Despite the convenience of modern word processing software, writing essays in school always overwhelmed me. Opening Microsoft Word and similar programs would trigger an instant flight response in my brain. The screen was lined with toolbars stuffed with unnecessary buttons and dropdown menus that I never used. Why force something like this for a 500-word reflection on a short reading?

The earliest "word processors" were designed to enhance document composition, not overwhelm you with crowded interfaces and rigid formats. The worst part was that there was no escape! Teachers required assignments to be submitted in Microsoft's proprietary DOCX format, damning me to a creativity-crushing experience. The ensuing mental stress outweighed the occasional praise I received about my writing skills from my professors whenever I managed to put out a decent essay. Am I composing a thesis, I used to think, or just processing words?

I graduated university with a sour taste in my mouth for “word processing” that hindered me in future job roles. I didn’t start writing regularly again until years later when I set up a personal blog with a built-in text editor. That's when I was introduced to an exciting new way to compose texts that healed the trauma I endured from years of "processing words" in school.

The text editor interface was minimal, yet not lacking in utility. It gives big MT/ST vibes. The revolutionary feature for me was that it saved my blogs not in a DOCX file, but in a portable plain text format called Markdown (.md).

CommonMark

Created in 2004, Markdown (or CommonMark, as the standard is officially called) might seem intimidating at first, but it's just a simple way to format plain text for a browser. Markdown makes your writing digitally legible for 5.5 billion web surfers.

It's an essential documentation tool for professionals in the modern world. News organizations, bloggers, and academics use it to draft articles and it's the standard for software documentation. You can even format your chat messages in Discord with it! Markdown is widely adopted and makes your writing portable and convertible to other formats. Whenever I wanted to try a new blog hosting solution, I could simply copy over each blog.md file for a browser-native reading experience. You can't do that with DOCX.

Markdown isn't just for technical people—it's an intuitive way for anyone to write that can bring us back from the brink of ultra-processed words. Here are some reasons why I think Markdown-based writing is dope:

• It is easily convertible to other formats like PDF and HTML (even DOCX if needed).
• It future-proofs your writing.
• A whole genre of minimal text editors becomes available to use that reduces distractions and helps you focus on crafting ideas.
• Plain text puts you in control of formatting. There is no rigid document structure in markdown editors that warps pasted content like with Microsoft Word, preventing unnecessary friction in the creative process.
• Markdown is extendable with citation tools like Citation Style Language files.

A Call to Action

Institutional inertia makes educators treat digital text as "electronic paper documents" instead of embracing accessible, web-first reading experiences. The ironic part is that educational institutions pioneered information sharing on the early internet — so why do they impose overstimulating and proprietary work flows on students and workers now? With Markdown, a return to web-first work flows aligns with the Internet's original purpose! Academia is overdue for a shift back to web-first text formatting.

Educators: You already require essays to be submitted via email or a learning management system — neither of which actually require DOCX. Instead of reinforcing Microsoft's monopoly, try incentivizing an assignment submission in Markdown and offering an alternative "distraction-free" text editor to see how students respond.

Students: Regularly writing out your thoughts is a valuable workout for your brain. Try composing a writing assignment in a minimal markdown-friendly rich text editor to see if you enjoy it more than a word processor.

For fun, you could self host a blog with Bludit or publish content on a blogging site like habla.news or tumblr (tumblr's rich text editor is my favorite).

My name is Miguel, and I'm one of the board members of the International Foster Care Alliance (IFCA)! I am a former foster youth living in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. I first connected with IFCA around 2016 when Miho brought a group of Japanese foster youth to Oakland, California, to receive community organizer training from California Youth Connection (CYC). At the time, I was studying in Oakland and organizing with my local CYC chapter. I applied for and was accepted for the trip to Japan for the Youth Summit in 2018 and have continued to stay involved ever since. As a board member, I help IFCA with its Arts and Culture programming as well as member engagement.

My Voice, Our Story Upgrade

My Voice, Our Story is a bilingual blog started by IFCA youth to share stories and thoughts about common themes in foster care, such as aging out of care, normalcy, LGBTQIA+, mental health, and child welfare system reform. IFCA recently received a grant from Yakihonne to pay for six months of server space to upgrade this blog into our own social media network! Now, you can use any Nostr app on a web browser, iOS device, or Android device to connect to it and post your blogs for foster youth around the world to see.

Nostr is a social application protocol that enables our members to share their experiences from foster care on the My Voice, Our Story blog in a fun way. You can connect to the relay with any Nostr application to pull blogs and posts from our relay and, if you are a member of IFCA, post your own! Some Nostr applications have in-app translations that can translate posts to the language of your device, making it a good fit for our network that is spread out across different countries. Also, any youth who wish to remain anonymous can do so because you do not need to provide any personal identifying information to get started on Nostr.

Over the next few weeks, my fellow board members and I will host workshops to show everyone how it works. For now, you can check out this short guide I wrote on how to connect to the relay by clicking here..

You could always reach out to me by email contact@miguelalmodo.com if you have any questions or want to schedule a time for onboarding and further explanation. It might seem complicated at first, but I am confident that our community will quickly adapt. Are you part of IFCA's network? Comment below with the country you are reading this from so other members can see!

In light of all the doom, gloom, and meaningless state sponsored violence in the world these days, I want to practice shedding light on some dope things I have going on lately that I am grateful for. To start, I'm always grateful for my dog's health and companionship. Kaido is a 4 year old 15 lb Chiweeny with an under bite and a big attitude who never lets anybody sneak up behind me.

I'm grateful for the community I've plugged into since I made my Nostr keys and won a creator account with nostr.build in a blog contest last year. I'm coming out of the Creator Residency at nos.social this month with a new group of internet friends and was even just awarded a grant from Yakihonne to spin up a relay for a youth organization I am involved with.

My grant proposal writing skills are sharpening thanks to my participation in a cohort of young "World Builders" who meet weekly via video chat to learn the ins and outs of fundraising and building ethical social impact organizations. A friend of mine I recently reconnected with introduced me to the facilitator of this group, a professional in the development space on a mission to "hack" the non profit sector by training the next generation of youth leaders. It's exactly what I needed to evolve my writing skills and apply for funding to build the better world I want to see for the next generation.

