Global Exchange launched our first travel challenge to Cuba in 1990 under the Freedom to Travel campaign with the following three demands of the U.S. Government:

  • End the U.S. Blockade on Cuba;
  • End Travel Restrictions between the U.S. and Cuba;
  • Remove Cuba from the U.S. list of terrorist countries.

As you know all too well, after thirty years most of these demands remain in place. Tell Biden the time is now to end the blockade!

Recent protests over widespread food and medicine shortages in Cuba have drawn world attention, but the narrative we are hearing turns a blind eye to the brutal 60 year economic war waged by the US against the island. And as the news on these protests flood social media channels and public airwaves, Biden tweets his concern for the Cuban people and their suffering, all while continuing Trump’s strategy of economic warfare. The U.S. blockade against Cuba is designed precisely to create the shortages Cubans are now experiencing and to encourage social unrest on the island.

As the pandemic magnifies the devastation of the U.S. blockade, the blockade has in turn made it harder for Cuba to grapple with the pandemic. In July 2020, a UN special rapporteur concluded the blockade was “obstructing humanitarian responses to help the country’s health-care system fight the COVID-19 pandemic.” Among other things, the blockade stopped medical aid and money transfers from overseas companies and humanitarian organizations, denied Cubans the ability to use Zoom, prevented the country’s purchase of ventilators, and caused a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE).

If Biden truly cares about the Cuban people, ending severe shortages in food and medicine must be his top priority. Biden needs to end this erroneous blockade. 

Now is the time for U.S. citizens to ensure that the next many years of Cuba/U.S. relations will benefit the people of both countries and be free from the Cold War ideology which clouded our mutual self interests.

Cuba and the Cuban people have suffered too long. It is time to end the blockade and fully normalize relations with our neighbor! Take action with us today. 

54 years ago, the Cuban flag flying above the Cuban embassy in Washington D.C. was abruptly taken down, as the United States cut official ties with Cuba approaching the height of the Cold War. For the next half century the flag remained that way, and a relationship of isolation and hostility prevailed between the two neighboring countries.

Today, July 20th, 2015, the Cuban flag is once again flying above that embassy building in Washington D.C. after being hoisted in a dramatic morning ceremony symbolizing the restoration of U.S.-Cuban diplomatic relations for the first time since 1961.

It’s a momentous day, especially for those like Global Exchange who have been working to restore ties between the U.S. and Cuba for the past few decades. Without a doubt, it is a major milestone in de-thawing a relationship that has remained frozen far too long past the end of the Cold War.

But while a welcome announcement, and certainly cause for celebration, we should remember that it’s just the first step towards normalization, as the restoration of official diplomatic ties in no way means that relations are now normal. Indeed, the economic blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba in 1962 remains firmly in place, and requires several difficult hurdles to be overcome in Congress in order to be lifted. Meanwhile, the blockade continues to cost Cuba (and the U.S.) billions of dollars annually, and remains the single largest obstacle to mended US-Cuba relations.

Also important is the return of the Guantanamo Naval Base to Cuba, its rightful owner, as well as an end to USAID-funded regime change programs that are still in place. Washington should also immediately lift the senseless restrictions on travel to Cuba by U.S. citizens and residents.

There is still a long road ahead to mending the US-Cuba relationship. While restoring diplomatic relations is a start, issues like the blockade, travel ban and Guantanamo still require our vigilant attention and may take much more time to overcome. But for now, let’s celebrate the importance of today’s step, while keeping an eye on the many more steps that still need to be made.

…….

Click here for more information on traveling to Cuba with Global Exchange!

IMG_3649Last week, the United States and Cuba formally announced they will restore full diplomatic relations and re-open embassies in Havana and Washington respectively on July 20th. Without a doubt, it is a momentous milestone in de-thawing a relationship that has remained frozen far too long past the end of the Cold War.

While a welcome announcement, it is also long overdue, and there still remains much to be done to end to the economic blockade and travel restrictions that continue to harm both Cuba and the United States.

Just a week prior to this historic announcement of re-opening embassies, Global Exchange sent Princeton University’s track and field team on an 8-day trip to Cuba that included stops in Havana, Mantanzas, Varadero and Santa Clara, as well as two international competitions with Cuban teams. In addition to the track meets, the itinerary included a meeting at ICAP (Instituto Cubano de Amistad con los Pueblos – “The Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples”) for a discussion on US-Cuba relations, a CDR block party with a local neighborhood, and visits to various organizations, community leaders and artists.

