LITTLE KNOWN AFRO CUBAN LEADERS
by DeWayne Wickham
SALVADOR VALDÉS MESA ____
LIZ OLIVA FERNÁNDEZ ____
Liz Oliva Fernández is a dynamic young Cuban journalist and filmmaker . Her documentary series , “ The War on Cuba ,” ought to be required viewing for President Joe Biden - and Americans who wonder why the U . S . blockade of Cuba has lasted more than 60 years .
Salvador Valdés Mesa is the First Vice President of Cuba and the highest-ranking person of African descent in the Cuban government . A former labor leader and Minister of Labor and Social Security , he has constitutional responsibility for a wide range of duties . He ’ s a leader who focuses on problem solving , not embargo-bashing polemics .
MIRIAM NICADO GARCÍA ____
Miriam Nicado Gracía is the first woman to serve as rector ( president ) of the University of Havana since its founding three centuries ago . She has a doctorate in Applied Mathematics and previously served as a dean and vice rector at Cuba ’ s Central University of Las Villas .
VÍCTOR DREKE ____
Víctor Dreke , a former commander in Cuba ’ s military . He fought at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 to repel a CIAbacked invasion of Cuba . For much of the next two decades , Dreke served with Cuban forces that supported the efforts of several African countries to escape colonial rule .
8