The friend who connected me and I met as foster youth members of a California-based social impact organization dedicated to transforming policy and practice in the foster care and juvenile justice systems. We fell out of touch after high school before crossing paths again a few years ago while I was a staff member at the organization. He's now a professional software developer who runs a learning community dedicated to helping folks learn programming and get into tech roles. My participation in the community has rekindled a passion for computers and the internet that started back in middle school when I first flashed a custom firmware on my Playstation Portable but paused in high school as I became increasingly sick of the internet and more interested in politics and media production. These days, I find myself increasingly sick of the corporate politics and media that define our shared realities and more interested in fixing the internet.

Crisis

In today's perpetual state of polycrisis, systems-involved youth (which include unhoused, foster, and incarcerated youth or orphans) are among the most vulnerable in our society. Higher rates of trauma-induced mental illness culminate into poor life outcomes for this population, including higher rates of unemployment and incarceration. Compounding this is the fact that they use social media at higher rates than other demographics due to a lack of robust social support networks, making them prime targets for bullies and human traffickers on the web. The Center for Humane Technology reports on their website that "more screen time is associated with mental health and behavioral problems, poor academic performance, and worse sleep" for youth.

We had a situation at the California-based organization I mentioned where a frustrated youth member created a "finsta" (fake Instagram account) to drag the Executive Director (one of the founding youth members of the organization in the 80's) and some staff (including me) through the digital mud. The youth tagged the organization's account and spread hurtful memes and rumors throughout our network. It even sparked a staff rebellion in which a disgruntled coordinator sent out a letter to our network detailing their personal beef with management and announcing their departure. A petition of no confidence in the Executive Director was circulated, resulting in their resignation from the organization they helped start decades ago. Needless to say, the whole thing left the community pretty traumatized and we lost a few great staff members.

I can't help but imagine how the situation would have played out if our organization had something like a white-listed Nostr relay to organize our community around instead of an Instagram account. The burner account would not have been able to post anything to the relay, so the memes and rumors probably wouldn't have spread as far or as quickly as they did. The white-listed youth members of the communications committee I ran could have posted content to the relay to ensure verified information was spread throughout the membership. Maybe this kind of setup would have created an environment for the frustrated member to feel more connected to the organization and it's mission and prevented such a mess from ever taking place. In the moment, I felt powerless to stop it.

Digital Neighborhoods

When I catch myself feeling down about the state of the world and how powerless I've felt to change it over the last year, I try to remember Rabble's metaphor about building digital neighborhoods in the recent presentation he gave at Nostriga. Before long, I'm reaching for my digital construction hat on my way to my computer to jot some ideas down. I've heard a lot of lip service at different non profits I've worked for over the years be given to the idea of safe physical spaces for youth (like playgrounds and soccer fields), but I never heard this idea extended to the digital spaces where the majority of young people spend an increasing amount of their time. These days, I serve on the board of directors for a different organization that I intend to build a digital neighborhood for with the Yakihonne Relay Grant I was awarded recently. I've been building transnational support networks for youth involved in state care with the International Foster Care Alliance since 2016 when I first trained a delegation of Japanese foster youth on community organizing strategies. There are a few reasons why I think Nostr is a natural fit for systems-involved youth.

1. Confidentiality laws surrounding minors in state care make it hard for organizations like ours to engage them in storytelling on social media because of the personal identifying information required to participate on corporate platforms. A Nostr key pair empowers a youth with a layer of anonymity in line with one of the tips in the Child Welfare Gateway's Social Media Factsheet about limiting the sharing of personal information. This anonymity grows their capacity to share painful pasts intentionally and with purpose. Since Nostr profiles can't be traced to a personal identity, youth advocates are empowered to use their voice to make a difference.

2. For foster youth who are disempowered in all other areas of their lives, ownership of their identity and data gives them control over how they present themselves and engage with others online. This gives way for an increased sense of connectedness, personal capacity, and resilience in storytelling without fear of being tokenized. Our organization's web presence will evolve into a powerful tool for narrative change and foster deeper connections among youth members globally, strengthening their cultural identities while contributing to a broader conversation on child welfare reform.

3. Next generation features and a vast app ecosystem will transcend geographical boundaries and time zones, significantly enhancing communication and collaboration between organizations in the alliance. In particular, in app translations provided by many Nostr clients will allow youth to socialize with their counterparts in other countries across language barriers and facilitate smoother communication.

What's not to look forward to? I'm grateful to be part of this movement and for the opportunities the community has provided for me up until now. We've come a long way since GeoCities and Myspace but, in the words of Tim Berner's Lee, "The future is still so much bigger than the past."

After holding up the red line, we made our way to a nearby park where the organizers held a "People's Court" to try israel and the u.s. for war crimes. We shared a collective cry as we listened to heart wrenching testimonies sent in by Gazan families of Palestinian organizers about the nightmare they are enduring. As this was happening, israel killed another 274 Palestinians in a raid on the Nuseirat refugee camp. The notification across my screen felt like a punishment for our activism and reminded me that the bureaucrats are not listening.

I was initially discouraged to see a lower turnout than the march on washington I attended last November, where 300,000 folks arrived to denounce the united states' unconditional support of the Palestinian genocide. I can't say I didn't anticipate it, though. Wage slaves have to eat, and paid time off to protest about things they care about is a luxury few CEO's in this world provide for them.

Adding to this is the brutal suppression of dissenting voices worldwide. Groups like Within Our Lifetime are kneecapped by outright censorship and bans from corporate social media platforms.Not to mention, the u.s. government is forcing a sale of Tik Tok to a former u.s. treasury secretary with ties to mossad.

Palestine is an anti-colonial struggle that inspired so many of us to organize for change, yet we've managed to spend the last 8 months funding their genocide with our consumption tax dollars and scrolling through pictures of dead babies and leveled cities. Why have activists failed to push western governments to materialize any sort of timely, meaningful shifts in foreign policy? I think part of it has to do with the tools we are using. Like Malcolm X said, we're not outnumbered; we're outorganized.

