OPINION: My trip to Cuba didn’t make me proud to be an American. We have to do better. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jolan Kruse
December 7, 2023
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When I was in elementary school, my school had a tradition where every grade level learned a play in music class and then performed it for the rest of the school. One of the songs my grade sang one year was “Proud to be an American” by Lee Greenwood. The lyrics read:  “I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free.”
It wasn’t until years later that I realized I’m not always proud of my country.
This past summer, I spent a week and a half in Cuba as a participant in a peace-building delegation through the Witness for Peace Solidarity Collective about the U.S. embargo on Cuba and how we can work toward building solidarity. The trip was funded through Marquette University’s Center for Peacemaking’s Student Peacemaking Fellowship.
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The embargo affects the Cuban people in many ways. During my stay in Cuba, I saw doctors who couldn’t get their patients the medication they desperately needed, farmers who were overworked and underpaid and parents fighting to make ends meet so their children can have food on the table.
The United States also has Cuba on the state supporters of terrorism list. This means that trade and other transactions between the United States and Cuba are scarce if not prohibited. Since Cuba is so close to Florida, this makes it much more difficult for the Cuban people to have access to resources.
The terrorism list also makes it so that people in the United States cannot travel to Cuba without a license and a visa. As if this wasn’t difficult enough, once in Cuba, there is a list of places that Americans aren’t legally allowed to enter.
Many of these places, for example, Hotel National, are luxury hotels and resorts. Cuba relies on the income of many of these places to improve its damaged economy. Having these places be illegal means we have laws in place that directly harm the Cuban economy.
This has and continues to bring suffering to the Cuban people. The week and a half I spent in Cuba I didn’t witness supporters of terrorism: I witnessed survivors of it.
One of the places we visited was the Memorial de la Denuncia. Near the entrance, there are thousands of tiny crosses hung up along a white wall. Each cross represents a Cuban life lost because of terrorism.
Although these things don’t make me feel proud to be an American, I know that we can do better. I know that we can work toward repairing our relationship with Cuba. And I know that we can live up to a song that represents our nation but not always our actions. So, let’s change our actions one step at a time.
I understand that propaganda exists all over the world. It’s easy to give in to just one side of a story, but it is these habits that make us ignorant. I urge others to do research on Cuba. I urge others to go to Cuba and see for themselves the beauty of the country and the kindness of the Cuban people.
Cuba is a country that has every reason to hold a grudge toward the United States or to be skeptical, yet I experienced none of this. I saw a culture that was extremely welcoming and thankful for our presence.
Lastly, I urge people to be more open-minded. It’s a trait that is difficult to have but imperative for remaining peaceful with other nations.
Jolan Kruse is a junior at Marquette University, majoring in Journalism and Social Welfare and Justice.