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Evaristo Estenoz, a founder of the Partido de los Independientes de Color de Cuba |
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Evaristo Estenoz (left, surrounded by party members) was a founder of the Partido de los Independientes de Color, the Independents of Color, the first independent black political party in the hemisphere. The Independientes de Color was founded in 1908 in Havana by Evaristo Estenoz, Pedro Ivonet, journalist Gregorio Surín, and a group of followers many of whom were veterans of the Mambi Army (80% - 90% black). Los Independientes wanted their rightful share after winning the wars against Spain for the independence of Cuba (1868-1878 and 1895-1898). For that presumption, the Cuban Army massacred over 6,000 of them in 1912. Estenoz was among those killed and we present a photograph in evidence with the medical desecrators of his body showing off the wound on the back of his head surrounded by army officers, likely those who killed him and brought him in.
In 1908, the date of the founding of the Party, José Miguel Gómez was elected President of Cuba. In 1909, the US ended it second U.S. military occupation of Cuba. The AfroCuban integrationist Martin Morúa Delgado was elected speaker of the Cuban Senate. In 1910, Morúa proposed a law, the Morúa Amendment, which passed and banned the Independiente de Color as a political party because it was said to be based on race. He argued that since African born Cubans had been given citizenship and could vote, racial privileges had disappeared and a party based on color was unconstitutional. He was supported in this by the miguelista newpaper El Triunfo which initiated the strong anti-black line that the Independientes were rapists favoring a Haitian style revolution.
Morúa died days after being named minister of agriculture. In the midst of the repression of the Partido Independiente de Color, he was given a state funeral to show blacks that those who were integrationists were acceptable. Also in 1910, there was widespread repression of blacks, even those not in the Independientes de Color, but for example in the Sociedades de Color. There was a purge of blacks from the security forces.
Finally, in 1912, the Cuban Army did a search and destroy on the Independents of Color, massacring over 6,000 and effectively killing the dream. The repression was severe and extended far beyond the Party - for example, the Villamil of Matanzas had to hide their drums in certain wells.
"Hay que adorarlos como a Martí" -- Arsenio Rodriguez, singing of the leaders of the liberation army and the Independents of Color.
Diciembre de 2005
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