For one, we are letting these tech CEO's off way too easy. The spotlight is increasingly being pointed at corporate social media giants for conducting a mass behavioral health experiment on the masses. These centralized platforms bombard users with morally outrageous content and advertisements while working with the state to suppress dissenting voices. Antagonizing algorithms polarize public discourse and keep us at each others throats, preventing any sort of mass peace movement from building power. Places like Europe have a whole framework of data rights protections for users that is nonexistent in the Americas. The corporate communication apparatus we organize with freezes the political process and manufactures consent for genocide. Was it Noam Chomskey who said, "the media defines what's possible"...? By the way, he's not dead yet.

How else do you think Trump was able to organize his base to attempt a coup on Jan 6th? He paid someone to build his own communications apparatus in the form of a social media platform, Truth Social, on an open protocol called ActivityPub, a predecessor to Nostr. Meridith Whittaker, the president of the Signal Foundation, explains in a recent article that you should read if you are an activist,

The Right has a point. In that they understand social media platforms as critical infrastructure capable of shaping and distorting our shared information ecosystem, and they recognize that controlling how this ecosystem is “distorted” is a better use of their time — in pursuit of power and influence — than trying to create a magic formula that can “democratize” or “balance” the influence these platforms exert.

The few I hear with similar critiques include OGs like Chairman Yeshitela, who, alongside 3 other members of the People's Afrikan Socialist Party, is currently fighting bogus charges by the u.s. federal government for conspiring with the Russians in sowing dissent in u.s. elections. The FBI violently raided their properties in 2022 without any sort of warrant and before any formal charges had been filed. Contrast this with the recent raid on Mar-a-Lago where not a single flash grenade was used. He explains in a 2023 interview on Democracy Now! that

We have to move beyond protest and move toward the question of capturing and yielding political power.

As activists, we have to be brave enough to realize that what we are doing is not producing our desired results and pivot to new strategies. Open internet protocols are a must have in any activist's toolbox if they are serious about social change. Start with a simple internet search, and start building. I currently run a small relay that I use to introduce my community to nostr. I've spun up a diaspora instance for my close friends and family in the past as well. While this tech is accessible, it requires you to take some time to learn about the landscape of alternative social media protocols and how the Internet works. You could always reach out via the contact form on my website at https://miguelalmodo.com for more information or questions about how to get started!

My choice of social media is my way of preventing the monetization of my attention and digital footprint by the corpo-state consent factory that defines our current political realities. It's an step in reclaiming your digital sovereignty and empowering your base with an un-suppressible voice on the internet. A liberated fifth estate built on open protocols could channel people power into material improvements within our lifetimes. It's why I boycott the corporate tech platforms and why you should too.

edit: I realized after I published this that truth social was launched in Feb of 2022, a year AFTER Jan 6 2021. I insinuated that Jan 6 was organized on truth social which is not the case. By making the connection here, I wish to bring to light the power open internet protocols have in sustaining a cult of personality behind someone like trump. If activists and organizations leveraged the same tech to organize their base, it would bring people together in a way that could manifest the amount of people power needed to overthrow the influence of capital in political processes and allow for real democracy to shape our outcomes.

Finalmente estoy compartiendo esta nota después de que Aaron Bushnell, un miembro de 25 años de las fuerzas armadas de Estados Unidos, transmitiera en vivo su autoinmolación frente a una embajada israelí en Twitch el fin de semana pasado en protesta por el genocidio palestino en curso. Es el segundo que lo hace en los últimos meses y el primero en perder la vida en el proceso. Esta nota es para los mártires.

I woke up feeling sick to my stomach in the middle of the night during my recent delgation to Cuba; probably a side effect of mixing 3 plates of Ropa Vieja at dinner with cigars and beer at La Fabrica the night before. Chastising myself for hitting my body with 3 things I normally avoid at home (tobacco, alcohol, and meat), I wasn't able to make it downstairs to the cafeteria for breakfast or the day trip with the group. I was allowed to stay and rest at the center in the morning while they checked out El Rincón de los Milagros,where they learned about the impact of the Haitian revolution on Cuban society. Everyone said I would have loved it. After looking through their pictures and videos of the drum sessions,I'm certain I would have. I'm going to prioritize visiting this spot next time I'm in Cuba.

Me desperté sintiéndome mal del estómago en medio de la noche, durante mi reciente delegación a Cuba; probablemente un efecto secundario de mezclar 3 platos de Ropa Vieja en la cena, con cigarros y cerveza en La Fábrica la noche anterior. Regañándome a mí mismo por someter mi cuerpo a 3 cosas que normalmente evito en casa (tabaco, alcohol y carne), no logré bajar a la cafetería para desayunar ni unirme al viaje del día con el grupo. Me permitieron quedarme a descansar en el centro durante la mañana mientras ellos visitaban El Rincón de los Milagros, donde aprendieron sobre el impacto de la revolución haitiana en la sociedad cubana. Todos dijeron que me hubiera encantado. Después de ver sus fotos y videos de las sesiones de tambores, estoy seguro de que así hubiera sido. Voy a hacer de visitar este lugar una prioridad la próxima vez que esté en Cuba.

On the flip side, I was deficient in sleep hours, so catching up on rest put me in a better position to participate in the evening social at El Sauce. El Sauce is a smaller venue that wasn't nearly as packed as La Fabrica the previous evening. I enjoyed down time with my fellow delegates, happy to get to know them in an intimate space and eventualy joining them on the dance floor for an electric slide.

Por otro lado, me faltaban horas de sueño, así que ponerme al día con el descanso me colocó en una mejor posición para participar en el evento social de la noche en El Sauce. El Sauce es un lugar más pequeño que no estaba tan lleno como La Fábrica la noche anterior. Disfruté del tiempo libre con mis compañeros delegados, contento de llegar a conocerlos en un espacio íntimo y finalmente uniéndome a ellos en la pista de baile para un electric slide.

I watched a man dressed in plain shorts and a red shirt dance enthusiastically with at least 5 separate partners of varying ages and genders throughout the night, radiating joy with each graceful spin as if he hadn't a care in the world. His magnetic energy drew everyone around him into his orbit despite coming to El Sauce alone that night. The circumstances of an inhumane blockade on his country did not seem to phase him as he laughed and sang along to the music, his humanity on full display for us to see.