IMG_3491

Princeton Track and Field at Estadio Panamericano, site of the 1991 Pan American Games

I was lucky enough to go along with the Princeton group for this trip, my first such trip to Cuba. Having traveled quite a bit through other Latin American countries, nothing could really prepare me for the reality of Cuba. While holding a lot of similarities to other Latin American countries, there are also many other aspects of Cuba that simply cannot be compared. Cuba is distinctly Cuba, largely because of its history. For example, its music and dance may bear resemblance to other parts of Latin America, but its 1955 Chevys and large Soviet-style public squares certainly do not.

While traversing the Cuban countryside, walking the narrow streets of Old Havana and mingling with Cubans of many walks of life, I continually reminded myself and others that we were experiencing truly historic times. It was, and still is, very recent that Presidents Obama and Castro dramatically announced that the U.S. and Cuba would be taking steps to normalizing relations, something that has not existed since 1961 when formal ties were abruptly cut approaching the height of the Cold War. And it was only a few months ago, in April, that Presidents Obama and Castro met for the first formal talks between the two countries’ leaders in more than half a century. While we were on Cuban soil we were witnessing, living and breathing history. We will look back at this period of time 30, 40, 50 years from now as nothing short of groundbreaking, and for those of us on the trip, we can say that we were there.

The Cubans we talked with knew this for sure. Almost everyone we spoke with on our trip mentioned the thaw, young and old. It is so clearly on the forefront of Cuban consciousness. And it is certainly now on the mind of many Princeton student-athletes, as it should be for Americans in general. To better understand US-Cuba relations is to better understand US-Latin America relations as a whole, both of present day and the past half century.

IMG_3693A highlight of the trip was watching the intermingling of students and students, coaches and coaches, athletes and athletes. Broken Spanish and English was attempted, and many smiles, handshakes, high fives and hugs were exchanged. It epitomized the essence of a People-to-People exchange and Citizen Diplomacy – the idea that, even if our governments haven’t always liked or talked with each other, that doesn’t mean the people cannot.

I also continually reminded myself, and others, that Cuba has the potential to change more in the next 5-10 years than it has in the previous half-century. The changes that will come to the island, as a result of not just normalized diplomatic relations but an eventual end to the economic blockade and travel restrictions imposed by the U.S. government, are sure to be swift and transformative. The changes are yet to be fully seen, and it’s hard to tell how things will unfold. But to be sure, an eventual lifting of the blockade and travel restrictions will bring major changes to the island. Time will tell what those changes will look like. But for now, it’s important to realize that anyone traveling to Cuba during this historic time will be witnessing a Cuba that may not exist as it currently does a decade from now.

We knew more news regarding US-Cuba relations would be coming soon, but little did we know that it would be just one week after our return to the States that the embassy openings would be formally announced, nor that it would be just three more weeks from then that the U.S. embassy would actually open in Havana, the first time one has officially operated in Cuba since 1961.

There is still a long road ahead to mending the US-Cuba relationship. While restoring diplomatic relations is a start, the economic blockade and travel ban still face tough hurdles in Congress that may take much more time to overcome. But nonetheless, we are experiencing historic times in US-Cuba relations. Luckily for the Princeton track and field team, and myself, we were able to witness some of these changes in person, walking (and running) the very ground that Che Guevara traversed, while the present day attempts to mend the divisions and hostility of the past.

…….

Click here for more information on opportunities to travel with Global Exchange to Cuba!

IMG_3329

 

IMG_3649Last week, the United States and Cuba formally announced they will restore full diplomatic relations and re-open embassies in Havana and Washington respectively on July 20th. Without a doubt, it is a momentous milestone in de-thawing a relationship that has remained frozen far too long past the end of the Cold War.

While a welcome announcement, it is also long overdue, and there still remains much to be done to end to the economic blockade and travel restrictions that continue to harm both Cuba and the United States.

Just a week prior to this historic announcement of re-opening embassies, Global Exchange sent Princeton University’s track and field team on an 8-day trip to Cuba that included stops in Havana, Mantanzas, Varadero and Santa Clara, as well as two international competitions with Cuban teams. In addition to the track meets, the itinerary included a meeting at ICAP (Instituto Cubano de Amistad con los Pueblos – “The Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples”) for a discussion on US-Cuba relations, a CDR block party with a local neighborhood, and visits to various organizations, community leaders and artists.

