ABSTRACT
Cuba has the best symphony orchestras in Latin America. Cuba has taken serious steps to reduce racism and discrimination. Despite such advances, black Cubans frequently complain that they live in poor housing, face a disproportionate incarceration rate, and suffer police harassment. Black Cubans were characterized as lazy, shiftless, incapable of working skilled jobs, and prone to criminality. Few black Cubans owned their own farms; they were mainly agricultural workers. White Cubans were more likely to have relatives in the United States or Europe who could send remittances. As wealthy white Cubans fled the country, the government turned many of their houses into schools for impoverished children from the countryside. Because black Cubans made up a disproportionate number of the poor, they also benefited. The continuing entrance of black Cubans into universities and the graduation of black professors accounts for one of the reasons why the National Symphony Orchestra is so integrated.