Observé a un hombre vestido con shorts sencillos y una camisa roja bailar entusiasmado con al menos 5 parejas distintas de variadas edades y géneros a lo largo de la noche, irradiando alegría con cada giro elegante como si no tuviera ninguna preocupación en el mundo. Su energía magnética atraía a todos a su alrededor a pesar de haber llegado solo a El Sauce esa noche. Las circunstancias de un bloqueo inhumano sobre su país parecían no afectarle mientras reía y cantaba junto a la música, mostrando su humanidad para que todos la viéramos

Before dinner the next evening, the group gathered in the cafeteria for a reflection activity about our first few days in Cuba where we broke the ice by sharing an African word that we were familiar with and its significance to us. My mind instantly snapped to "Ubuntu", a word that represents the inception of my programming journey and my intentions with what comes from it. From the African Journal of Social Work,

Antes de la cena la siguiente noche, el grupo se reunió en la cafetería para una actividad reflexiva sobre nuestros primeros días en Cuba, donde rompimos el hielo compartiendo una palabra africana con la que estuviéramos familiarizados y su significado para nosotros. Mi mente se dirigió instantáneamente a 'Ubuntu', una palabra que representa el inicio de mi carrera en la programación y mis intenciones con lo que resulte de ello. Según el Journal Africano de Trabajo Social:

Ubuntu refers to a collection of values and practices that Black people of Africa or of African origin view as making people authentic human beings. While the nuances of these values and practices vary across different ethnic groups, they all point to one thing – an authentic individual human being is part of a larger and more significant relational, communal, societal, environmental and spiritual world.
Ubuntu se refiere a un conjunto de valores y prácticas que las personas negras de África o de origen africano consideran que hacen a los seres humanos auténticos. Aunque los matices de estos valores y prácticas varían entre los distintos grupos étnicos, todos apuntan a lo mismo: un ser humano auténtico es parte de un mundo más amplio y significativo que incluye lo relacional, lo comunal, la sociedad, el medio ambiente y lo espiritual.

I explained my philosophy around the use of open sourced software and a healthier relationship with the Internet highlighting the need to boycot corporate tech platforms that inflict irreparable harm on the massses. The constant bombardment of corporate advertising guided by antagonizing algorithms fuel a dire behavioral health crisis that's actively destroying the fabric of our society and disconnecting us from our humanity. Open source software is my weapon in this war against the tech corporations that dominate our dystopic digital lives that I will leverage to center humanity and dignity in communications.

Expliqué mi filosofía sobre el uso de software de código abierto y una relación más saludable con internet, resaltando la necesidad de boicotear las plataformas tecnológicas corporativas que infligen un daño irreparable a las masas. El constante bombardeo de publicidad corporativa, guiado por algoritmos antagonistas, alimenta una grave crisis de salud conductual que está destruyendo activamente el tejido de nuestra sociedad y desconectándonos de nuestra humanidad. El software de código abierto es mi arma en esta guerra contra las corporaciones tecnológicas que dominan nuestras vidas digitales distópicas, el cual utilizaré para centrar la humanidad y la dignidad en nuestras comunicaciones.

I shared this with the group, happy to look over at a fellow delegate and see her point to the bracelet on her wrist with the letters U-B-U-N-T-U spelled out. I felt right at home with this crew.

Compartí esto con el grupo, contento de mirar a una compañera delegada y verla señalar hacia la pulsera en su muñeca con las letras U-B-U-N-T-U. Me sentí como en casa con este equipo.

As sleep deficient as I was yesterday, I agreed to join Kelvin and two supporters of the Martin Luther King Center for dinner and live Jazz at Eclectico Restaurante Italiano.

I was nodding off the whole way back to my room at the center. I hit the bed like a pile of bricks, waking up this morning feeling refreshed and ready to change the world!

The delegation officially starts this evening with an orientation scheduled for 5pm. Until the rest of the delegates arrived, I was free to explore! After a cup of coffee and a few minutes of jump rope, I left with Kelvin into the city for a side quest to check out Proyecto Cumunitario Quisicuaba. Juan scooped us up around 9, stopping on the way to pick up a beautician we got acquainted with over dinner last night. The more, the merrier!

Proyecto Comunitario QuisicuabaFounded in 1953, Proyecto Comunitario Quisicuaba is a mutual aid organization in Central Havana that provides hot meals, transitional housing, occupational training and social work services for the surrounding community. The name "Quisicuaba" is a combination of "kissi" and "cuaba", referencing the Kissis ethnic group of freed Black folks from Angola who settled in Habana and built their homes with hard wood from the Cuaba tree. Their objectives are to:

1. promote sustainable development and participation of the community in health, education, values, and identity
2. promote and preserve Cuban cultural heritage and optimize potential of its citizens

Single moms, "habitantes de la calle" (what they call the unhoused population), and other marginalized groups line up every day at 10am for a hot meal made with donations from organizations around the world. In the Santo Antonio municipality, they run an agro-centric assisted living center where with a focus on sovereignty and sustainability. Their motto, "luz y amor" (light and love), lies at the heart of their philosophy and guides their programming.

The vice president, Lien Lucía García Miranda, gave Kelvin and I and Meibis (the beautician from dinner last night) a tour, breaking down how their, kitchen, museum, and technical high school program preserve Cuban culture and counteract the blockade. I played translator between Kelvin and the staff as he asked questions to plan the iteniary for the next group trip he is putting together.

Click here to hear an audio of the tour

The technical school next door to the museum trains youth ages 15-16 in electrical wiring, masonry, and sewing. They are currently forced to teach a class of 50 students how to use a computer with a single desktop computer because of the blockade and lack of available computer parts. Hearing this had a big impact on me when I heard it because I'm in the middle of learning web development. It is truly unjust that in this hyperconnected world Cuban children are expected to learn in these conditions. Kelvin graciously noted that he would include some sort of material support around this in the iteniary for the trip he is planning later this year.

We ended the visit with lunch, making sure to thank them for their hospitality and promising to return. Kelvin expressing that he was going to organize material support around computer parts reminded me of the time I photographed Oscar Lopez Rivera in Loiza, Puerto Rico with the mayor as they set up a similar donation with a New York-based foundation. I'm inspired by the examples of "luz y amor" these legendary organizers provide while motivated to organizing structural changes in my community that will eliminate this need to begin with!

