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A salute to Cuban, Haitian women

International Women’s Day is a holiday in revolutionary Cuba. At the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C., on March 8, a reception saluted the accomplishments of Cuban women through the 51 years of socialist construction and the women of Haiti struggling for reconstruction and independence. Just returned from three weeks working in the Cuban medical brigades in Haiti, two young African-American women doctors trained at the Cuban Latin American School of Medicine spoke briefly and joined the celebration.

Cuban billboard honors the late Vilma Espín.

A PowerPoint presentation depicted the various roles of Cuban women from the military to the arts and especially honored the late Vilma Espín, the revolutionary leader who also founded the Federation of Cuban Women. A special section recognized the mothers, sisters, spouses and daughters of the Cuban Five. The five men have been unjustly held in U.S. prisons since 1998, nearly twelve years, for preventing U.S.-based terror attacks on Cuba.

A solidarity message from the International Committee for Freedom for the Cuban 5 called on all to help Olga Salanueva and Adriana Pérez overcome the U.S. denial of visas preventing them visiting their respective spouses, René González and Gerardo Hernández, who is still serving a double life term.

The Federation of Cuban Women, a mass organization formed Aug. 23, 1960, involves more than 4 million women today. Despite the global economic crisis that has depressed prices of Cuba’s exports and increased costs for its imports, unemployment for women is only 2.0 percent. According to an FMC brochure, Cuban Women in Figures 2010, in 2009 infant mortality was a low 4.8 per thousand live births. The family doctor and nurse program covers 99.1 percent of the population. Women comprise 43.32 percent of the Cuban parliament and 40 percent of the council of state, with a woman vice president. Women are the majority of lawyers and judges and nearly half of the Cuban Supreme Court.

The celebration was hosted by the first secretary of the Cuban Interests Section, Patricia Pego, and Cuban Interests Section head, Jorge Bolaños Suárez.