1. Would there have been a higher level of homogeneity and social equality amongst the Afro-Latino community if modernizing elites hadn’t been so adamant about condemning African culture in Cuba/Brazil? Were the upper classes responsible for the colorism between Afro-Latinos, Mulattoes, and the ruling elite, or was this socio-cultural divide perpetuated throughout the entire community?
2. Ruling elite classes in Afro-Latin America looked down on anything with roots in Africa, from dances, to holidays, to religious practices. Did animosity from the ruling classes cause those with African or Latino roots to rally together and blend cultures even further, or did it cause them to separate in an effort to distinguish their identities?
1. Was the high level of racism towards Afro-Cubans throughout the early years of the country’s independence the reason why the Cuban Communist Party grew to power? Would the Cuban Communist Party have succeeded in overthrowing the government had racism not been an issue?
2. Reyita married a white person in order to improve the social status of her children. Was this practice among Afro-Cuban women common in the early 20th century? Did some Afro-Cubans look at this practice with disdain, or was interracial marriage viewed as acceptable among most Afro-Cubans?
1) In the Introduction portion, it is mentioned that Reyita’s testimony was one of the few books published during Cuba’s “Special Period” of monopoly control over the press. Why was Reyita’s testimony one of the ones chosen? Could her critical mention of Batista as a dictator have played a role in this?
2) On several occasions, Reyita mentioned her spiritual powers of “visions” and “mediumship.” Does Reyita include details of this to highlight another one of her childhood struggles–especially, since her visions were consistently met with disregard and punishment? Or was it to serve as a broader challenge to white Cuban society through such Afro-Cuban religious practices?
1. Reyita mentions ”black people couldn’t be mayors or anything like that… the ”neuritis were put to work in the houses of the white” (pg. 28) How has racism limited Afro-Cubans and how would the Cuban Communist party have been different?
2. Reyita married a white man how did the rest of the Afro-Cubans view this or was this something that other Afro-Cuban did as well?
1. Considering the literature is the result of testimonial biography, how much of the text was lost in translation?
2. Reyita recollected the events in this biography as an elderly woman. The events go back in time to as early as the age of four. How much did this gap in time influence her recollection?
1. How did the societal emphasis on European ideals of civilization and progress create challenges for Afro-Latin Americans in navigating their identity and social standing?
2. What strategies did Afro-Cuban peasants employ in response to being driven off the land by sugar companies, and how did the government react to their resistance?
1. On page 13, a distinction is made between testimonials and storytelling. When it comes to historical analysis is one preferred over the other? As research on the experiences and perspectives of the people is valuable, to what degree is discerning the truthfulness or verifiable evidence important in storytelling traditions (compared to the context and purpose of the work)?
2. Who is the intended audience of Reyita’s storytelling? Did they make up most of the actual reading population? Why or why not?
How did gender, sex, race, and class intersect and affect the experiences and barriers Reyita, and Afro-Cuban women more broadly, faced in 20th-century Cuba? How did these experiences and intersecting identities inform Reyita’s actions, goals, and the production of her testimony (especially in her work as a teacher and taking care of children) ? What are the generational differences among Afro-Cuban women?
1. How does the biography being written by Reyita’s daughter affect narratives and characterization within the story? Specifically in terms of what information might be omitted because Reyita was afraid to tell her daughter, or because of Reyita’s daughter’s perception of her mother?
2. Although Reyita–through her proxy–comments extensively on how proud she is of her black heritage, but she also talks about how and why she married a white man to protect her children from the discrimination she suffered because of her race. How does this conflict between pride and fear affect Reyita’s self perception throughout the biography?
1. Were the elections and political stances looked at with excitement and gratitude for a change of power by the Afro-Latin community during the early-mid 1900’s, or were they somewhat fearful and hesitant to what would come?
2. Racial equality was still an issue as Spaniards and white Cubans were held at a higher priority and ranking, and Afro-Cubans were being threatened by “the great slaughter of May” in efforts of keeping then intimidated within politics. Does this show that the government was intimidated by what sort of change and power the Afro-Cubans were prompting politically? Where they trying to silence the Afro-Cubans/Afro-Latin Americans?