I finally got some down time to write! Its been non stop since I flew in to Jose Marti airport yesterday. The delegation didn't officially start until today, but I decided to arrive a day early to get acclimated and hunt for side quests. As we began to descend into Jose Marti airport, before the Wi-Fi cut out, I texted the taxi driver that was sent for me a picture of myself and mentioned that I would be outside soon carrying a pair of rollerblades. After one of the smoothest landings I had ever experienced on a plane ride, my adventure had finally begun.

I made it through customs and jumped to the baggage claim to retrieve my luggage, which, luckily, was among the first group that came out. My driver, Juan and I were able to locate each other within seconds of me walking out the door. After graciously helping me wheel my luggage to the car, he let me know he had one more pickup before heading to the Martin Luther King Center. At that point I could feel the dark circles forming under my eyes, but was happy to tag along and meet a new friend.

Overcome with a wave of nostalgia as we cruised through Havana, I explained to Juan that this was my second time in Cuba and that I was excited to be here with a group of like minded folk and a structured learning agenda. He mentioned that his wife organizes political education at the MLK center while he drives a taxi, supporting where he can with rides to and from the airport for delegations. He added that he spent time in Angola as a young man supporting African revolutionaries in their struggle for self determination, motivating me to finish the movie I downloaded for the flight but couldn't get around to completing. Now I can say I talked to someone who experienced it!

He parked on the side of the road somewhere in Havana Vieja and left me to find his next pickup a couple blocks up. I exited the vehicle to take in the scenery, smiling at whoever I made eye contact with. Havana is a busy city with a strong character. I can't wait to connect with Cuban professionals on a personal level and dive into the iteniary, which includes presentations from organizers, scientists, teachers, lawyers, and other civil servants who maintain an unparalleled literacy rate and healthy society despite having to do it under the boot of the u.s. blockade. Juan suddenly appeared onto the street ahead of me, approaching the car next to a tall Black man with a cap on. Enter, Kelvin!!!

Kelvin is an OG South African pastor who runs a community development corporation in Los Angeles. He is in Cuba planning a future cultural exchange for a group of young folks he works with. I was quick to commend his country with a fist bump for putting in work at the International Court of Justice in defense of Palestine. His lively spirit and contagious smile radiated a sense of safety in the car as we drove him to his meeting with an associate named Liz in Havana.

From the back seat, I couldn't help but notice he was texting Liz from Belly of the Beast, a popular internet documentary series where she interviews cultural and political icons like Francia Márquez and Elián González to tell an authentic story of Cuban resilience under blockade from the united states. I blurted out "Is that Liz from Belly of the Beast?!" You could probably imagine how hyped I was when Kelvin responded with an invite for Juan and I to join them for lunch. I enthusiastically accepted!

The slow onset of dementia from the lack of sleep offsetted how hyped I was to be sitting at that table. Kelvin and I learned that we are in community with some of the same organizers in Oakland while Liz gave commentary on her recent tour of the united states. Liz had to bounce for a meeting but invited us to her office for coffee after. (YES!!!) She ordered her food wrapped up to go, eventually leaving Kelvin, Juan, and I to continue to get to know each other and finish our food.

After lunch, we rode to Liz's office space where we met her producer, Gabriela, as she was in the middle of editing a new episode of Belly of the Beast. I spoke a little bit about my communications work and experience organizing cultural exchanges with systems involved youth while Liz and Gabriela told us production stories. They brought out coffee and let me connect to their Wi-Fi to check my messages. It was cool to see Wi-Fi access was not as restrictive as I remembered from my trip in 2017 and initially anticipated coming into this one. Private residences have internet access to do the same kind of communications work I am used to doing at home.

Our time kicking it with the Belly of the Beast team feels like a dream until I look at the group selfie we took on their balcony. God has my fucking back, man. Tomorrow I'll meet the rest of the group and officially begin my second adventure in Cuba!

Quick recap for my followers, Miguel is headed to Cuba tonight on a delegation with Solidarity Collective to meet with teachers, medical students, social workers, and organizers for a cultural exchange around Pan Africanism in the Latin American context with the aim of building solidarity across the Americas.

Questions our delegation will be exploring include:

1. How do Cubans, a Black-majority country, approach environmental protection, religious syncretism, housing rights, and healthcare?

2. What is the role of historic and contemporary abolitionist practices in their quest to eradicate racism?

3. What challenges remain to build an equitable society, especially under the yoke of 60 years of the US Blockade?

4. What do these lessons mean for the struggle for black liberation in the U.S.?

Today I spent time downloading material around Fidel and Che's support of African liberation movements to get up to speed on their experiences in the Congo and Angola. I also reviewed my travel documents to make sure I wasn't missing anything, as well as made contact with my ride to the Martin Luther King Jr Center in Havana.

I packed a random blood pressure cuff that I bought for an EMT course I took (and passed) in junior college to give to the first doctor I meet out there. I'm excited to meet new people and listen to their stories and perspectives on the world. I'm also bringing my rollerblades so I can skate through Havana on my down time! I skated with residents at a night skate event last time I was there in 2017, so I know its a sport that's alive and thriving.

I'm chillin at home right now waiting for my taxi to pick me up in an hour and a half to take me to Rafael Hernandez, where I'll officially embark on the first leg of my journey to Fort Lauderdale where I'll catch my flight to Havana.

Here's a short glossary of frequently used terms in organizing spaces that you can use to jump-start your journey into community activism. Whether you're a seasoned organizer or just dipping your toes into the waters of issues on your school campus, familiarizing yourself with these terms will empower you to communicate more effectively, foster deeper connections, and navigate the intricacies of community organizing. Nos fuimos!

Action Plan/Strategy:
The "game plan" that outlines the steps (tactics) your chapter will take to accomplish your local issue.

Activism:
taking action to effect social change.

Advocate: to speak on behalf of others who are unable to represent their own interest due to disability, inherent complexity of the venue such as courts and hospitals, or other factors.

Allies: The people who support your issue but may not necessarily join your group. Allies may be policy makers, individuals or community organizations.

