Identidades in English No 1, February 2014 | Page 50

555 New Jersey Ave., NW Washington, D.C. 20001 Tel: 202-879-4401 Fax: 202-879-4403 February 7. 2014 Raul Castro President Cuba Dear President Castro: I am writing on behalf of the Albert Shanker Institute, an independent think tank associated with the American Federation of Teachers, to express our outrage at the recent arrest of Manuel Cuesta Morua and to protest his subsequent oppressive conditions of release. The Cuban government’s actions clearly violate internationally recognized standards and norms on freedom of association and expression. They raise questions, and tend to ratify, Mr. Morua’s concerns about racial discrimination in Cuba. As Americans, we have learned through our own experience that historic, systemic discrimination based on race can only be addressed through open and free dialogue. Other countries with diverse population and history of discrimination have taken the same approach. It is a painful but healing process that must both redress past injustice and build a firm basis for future progress. Accordingly, we urge the Cuban government to end its repressive policy, to open a dialogue with Mr. Morua and his group, and to engage with the broader Afro-Cuban community with the sensitivity and responsiveness that such issues demand. Free and open discussion is a bed rock right for all peoples, and must be pursued and encouraged by governments aspiring to build a stable and democratic society. DIRECTIVA Paul E. Almeida Anthony Bryk Barbara Byrd-Bennett Landon Butler David K. Cohen Thomas R. Donahue Han Dongfang Bob Edwards Carl Gershman Milton Goldberg Ernest G. Green Linda Darling Hammond E.D. Hirsh, Jr. Sol Hurwitz John Jackson Clifford B. Jancy Lorretta Johnson Susan Moore Johnson Ted Kirsch Francine Lawrence Stanley S. Litow Michael Maccoby Herb Magidson Harold Meyerson Diane Ravitch Mary Cathryn Ricker Richard Riley William Schmidt Randi Weingarten Deboran L. Wince-Smith Sincerely, Leo Casey DIRECTIVA EMERITA Antonia Cortese Nat LaCour Edward J. McElroy Executive Director DIRECTOR EJECUTIVO Leo E. Casey 49