Viva Fidel

Over 300 people attended a spirited rally at St. Ambrose Church in Harlem in New York City to celebrate the 80th birthday of President Fidel Castro of Cuba and to express solidarity with the Cuban revolution. The audience was predominantly Black and Latin@. The Cuba Solidarity Network, the Patrice Lumumba Coalition and the December 12th Movement sponsored the rally. Long time activists, Nellie Hester Bailey and Rosemari Mealy moderated the program. Following numerous solidarity messages, talks and spoken word presentations, a large birthday cake with 80 lit candles was brought to the stage and everyone sang happy birthday to Fidel. The First Deputy to the Cuban Mission at the UN, Héctor Ramírez, thanked everyone for coming out to display love and respect for the Cuban leader, who is still recuperating from stomach surgery.

—Story & photo by Monica Moorehead