Base: the people from the constituency that an organization can readily mobilize for events, actions and meetings although they may not be formal members.

Campaign: Your overall effort to make change on an issue. A series of connected activities, each of which builds the strength of the organization and brings it closer to "winning" what you are fighting for.

Constituency: a group or class served by an organization or institution, specifically the people impacted by the issues that the organization works. This can also be thought of as an organizations' potential base or as the "community" to be organized.

Decision maker: the person or body within an organization with the power to make the decision to change a policy or practice; sometimes also referred to as the target.

Direct service: Supply basic services to people who need them specific to their social, economic and cultural background often to meet basic needs such as food, health care, etc.

Durable power:
ability to influence key decision-makers on a range of issues over time.

Faith-based: affiliated with or based on religion or a religious group. In community organizing refers to developing power and relationships mostly through congregations that can promote an "issue".

Fundraising: activity done to collect money or there resources.

Goal: What you decide you want to achieve.

Grassroots: people at a local or low level rather than at the center or upper levels of an organization or movement; associated with bottom-up, rather than top-down decision making, and is sometimes considered more natural or spontaneous than more traditional power structures. In community organizing refers to using the people as the basis for a political or economic movement.

Institution: A deeply rooted and significant practice or organization in a community. A system or practice that seems permanent and like it has always existed.

Leader: a member of an organization who takes initiative in analyzing problems and thinking through solutions, gains the loyalty and trust of other members of the organization and shows commitment by being actively involved in the planning and execution of campaigns.

Legal action: the process of using a lawyer or the court system to effect social change, examples include arbitration, mediation and lawsuits among others.

Member: a person who is part of the organization' constituency who meets the organizations' criteria for membership (e.g. pays dues, completes organizational orientation, participates in actions or activities).

Mobilizing: to prepare and organize for action; get together to effect a specific social change.

Opponents: The people who stand in the way of the goal you want to achieve. They may or may not be people who have the authority to make the change, but they are people who like things the way they are, are scared of change, or who will be upset or lose something if you achieve your goal.

Organizer: a person who is responsible for ensuring the growth of the organization by developing members to lead the process of building the base, developing campaigns and build the organization.

Policy Recommendation: Outlines how you want your target to address the issue your organization has identified as a problem, and clearly identifies a solution to the problem.

Political: exercising or seeking power in the governmental or public affairs of a state, taking a position or having influence on specific bills and policy.

Power: the ability to act; actions that engage with and influence groups; sources of power in a democracy include position, organized money and organized people.

Protest: actions usually (but not always) undertaken by those who lack access to resources or whose values conflict with the dominant elite to force powerful groups to respond to demands.

Self interest: a concern for one's own advantage and well-being.

Social Movement Building: encompasses diverse collections of individual activists, local and national organizations, advocacy groups, multiple spokespersons, and more, held together by relatively common aims but not a common organizational structure.

Stakeholder: The people who will be affected by your issue and have an interest in the outcome. This could include youth, policy makers, service providers, caregivers, etc. and your constituents. Stakeholders can be allies, opponents or targets.

Tactics: The steps you will take to complete your action plan and accomplish your goal.

In February I'll be back in the skies headed to Havana, where I will participate in a delegation with Solidarity Collective to learn about Pan Africanism in the Cuban context. Some questions we will be exploring during this delegation are:

How do Cubans, in a Black-majority country, approach environmental protection, religion, housing rights, and healthcare?

What is the role of historic and contemporary abolitionist practices in their quest to eradicate racism?

What challenges remain to build an equitable society, especially under the yoke of 60 years of the u.s. Blockade?

What do these lessons mean for the struggle for black liberation in the u.s.?

I've dreamed about the next time I would visit Cuba and how I would track down the friends I made there in 2017. At that time, the government controlled access to internet via these cards that you would purchase then redeem on your device for timed access. The idea was that you would take your Wi-Fi card and head to a communal place like La Plaza with your device to access the Internet with others.

While some north americans might find that kind of Internet access draconian, surfing the web in public like that made me value my time on the Internet more. Has this changed since I was last there? I am personally interested in how groups are leveraging tech and the Internet for education and organizing. I now have a solid couple of years of IT/programming education to reference while I meet with teachers and journalists at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center and hear about the right to free education from daycare through university and literacy campaigns. I wonder if they've heard about decentralized social media protocols like Nostr or Activitypub or if they ever experienced censorship from the authorities on the Internet.

I recently experienced censorship in the YouTube comments as I explained to fellow web surfers why we must include Vieques and the other islands in the archipelago when talking about Puerto Rico politically. My ability to comment was restricted as I tried to convince others who talked down on Haiti and Cuba as failed states to instead take my Pan Caribbean perspective. I really enjoyed Dread's talk at Nostrasia 2023 about how he is using Bitcoin and Nostr to bring the islands together as the US Dollar and financial institutions like Western Union and the IMF keep us divided and oppressed.

The more I learn about Bitcoin as a tool for global wealth distribution, the more I understand how these institutions rob youth and families of basic necessities and facilitate the rise of authoritarian regimes and systems that punish journalists and activists through political repression. The corporate ownership of our means of internet communication by the likes of technocrats like Musk and Zuckerberg won't let authentic conversation between Caribbean-based diaspora happen on their platforms while they get to destroy countries like Myanmar and shape public discourse to their whim. That's why I'm glad I found Nostr.

My personal blog currently lives on my Uberspace asteroid in a Bludit instance that lacks much functionality outside of themes and data analytics, so it's just sits there as a personal repo for my thoughts. Nostr provides all of this with a direct link to my Bitcoin wallet address and comment functionality. If people value my content, I can get "zapped" and earn money for my content. I can now engage with my audience directly without a middle man. No Substack, no moderators censoring my messages, just community. The job now is to bridge my community and this new way of socializing on the Internet.

To help make this as educational of an experience as possible, I ask my audience: What questions or feedback do you have about my trip and the types of questions I want to explore? Is there anything you've ever wondered about Cuba? What suggestions do you have in terms of how I can better present information; written word, audio interviews, video, or photo essays?

Leave me some love in the comments and stay tuned!

