"

The war that killed my grandfather and great-uncles and thousands of other blacks is only a footnote in our history books.

"

For many years in Cuba, nobody spoke of the problem between blacks and whites. It was considered too disagreeable to discuss. But my father spoke to m...more

"

I resent the hell out of the politicians and generals who force events on us that structure our lives, that dictate the memories we'll have when we're...more

"

There are white people who know how to act politely to blacks, but deep down you know they're uncomfortable. They're worse, more dangerous than those ...more

"

Santería was traditionally an unacknowledged and underappreciated aspect of what it meant to be Cuban. Yet the syncretism between the Yoruban religion...more

"

For me, the sea was a great comfort, Pilar. But it made my children restless. It exists now so we can call and wave from opposite shores.

"

We speak in Spanish when we make love. English seems an impossible language for intimacy.