IMG_3491

Princeton Track and Field at Estadio Panamericano, site of the 1991 Pan American Games

I was lucky enough to go along with the Princeton group for this trip, my first such trip to Cuba. Having traveled quite a bit through other Latin American countries, nothing could really prepare me for the reality of Cuba. While holding a lot of similarities to other Latin American countries, there are also many other aspects of Cuba that simply cannot be compared. Cuba is distinctly Cuba, largely because of its history. For example, its music and dance may bear resemblance to other parts of Latin America, but its 1955 Chevys and large Soviet-style public squares certainly do not.

While traversing the Cuban countryside, walking the narrow streets of Old Havana and mingling with Cubans of many walks of life, I continually reminded myself and others that we were experiencing truly historic times. It was, and still is, very recent that Presidents Obama and Castro dramatically announced that the U.S. and Cuba would be taking steps to normalizing relations, something that has not existed since 1961 when formal ties were abruptly cut approaching the height of the Cold War. And it was only a few months ago, in April, that Presidents Obama and Castro met for the first formal talks between the two countries’ leaders in more than half a century. While we were on Cuban soil we were witnessing, living and breathing history. We will look back at this period of time 30, 40, 50 years from now as nothing short of groundbreaking, and for those of us on the trip, we can say that we were there.

The Cubans we talked with knew this for sure. Almost everyone we spoke with on our trip mentioned the thaw, young and old. It is so clearly on the forefront of Cuban consciousness. And it is certainly now on the mind of many Princeton student-athletes, as it should be for Americans in general. To better understand US-Cuba relations is to better understand US-Latin America relations as a whole, both of present day and the past half century.

IMG_3693A highlight of the trip was watching the intermingling of students and students, coaches and coaches, athletes and athletes. Broken Spanish and English was attempted, and many smiles, handshakes, high fives and hugs were exchanged. It epitomized the essence of a People-to-People exchange and Citizen Diplomacy – the idea that, even if our governments haven’t always liked or talked with each other, that doesn’t mean the people cannot.

I also continually reminded myself, and others, that Cuba has the potential to change more in the next 5-10 years than it has in the previous half-century. The changes that will come to the island, as a result of not just normalized diplomatic relations but an eventual end to the economic blockade and travel restrictions imposed by the U.S. government, are sure to be swift and transformative. The changes are yet to be fully seen, and it’s hard to tell how things will unfold. But to be sure, an eventual lifting of the blockade and travel restrictions will bring major changes to the island. Time will tell what those changes will look like. But for now, it’s important to realize that anyone traveling to Cuba during this historic time will be witnessing a Cuba that may not exist as it currently does a decade from now.

We knew more news regarding US-Cuba relations would be coming soon, but little did we know that it would be just one week after our return to the States that the embassy openings would be formally announced, nor that it would be just three more weeks from then that the U.S. embassy would actually open in Havana, the first time one has officially operated in Cuba since 1961.

There is still a long road ahead to mending the US-Cuba relationship. While restoring diplomatic relations is a start, the economic blockade and travel ban still face tough hurdles in Congress that may take much more time to overcome. But nonetheless, we are experiencing historic times in US-Cuba relations. Luckily for the Princeton track and field team, and myself, we were able to witness some of these changes in person, walking (and running) the very ground that Che Guevara traversed, while the present day attempts to mend the divisions and hostility of the past.

…….

Click here for more information on opportunities to travel with Global Exchange to Cuba!

IMG_3329

 

The following post is written by Reality Tours Summer Intern Bryan Weiner. Bryan traveled to Cuba with Global Exchange and the Monterey Institute of International Studies for a graduate studies class.

San Francisco Pride Celebrations. Photo by Cary Bass.

San Francisco Pride Celebrations. Photo by Cary Bass.

Last week was marked by landmark Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) rights decisions by the Supreme Court of the United States. These decisions have been celebrated around the United States during the gay pride marches that typically occur in the month of June. But what is the state of the LGBT rights movement in the rest of the world? Through a Global Exchange Reality Tour to Cuba with the Monterey Institute of International Studies, I had the unique opportunity to look at the complicated situation of gay rights in this complex Caribbean nation.

Bryan Weiner in Cuba

Bryan Weiner in Cuba

When I was preparing for my trip to Cuba, I heard many different, contrasting viewpoints on the status of the LGBT community, which seemed to fall in line with the very diverse opinions that I heard about every other segment of Cuban society after the Revolution. Many, both within and outside of Cuba, have held up the LGBT movement in Cuba as an example for the rest of Latin America to follow, while others have claimed that homosexuals are still facing extreme levels of discrimination and abuse. I knew that, like everything else that I had heard and read about Cuba, the truth of the matter probably fell somewhere in the middle of the highly polemical rhetoric.