I was up late last night trying to publish a blog post, but gave up after the connection faded and reset all I had typed to a blank text box. When I woke up this morning, I snoozed my 7:30 alarm for a half hour before heading downstairs to share a light breakfast with the other delegation members and enjoy our first presentation from a staff member about the history of the center.

Anoche me quedé despierto hasta tarde tratando de publicar una entrada en el blog, pero desistí después de que la conexión se interrumpió y borró todo lo que había escrito, dejando la casilla de texto en blanco. Cuando me desperté esta mañana, pospuse mi alarma de las 7:30 por media hora antes de bajar a compartir un desayuno ligero con los otros miembros de la delegación y disfrutar de nuestra primera presentación de un miembro del personal sobre la historia del centro.

There's a street or building named after Dr. Martin Luther King in almost every city and country I've ever been to! The MLK Center in Havana stands next to a church by the busy intersection of 51st and 100th street. The center, founded by Pastor Raul Suarez in 1987, builds transnational solidarity networks by hosting cultural exchanges with organizations from around the world in Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King's honor.

En casi todas las ciudades y paises que he visitado hay una calle o edificio nombrado en honor de Dr. Martin Luther King! El Centro esta ubicado al lado de una iglesia en la concurrida interseccion de las calles 51 y 100! Fundado por el Pastor Raúl Suárez en 1987, el centro construye redes de solidaridad transnacional al organizar intercambios culturales con organizaciones de todo el mundo en honor al Reverendo Dr. Martin Luther King.

It was inspiring to see the presenter tear up as she outlined the impact the center had on the surrounding community like wiring electricity to the neighborhood. Throughout the week, residents line up during business hours for water from a purifier machine inside the cafeteria, ensuring clean h2o for drinking, cooking, and cleaning for residents.

Fue inspirador ver a la presentadora emocionarse mientras delineaba el impacto que el centro tenía en la comunidad circundante, como llevar electricidad al vecindario. A lo largo de la semana, los residentes hacen fila durante el horario comercial para obtener agua de una máquina purificadora dentro de la cafetería, asegurando agua limpia para beber, cocinar y limpiar para los residentes.

The center is complete with rooms for guests that include bunk beds and a shared bathroom with an air conditioner. The cafeteria serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner throughout the day. The space is truly magical, with staff and volunteers walking around with bright faces, making you feel right at home.

El centro cuenta con habitaciones para huéspedes que incluyen camas y un baño compartido con aire acondicionado. La cafetería sirve desayuno, almuerzo y cena durante todo el día. El espacio es verdaderamente mágico, con el personal y los voluntarios caminando con rostros brillantes, haciéndote sentir como en casa.

During the oral history lesson, our delegation coordinator asked about how organized religions show up in Cuba since the revolution was declared atheist. It didn't occur to me until till that Martin Luther King was a minister! How did they come to name a center after him? The staff from the center explained that Fidel Castro, after a visit to Brazil in 1980 where he met with liberation theologian Friei Betto, famously remarked that if liberation theology existed in Cuba, they wouldn't have needed a revolution to liberate their country from the united states occupation, marking a shift towards greater religious tolerance and inclusion to address and rectify social inequalities and injustices, key themes of the Cuban Revolution.

Durante la lección de historia oral, nuestro coordinador de la delegación preguntó cómo se manifiestan las religiones organizadas en Cuba desde que la revolución fue declarada atea. ¡No se me ocurrió hasta ese momento que Martin Luther King era un ministro! ¿Cómo llegaron a nombrar un centro en su honor? El personal del centro explicó que Fidel Castro, después de una visita a Brasil en 1980 donde se reunió con el teólogo de la liberación Frei Betto, comentó famosamente que si la teología de la liberación existiera en Cuba, no habrían necesitado una revolución para liberar su país de la ocupación de los estados unidos, marcando un cambio hacia una mayor tolerancia religiosa e inclusión para abordar y rectificar las desigualdades sociales e injusticias, temas clave de la Revolución Cubana.

Liberation theology is a movement within the catholic church that emphasizes social justice and opposition to poverty and social injustice. This and subsequent discussions between the two leaders, among other factors, played a pivotal role in the gradual shift in the Cuban government's approach to religion and religious freedom. In 1992, Cuba amended its constitution to declare the state secular rather than atheist. This amendment allowed for the open practice of religion and acknowledged the powerful role that religious institutions and beliefs could play in Cuban society. It highlights a moment of reflection on the intersections between religious faith and revolutionary politics and led to structural constitutional reforms. Today, one will observe many religions and forms of African spirituality being practiced throughout the country with support from the government.

La teología de la liberación es un movimiento dentro de la iglesia católica que enfatiza la justicia social y la oposición a la pobreza y la injusticia social. Esto y las subsiguientes discusiones entre los dos líderes, entre otros factores, jugaron un papel pivotal en el cambio gradual en el enfoque del gobierno cubano hacia la religión y la libertad religiosa. En 1992, Cuba enmendó su constitución para declarar al estado secular en lugar de ateo. Esta enmienda permitió la práctica abierta de la religión y reconoció el poderoso papel que las instituciones religiosas y las creencias podrían jugar en la sociedad cubana. Destaca un momento de reflexión sobre las intersecciones entre la fe religiosa y la política revolucionaria y condujo a reformas constitucionales estructurales. Hoy, se observan muchas religiones y formas de espiritualidad africana practicadas en todo el país con apoyo del gobierno.

Click for an intro to Santeria

Cubans across the country draw inspiration from Yoruba, a spiritual tradition rooted in West African heritage, also known as Santería. Followers of this faith turn to orishas, divine entities that govern human activities and natural elements, for direction and insight. Unlike public temples or churches, rituals are conducted within the privacy of a home. In reverence to the orishas, devotees often construct intricate altars or "thrones" – sacred areas that depict these mighty figures in majestic grandeur.

Los cubanos de todo el país se inspiran en Yoruba, una tradición espiritual arraigada en la herencia del África occidental, también conocida como Santería. Los seguidores de esta fe recurren a orishas, entidades divinas que gobiernan las actividades humanas y los elementos naturales, para obtener dirección e conocimiento. A diferencia de los templos o iglesias públicas, los rituales se realizan dentro de la privacidad de un hogar. En reverencia a los orishas, los devotos a menudo construyen altares o "tronos" intrincados - áreas sagradas que representan a estas figuras poderosas en majestuosa grandeza.

