Nuestra Habana Photos p. 6

After our lectures on June 2, 2000, Professor Trumbull led an excursion to see one of Fidel's infamous mass rallies. We practically ran from our quarters in Miramar to the new demonstration grounds in front of the US interest section. A Taxi was out of the question because the streets were blocked with the buses that carried the people to and from the march. The rally that day was a women and girls' march protesting the kidnapping of Elian Gonzales by the US government. Half a million attended. We arrived when the crowd had mostly dispersed, but it still was very impressive seeing all of those Cubanas. I was lucky enough to be the only one on the trip to have spotted Fidel Castro. The photo was taken over my head in a crowd of screaming schoolgirls and interested reporters. See if you can spot him.

I think my journal from that day says it best: "Schools of uniformed fish swam by us, creating a non-imposing countercurrent. As we walked into the demonstration area, we thought the show was over. There, however, remained a row of school children, about eight persons deep, crowded around the stage. As I approached, they started waving their flags wildly and I ran to the back of the crowd where I was quickly surrounded by people and voices chanting 'Fidel es el Presidente!'… I found I was also chanting and waving my bandera and then amidst olive drab caps (my legs felt weak and my heart pounded), emerged the face that I had never seen, but immediately recognized… the peaceful, sad black eyes and of course the scraggly gray beard. He hung in the crowd for a few moments and embraced the girls, and then was gone".

These rallies are incredibly organized. The CDR plans who attends and even where everybody stands. The crowd is neatly partitioned into groups from different neighborhoods, schools, labor unions, etc. They say it is easy for an outsider to be spotted even in a crowd of half a million because everyone knows everyone they're standing next to. The demonstrators were all bussed in, and nearby major streets were closed for the occasion. Free mini flags were handed out, and most people had on Elian t-shirts… I guess Fidel is a big spender. Water and porta-johns were provided as well. These girls have on the fancy colored Elian t-shirts. The one I got was one color, and it looked like it was made to only be worn once.