1. It is interesting to see how Reyita was opposed to the idea that Cuba had the “racial democracy”, while on the other hand her hard work to improve her family’s living standards and social status kind of react the racism ideology that Afro Cubans should work harder to live a better life like white Cubans. Is her upward mobility more likely for economic reasons or for racism ideology?
2. The revolution claims that race problem is caused by capitalism. How did this claim influenced race inequality after revolution? To what extent did such claim makes racism a long-lasting problem in Cuba that became more difficult to eliminate?
How did Reyitas participation in traditional African religion sufficiently counteract her strong adherence to Cuban ideals of white superiority? How does the author argue Reyitas intentions were rebellion when what she did for her family only reinforced racial ideologies?
1. Why was Marcus Garvey’s back to Africa movement stopped by Cuban government was it due to it being a form of political actions by Afro-Cubans or was it more of an economic decision where they needed them for their labor force specifically since Afro Cubans worked the lowest sector jobs of society?
2. What can we infer brought about the change in Repita specifically the treatment of his family when we see the story how they married?
1. Reyita explains about her identity struggles with her skin color. In what ways could her identity and experiences be helped if she were lighter-skinned like her siblings? Could this also influence her determination?
2. There are also similarities between the racial equality values of Reyita and Batrell. Much of the similarities is seeing their identity and outlook about their race within racial justice leaders. How did these leaders get so much following without being taken out of the spotlight? In what ways could Afro-Cubans especially be impacted in their opinions without these leaders?
1. Reyita mentioned how she never wanted a black husband, for the betterment of the future of her kids, so they don’t deal with the racism she dealt with. Did this ideology spark interracial marriage, and was this a reason for the fascination/ eagerness to be in the “white culture” that was mentioned in previous readings?
2. Was the innocence of children protected purposely or were kids just naturally ignorant to the racial structures of the society they were in? if not, was the kids mistreatment as explicit as the adults? (hard to put this question into words lol)
1. Would there have been a higher level of homogeneity and social equality amongst the Afro-Latino community if modernizing elites hadn’t been so adamant about condemning African culture in Cuba/Brazil? Were the upper classes responsible for the colorism between Afro-Latinos, Mulattoes, and the ruling elite, or was this socio-cultural divide perpetuated throughout the entire community?
2. Ruling elite classes in Afro-Latin America looked down on anything with roots in Africa, from dances, to holidays, to religious practices. Did animosity from the ruling classes cause those with African or Latino roots to rally together and blend cultures even further, or did it cause them to separate in an effort to distinguish their identities?
1. Was the high level of racism towards Afro-Cubans throughout the early years of the country’s independence the reason why the Cuban Communist Party grew to power? Would the Cuban Communist Party have succeeded in overthrowing the government had racism not been an issue?
2. Reyita married a white person in order to improve the social status of her children. Was this practice among Afro-Cuban women common in the early 20th century? Did some Afro-Cubans look at this practice with disdain, or was interracial marriage viewed as acceptable among most Afro-Cubans?
1) In the Introduction portion, it is mentioned that Reyita’s testimony was one of the few books published during Cuba’s “Special Period” of monopoly control over the press. Why was Reyita’s testimony one of the ones chosen? Could her critical mention of Batista as a dictator have played a role in this?
2) On several occasions, Reyita mentioned her spiritual powers of “visions” and “mediumship.” Does Reyita include details of this to highlight another one of her childhood struggles–especially, since her visions were consistently met with disregard and punishment? Or was it to serve as a broader challenge to white Cuban society through such Afro-Cuban religious practices?
1. Reyita mentions ”black people couldn’t be mayors or anything like that… the ”neuritis were put to work in the houses of the white” (pg. 28) How has racism limited Afro-Cubans and how would the Cuban Communist party have been different?
2. Reyita married a white man how did the rest of the Afro-Cubans view this or was this something that other Afro-Cuban did as well?
1. Considering the literature is the result of testimonial biography, how much of the text was lost in translation?
2. Reyita recollected the events in this biography as an elderly woman. The events go back in time to as early as the age of four. How much did this gap in time influence her recollection?
1. How did the societal emphasis on European ideals of civilization and progress create challenges for Afro-Latin Americans in navigating their identity and social standing?
2. What strategies did Afro-Cuban peasants employ in response to being driven off the land by sugar companies, and how did the government react to their resistance?
