Embark
This is the first time I leave my dog somewhere that's not with family. Not gonna lie, I teared up looking at his confused expression as the lady drag him to the back area of the dog hotel after I checked him in. The state of the world has me really activated these days so I got some comfort food after I dropped him off. Kaido is a pandemic emotional support dog that's used to being around me 24/7 and I'm leaving him with strangers at a local dog hotel while I go change the world in Cuba. This short time apart should be good for both of us, though, because he doesn't get many opportunities to socialize with other dogs other than his sister. I can't wait to pick him up in a couple weeks and take him to the beach.
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:
How do Cubans, a Black-majority country, approach environmental protection, religious syncretism, 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 US Blockade?
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.
