issue of Labor Nueva 154
Prominent former board presidents
of Club Atenas 167
“The Ladies of Atenas” 191
“General Machado and his retinue” 199
Meeting of the Matanzas Provincial
Federation of Black Societies 211
Acknowledgments
This project has united for me domains once neatly divided; their old, thick
walls are now porous.
I would not have completed this project had I not first relied on the col-
legiality of Cuban scholars, acquaintances, and friends. As I navigated the
complexity and joy of research in Cuba, their willingness to assist and dis-
cuss issues from several angles helped me to produce sharper, more his-
torically grounded work. I want first to thank researchers and staff who
were both knowledgeable and kind in my budding research years, when
finding one’s legs is so elusive. At the Archivo Nacional de Cuba, I thank
Julio, Isabel, Olga, Martha, and Bárbara for their professionalism and ex-
pertise. Staff at the Archivo Histórico Provincial de Santiago de Cuba and
the Archivo Municipal de Santiago de Cuba (Vivac) and Julia at the Elvira
Cape Provincial Library’s Rare and Valuable Collections department were
accommodating beyond all reasonable expectation. I am indebted to Fer-
nando Martínez, Marial Iglesias, Ricardo Guíza, Leyda Oquendo, Tomás
Fernández Robaina, Bárbara Danzie, and Jorge Macle for their rigorous
conversations. I gained a nuanced eye from the experiences and insights
of former activists, including Daisy Heredia, Manolo Sánchez Casamayor,
Enriquito Cordiés, Sabas Hechavarría, Magda Betancourt, Araminta Por-
tuondo, Efraín Romero, Celso Joubert, Germán Joubert, Remember Maceo,
and the great labor leader Juan Taquechel. Their collective knowledge of re-
publican social and political life piqued my intellectual curiosity and flamed
my commitment to the topic; they indelibly mark this book.
My scholarly pursuits were nourished, too, by ties of affection freely given.
For that, I am exceedingly grateful to Yolanda and Mercedes; Caridad, Mer-
cedes, and Migdalia Gómez; Griselda, Dianita, and Rosita; Mauro and
Sonia Gómez and Zenaida Castañeda; Bárbara Danzie, the late Nilo Danzie,
and Mercy, Aryelis, and Albertico; José Ramón, Teoby, and Reins Maceo;