At SF Black Film Festival, New Doc Sheds Light on Race in Cuba

SAN FRANCISCO - June 11, 2014 - PRLog -- San Francisco—An enthusiastic crowd is anticipated at the San Francisco premiere of the documentary film Black and Cuba thisFriday June 13. Directed by Robin J. Hayes, PhD—a professor and human rights advocate—the documentary follows diverse Ivy League students as they band together and take a field trip to the enigmatic island of Cuba.  The controversial Caribbean nation’s population is approximately 60% black.

“The diversity of the Black community is a source of strength,” says Hayes, whois African American, “For too long, the contributions of Caribbean and Afro-Latino communities have been made invisible in our history. Black and Cuba changes that.”

With gritty scenes of Afro-Cuban life and narration performed by a trio billed as the “Harlem Chorus,” Black and Cuba explores why the US and Cuba are not yet postracial or colorblind. The students’ encounters with rappers, housing project residents and youth show that struggles with racial stereotypes, employment discrimination and racial profiling continue in Cuba and the United States.

In archival footage, Black and Cuba features historical figures including Fidel Castro, Angela Davis, Che Guevara and Malcolm X. The longstanding connections between African Americans and Cuba are highlighted.  The documentary also discusses the continued impact of the decades old US embargo of the island.

"The US embargo against Cuba has been detrimental to the human rights of both Cubans and Americans," says Kathryrn Striffolino of Amnesty International USA, who appears in the film, "it's an incredibly antiquated policy."

The screening is part of the 16^th annual San Francisco Black Film Festival (SFBFF) and will take place at YOSHI’s in the historic Fillmore neighborhood.  SFBFF "identifies filmmakers, screenwriters and actors...who are contributing to the cinematic legacy of African Americans," and "expands the notions of 'Black filmmaking' to a global perspective," according to its website.