The persecution of homosexuals began immediately after the Revolution and lasted for a number of decades. The revolution came in to restore the dignity of the Cuban population, including the excesses they were subjected to from brash Americans coming down to the island looking for a good time often in gambling casinos and houses of prostitution.  Gay and lesbian people were seen as tied to loose morals and the anti-revolutionary spirit of this period prompting an immediate crackdown on this community by the Castro regime. Many Cuban homosexuals were sent to re-education camps, in a period that was described in detail by famous gay Cuban exile author, Reinaldo Arenas in his groundbreaking work, Before Night Falls. This period however, was also a time where homosexuals all over the world, including in the United States, were experiencing active persecution on the basis of their sexual identity. As attitudes began changing around the world, they did so in Cuba as well.

gaycubaflag copyHomosexuality was officially decriminalized in Cuba in 1979 and gay liberation attitudes started to emerge in the 1980s. This began the process that was to end with Cuba being one of the countries at the forefront of the LGBT rights movement in Latin America. One of the most significant advances was the 1993 release of the extremely popular movie, Fresa y Chocolate. This movie dealt with the relationship between a gay Cuban and a straight young revolutionary. While its take on homosexuality seems dated when looked at from a modern perspective, it was historical not only because the socialist Cuban government allowed its production, but because the film argued that the LGBT community was an important part of revolutionary Cuban society.

Now, Fidel Castro has officially apologized for the abuses that the LGBT population faced during the early decades of the Revolution and there is an active gay community and LGBT rights movement on the island. Cuba signed on to the historic 2011 United Nations Resolution calling for the declaration that LGBT rights are human rights. The most well-known leader of the Cuban LGBT movement is Mariela Castro, the daughter of President Raúl Castro and niece of Fidel Castro. She  is also the director of CENESEX (Centro Nacional de Educación Sexual). She has been a gay rights activist who has received awards and acclaim in Cuba as well as in the international community. Among her notable accomplishments is the fruition of a state sponsored sex reassignment surgery program for those who want the procedure. She has also been advocating for the legalization of  same-sex marriage in Cuba, but the government claims to be waiting for ”the right time.”

While Cuba has had a mixed history with regards of its treatment of sexual minorities, it has in many ways gone much farther much faster than many other countries. Cuba is constantly looking for ways to demonstrate that the government is a progressive regime that respects the basic rights of the Cuban population, thereby making the US embargo/blockade of the island  even more ridiculous and outdated. Perhaps now that so many other Latin American countries have legalized or are moving towards same-sex marriage, the time is finally right and Cuba can use same-sex marriage as another stab at US oppression?

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Dear Global Exchange Cuba supporters,

Yesterday afternoon the much-awaited mark-up and vote on HR 4645 in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs was postponed. Here is the statement from Chairman Howard Berman, upon announcing the postponement:

Statement of Chairman Howard L. Berman on H.R. 4645

Washington, DC – Congressman Howard L. Berman (D-CA), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement regarding the markup of H.R. 4645, the Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act:

“For a very long time, I have either led or supported efforts to repeal restrictions on the freedom of Americans to travel. The current prohibition on Americans traveling to Cuba is the last obstacle to the full enjoyment of this right. I strongly support H.R.4645, the Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act, which would eliminate the Cuba travel restrictions.

“The Committee had been scheduled to consider this legislation tomorrow, but it now appears that Wednesday will be the last day that Congress is in session before an extended district work period. That makes it increasingly likely that our discussion of the bill will be disrupted or cut short by votes or other activity on the House floor. Accordingly, I am postponing consideration of H.R. 4645 until a time when the Committee will be able to hold the robust and uninterrupted debate this important issue deserves. I firmly believe that when we debate and vote on the merits of this legislation, and I intend for it to be soon, the right to travel will be restored to all Americans.”

We’d be kidding you if we said we were only a little disappointed that the committee postponed consideration of HR 4645, which, if passed, would have allowed all of us to travel to Cuba whenever we want. We are disappointed big time. Big time.

We felt so good about the direction in which the committee’s vote commitments were going, and we were so impressed and grateful for the tremendous effort you all put into this campaign. Democracy was really working; citizens were expressing their views to their elected officials; members of Congress were listening. While only the Chairman knew the hard-clad, private commitments he had received, we expected to win. But the reality of action on the last day of the session before recess for campaigning took its toll. Members wanted to leave town; we needed ALL of them to show up to cast their votes in order to be successful.

The bottom line right now is:  you did GREAT and valiant work on this campaign to restore our right to travel to Cuba. You made significant progress, and we feel very good about that. Neither Congress nor the President has responded to this opportunity; nor have they reacted appropriately to what is currently happening in Cuba.

