Race in Cuba: The Afro-Cuban Primer

When it comes to race, Cuba is far from the utopia that black intellectuals like to think it is. As part of its series on the island's color complex, The Root takes a look at the numbers. All of the sources are Cuba-based -- these are Cuba’s own stats. Hint: There aren't a lot of black or brown folks in positions of power.

1) According to Cuba's Oficina Nacional de Estadísticas (ONE) 2002 Census, the total population was 11,177,743, of which 1,126,894 -- or just under 11 percent -- was black, and 2,658,675, or about 24 percent, was "mulatto."
Source: http://www.cubagob.cu/otras_info/censo/index.htm

2) Senior leadership (Politburo, or Buró Político) of the Cuban Communist Party: Three members out of 22 are black.
Source: http://www.pcc.cu/estructura_organizacion/buro_politico/buro_politico.php

3) Executive committee (Secretariat, or Integrantes del Secretariado del Comité Central) of the Cuban Communist Party: Two members out of 11 are black.
Source: http://www.pcc.cu/estructura_organizacion/secretariado/secretariado.php

4) Council of state (head of state and senior advisers, or Miembros del Consejo de Estado): Twelve members out of 32 are black or mulatto.
Source: http://www.pcc.cu/nuestra_republica/consejo_estado/consejo_estado.php

5) Council of ministers (president and cabinet members, or Miembros del Consejo de Ministros): Out of 32 members, only one -- Julio Christian Jiménez Molina, president of the Instituto Nacional de Deportes, Educación Física y Recreación (The National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation) -- is black.
Source: http://www.parlamentocubano.cu/

6) The presidency of the National Assembly (Cuban Parliament, or Presidencia de la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular): There is one mulatto woman out of three members.
Source: http://www.parlamentocubano.cu/

7) The provincial legislatures (or Asambleas Provinciales del Poder Popular): Zero out of 14 provincial presidents are black or mulatto (although the Web page says that, of the legislative general members, 35 percent "son negros y mestizos" -- or are black and mixed race). There's only one woman among the 14 provincial presidents.
Source: http://www.parlamentocubano.cu/index.htm

8) Senior command, Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR, or las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias): Zero out of nine are black or mulatto.
Source: http://www.cubagob.cu/otras_info/minfar/far/principales_cargos.htm