cuba announces 2 black women vice-presidents

The first time a non-Castro controlled the country since the 50s, President Miguel Díaz-Canel has been sworn in as Cuba’s newest leader. In addition to this historic step, there will be 6 Vice-Presidents on the Council of State (“Consejo de Estado”), including two black women: Inés María Chapman and Beatriz Jhonson. These names have been confirmed in a post on the official Facebook page for Cuba’s Asemblea Nacional, embedded below.
” Primer Vicepresidente, Salvador Valdés Mesa. Vicepresidentes: Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, Roberto Tomás Morales Ojeda, Gladys María Bejerano Portela, Inés María Chapman Waugh, y Beatriz Johnson Urrutia.”
Even though this election was markedly different than those in the past, it’s important to note that Cuban elections are still struggling to find a democratic process. In many ways, Cuban still struggles with poverty and racism (particularly of the anti-black variety), but in other ways, the country has made extreme advancements, as they have with medicine, healthcare and literacy.