After an energizing intro to the history of the Martin Luther King Center, we thanked the staff and prepared to transition to the bus for our next activity, a tour of Casa Africa in Havana. During the transition, the group gathered in the courtyard to hear an inspirational pep talk from Pastor Kelvin before he headed to the airport to catch his flight home.

Después de una introducción energizante a la historia del Centro Martin Luther King, agradecimos al personal y nos preparamos para pasar al autobús para nuestra próxima actividad, un recorrido por la Casa África en La Habana. Durante la transición, el grupo se reunió en el patio para escuchar un discurso de ánimo inspirador del Pastor Kelvin antes de que se dirigiera al aeropuerto para tomar su vuelo de regreso a casa.

Kelvin's introduced himself to the larger group inspired us with the powerful words about the current state of the world and the power we wielded as organizers to change it.

Kelvin se presentó al grupo más grande e inspiró con palabras poderosas sobre el estado actual del mundo y el poder que tenemos como organizadores para cambiarlo.

Click Here to Listen to Kelvin's words about Resiliance, Resisting, & Reimagining

He hooked the group with a bottle of Havana Club as a parting gift! As sad as I was to see him go, I know this was not a "goodbye," but a "see you later". I hugged Kelvin tight before boarding the bus, thanking him for the memories we created yesterday and the wisdom he shared.

¡Al grupo nos regalo una botella de Havana Club de despedida! Aunque estaba triste de verlo ir, sé que esto no era un "adiós", sino un "hasta luego". Abracé a Kelvin fuerte antes de subir al autobús, agradeciéndole por los recuerdos que creamos ayer y la sabiduría que compartió.

Soon the group was off to the city for a tour of historic downtown to explore the origins of Villa San Cristobal de la Havana and a performance at Casa Africa!

Pronto, el grupo partió hacia la ciudad para un recorrido por el centro histórico para explorar los orígenes de Villa San Cristóbal de La Habana y una actuación en Casa África.

Casa Africa.is a museum in Havana Vieja (where Juan and I picked up Kelvin from on Thursday) that preserves the African roots of the country through the collection of artifacts and performing arts. As we waited for the music performance to start, I got to know Amoke, one of the participants of the delegation who runs Yo Mamas House, a drop in resource center based out of Milwaukee for moms. She is a former special education teacher with a big heart and strong conviction for changing the world by supporting mothers. Originally from Los Angeles, she possesses great wisdom accumulated over years of traveling the world and organizing her community. I'm excited to get to know her more and visit Yo Mamas House soon!

¡Casa África! es un museo en La Habana Vieja (donde Juan y yo recogimos a Kelvin el jueves) que preserva las raíces africanas del país a través de la colección de artefactos y artes escénicas. Mientras esperábamos que comenzara la actuación musical, conocí a Amoke, una de las participantes de la delegación que dirige Yo Mamas House, un centro de recursos de acceso libre en Milwaukee para madres. Ella es una ex maestra de educación especial con un gran corazón y una fuerte convicción de cambiar el mundo apoyando a las madres. Originaria de Los Ángeles, posee una gran sabiduría acumulada a lo largo de años de viajar por el mundo y organizar su comunidad. ¡Estoy emocionado de conocerla más y visitar Yo Mamas House pronto!

A group of women suddenly marched onto the stage, beating drums and singing traditional African songs. Amoke sang along as I made my way to the front of the stage to get a better view!

Un grupo de mujeres de repente marchó al escenario, tocando tambores y cantando canciones africanas tradicionales. Amoke cantó junto mientras me abría paso al frente del escenario para obtener una mejor vista.

Click here for a video of the performancers dancing

Click here for audio of the performers drums and song

We ended the night at La Fabrica, a giant warehouse/art exhibit/venue/night club with multiple stages and contemporary art that spoke a loud social commentary about gender and humanity. It was easy to get lost in this giant building complete with multiple bars and outside patio areas for sitting and smoking cigars. I like their tab system - they collected money for drinks at the door on your way out vs paying each time you ordered one. The staff hands you a card on your way into the space that you give to the bartender to mark every time you order a drink to keep track of your tab. You settle up on your way out of the space and leave the card there. Thinking about my experience bartending, I think its a better system that allows the bartenders to show out and focus more on customer service.

Terminamos la noche en La Fábrica, un enorme almacén/exposición de arte/sala de conciertos/discoteca con múltiples escenarios y arte contemporáneo que hablaba un fuerte comentario social sobre género y humanidad. Era fácil perderse en este gigantesco edificio completo con múltiples bares y áreas de patio exterior para sentarse y fumar puros. Me gusta su sistema de pestañas: recogen el dinero de las bebidas en la puerta cuando sales en lugar de pagar cada vez que pides una. El personal te entrega una tarjeta al entrar al espacio que le das al barman para marcar cada vez que pides una bebida para llevar la cuenta de tu pestaña. Te pones al día al salir del espacio y dejas allí la tarjeta. Pensando en mi experiencia de bartending, creo que es un mejor sistema que permite a los bartenders destacarse y concentrarse más en el servicio al cliente.

Today was a dope day! I'm grateful to be connected with a dope group of folk through an experience like this. Shoutout to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King for inspiring the creation of the Center, Fidel Castro for his revolutionary leadership, and Pastor Kelvin for being an example for us younger organizers who face formidable obstacles in our struggle for liberation. We won't let y'all down!!

¡Hoy fue un día increíble! Estoy agradecido de estar conectado con un grupo tan genial de personas a través de una experiencia como esta. ¡Un saludo al Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King por inspirar la creación del Centro, a Fidel Castro por su liderazgo revolucionario, y al Pastor Kelvin por ser un ejemplo para nosotros, los organizadores más jóvenes que enfrentamos obstáculos formidables en nuestra lucha por la liberación. No los vamos a defraudar!

Cheers to making beautiful memories with like minded organizers and changing the world!

¡Salud al crear recuerdos hermosos con organizadores de ideas afines y cambiar el mundo!