1. On page 13, a distinction is made between testimonials and storytelling. When it comes to historical analysis is one preferred over the other? As research on the experiences and perspectives of the people is valuable, to what degree is discerning the truthfulness or verifiable evidence important in storytelling traditions (compared to the context and purpose of the work)?
2. Who is the intended audience of Reyita’s storytelling? Did they make up most of the actual reading population? Why or why not?
How did gender, sex, race, and class intersect and affect the experiences and barriers Reyita, and Afro-Cuban women more broadly, faced in 20th-century Cuba? How did these experiences and intersecting identities inform Reyita’s actions, goals, and the production of her testimony (especially in her work as a teacher and taking care of children) ? What are the generational differences among Afro-Cuban women?
1. How does the biography being written by Reyita’s daughter affect narratives and characterization within the story? Specifically in terms of what information might be omitted because Reyita was afraid to tell her daughter, or because of Reyita’s daughter’s perception of her mother?
2. Although Reyita–through her proxy–comments extensively on how proud she is of her black heritage, but she also talks about how and why she married a white man to protect her children from the discrimination she suffered because of her race. How does this conflict between pride and fear affect Reyita’s self perception throughout the biography?
1. Were the elections and political stances looked at with excitement and gratitude for a change of power by the Afro-Latin community during the early-mid 1900’s, or were they somewhat fearful and hesitant to what would come?
2. Racial equality was still an issue as Spaniards and white Cubans were held at a higher priority and ranking, and Afro-Cubans were being threatened by “the great slaughter of May” in efforts of keeping then intimidated within politics. Does this show that the government was intimidated by what sort of change and power the Afro-Cubans were prompting politically? Where they trying to silence the Afro-Cubans/Afro-Latin Americans?
Did the Popular Socialist party cause awakenings for everyone who joined it? How did they empower minorities and encourage them during this era?
Could there be ways to compensate figures, like Reyita, who suffered the consequences of inequality after the revolution?
In what ways was the female experience of the war “far from glorious” than the male experiences of war? (2).
Were Afro-Cuban women able to participate in combat with men and were there any cases of a female soldier in battle?
1. It is interesting to see how Reyita was opposed to the idea that Cuba had the “racial democracy”, while on the other hand her hard work to improve her family’s living standards and social status kind of react the racism ideology that Afro Cubans should work harder to live a better life like white Cubans. Is her upward mobility more likely for economic reasons or for racism ideology?
2. The revolution claims that race problem is caused by capitalism. How did this claim influenced race inequality after revolution? To what extent did such claim makes racism a long-lasting problem in Cuba that became more difficult to eliminate?
How did Reyitas participation in traditional African religion sufficiently counteract her strong adherence to Cuban ideals of white superiority? How does the author argue Reyitas intentions were rebellion when what she did for her family only reinforced racial ideologies?
1. Why was Marcus Garvey’s back to Africa movement stopped by Cuban government was it due to it being a form of political actions by Afro-Cubans or was it more of an economic decision where they needed them for their labor force specifically since Afro Cubans worked the lowest sector jobs of society?
2. What can we infer brought about the change in Repita specifically the treatment of his family when we see the story how they married?
1. Reyita explains about her identity struggles with her skin color. In what ways could her identity and experiences be helped if she were lighter-skinned like her siblings? Could this also influence her determination?
2. There are also similarities between the racial equality values of Reyita and Batrell. Much of the similarities is seeing their identity and outlook about their race within racial justice leaders. How did these leaders get so much following without being taken out of the spotlight? In what ways could Afro-Cubans especially be impacted in their opinions without these leaders?
Although not enslaved herself, what does Reyita’s testimony tell us about the effect slavery has had on future generations?
How, if at all, are race and gender interconnected?
1. Reyita mentioned how she never wanted a black husband, for the betterment of the future of her kids, so they don’t deal with the racism she dealt with. Did this ideology spark interracial marriage, and was this a reason for the fascination/ eagerness to be in the “white culture” that was mentioned in previous readings?
2. Was the innocence of children protected purposely or were kids just naturally ignorant to the racial structures of the society they were in? if not, was the kids mistreatment as explicit as the adults? (hard to put this question into words lol)