In the final weeks of 2014, the air was full of speculation about the timing and implications of President Obama’s recent announcement that the United States would shift its diplomatic stance toward the communist island nation of Cuba and begin normalizing relations between the two countries.
Author Achy Obejas
Journalist and author Achy Objeas is among dozens of Cuban-born Americans to comment on this announcement. In her opinion, relaxed relations between Cuba and America will bring financial as well as cultural healing to Cuba. Like many, Obejas never anticipated seeing reestablished ties between the two countries during her lifetime. Now that they are upon us, however, she sees imminent possibility for Cuban empowerment: in a recent NPR interview, she said “the easing of travel restrictions will reconnect families, create economic and educational opportunities and encourage those Cubans who do leave the island nation to go back.” These benefits may sound “banal”, in Obejas’ words, yet they portend meaningful change in the lives of Cubans and Cuban-born Americans.
Obejas is the author of eight books and innumerable articles related to her heritage and life as a Cuban American. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, but has spent much of her adult life traveling back and forth between the two countries, and has become a leading speaker on politics, writing, and Cuban American culture. Contact Books in Common if you would like invite Obejas speak at your next event.