We aren’t finished yet in calling them to act on our behalf!

We are delayed, but we are not defeated.

We’ll be back to you in October. Don’t hang up your hats yet.

Sincerely,
Kirsten, Malia, Drea, Leslie and Pam
The Global Exchange Cuba Team, San Francisco, CA
and
Mavis, Paulo, and Emily
The Latin America Working Group Cuba Team, Washington, DC

This is it!  The opportunity we have all been waiting for!

The House Committee on Foreign Affairs (HCFA) will vote on HR 4645 on Wednesday, September 29, at noon. This means that they will be considering whether to lift the travel ban on Cuba . . . or not.

Global Exchange has provided you with all the information you need to understand HR 4645 and what you can do to make it pass!

We can win this, just like we won in the House Committee on Agriculture, with your help! . . . but we do need YOU, again! TAKE ACTION TODAY.

We’ve asked, for months now, for you to contact your congressperson about HR 4645. Every time we’ve asked you’ve delivered, above our highest expectations.

At each step of this drawn-out process — to end this ridiculous travel ban — your persistence with Congress has proven fruitful. We’ve gotten hearings, we’ve broadened our spectrum of support, we’ve racked-up co-sponsors, and we passed HR 4645 through the Agriculture Committee. Now we come to you again, expressing the same sense of urgency, and asking you help us take the next BIG step on the path to end the travel ban.

If your member of Congress serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee, your voice is supremely important. Find out if your member is part of this committee.

Send another letter, make another phone call. Please.  Send another e-mail message. It works. It has gotten us this far.

We can’t make guarantees about this effort, but we can assure you that, day-in and day-out, dedicated progressive Cuba workers, who are part of our network, are on Capitol Hill doing everything they can to end the travel ban on Cuba. Partner with us, and we can win this.

So please click the link and send an email. It only takes a second, but that second can move mountains.

P.S.
We wish to thank our colleagues in Washington, DC at the Latin America Working Group (LAWG) who have done so much this year, and during the last decade, to keep us informed about upcoming legislation impacting U.S. Cuba Policy!

P.P.S. For those of you who live in four particular congressional districts, the “undecideds,” our sister organization Witness for Peace is arranging a group office visits with banners and press presence.  Here is the information for anyone who wants to join!  We strongly encourage your participation!

Brad Miller, Raleigh, North Carolina, District 13
Monday September 27 at 11 am
1300 St. Mary’s Street, Suite 504 Raleigh, NC 27605.
Contact: Gail Phares, gailphares@earthlink.net or phone 919-624-0646

Brad Sherman, Sherman Oaks California, District 27
Monday September  27 at 4 pm
5000 Van Nuys Blvd., Suite 420 Sherman Oaks, CA  91403
Contact: Tanya Cole, wfpsw@witnessforpeace.org or phone 805-421-9708

Gabby Giffords, Tucson, Arizona, District 8
Monday September  27 at 4 pm
1661 N. Swan, Suite 112 Tucson, AZ 85712
Contact: Tanya Cole, wfpsw@witnessforpeace.org or phone 805-421-9708

Elton Gallegly, Thousand Oaks, California, District 24
Tuesday September  28 at 4 pm
2829 Townsgate Road, Suite 315, Thousand Oaks, CA 91361-3018
Contact: Tanya Cole, wfpsw@witnessforpeace.org or phone 805-421-9708

Medea Benjamin is the co-founder of Global Exchange and the peace group CODEPINK. She is the author of No Free Lunch: Food and Revolution in Cuba. This article originally appeared in Telesur.

La libreta, the Cuba ration booklet, encapsulates the debate about Cuba’s socialist experiment. Detractors say that the fact that food is still rationed after 50 years, and that over 60 percent of the island’s food is still imported, proves the failure of a bureaucratic, state-run economy sapping the entrepreneurial spirit of workers and farmers. Supporters say the ration book exemplifies the Cuban government’s commitment to the health and welfare of its people in the face of a relentless US blockade. They say that thanks to Cuba’s guaranteed food basket and free healthcare, the poor island nation has one of the lowest infant mortality rates and highest life expectancy rates in the world.

Both are right.

I lived in Cuba during the early 1980s, when the Soviet Union still existed and was subsidizing the Cuban economy to the tune of $4-6 billion a year. In those days, eating was an egalitarian exercise. The ration every family received for a small fee was enough to last all month and guaranteed everyone a decent diet. It included rice, beans, lentils, milk, coffee, weekly portions of chicken and hamburger meat, occasional fish and pork.

UntitledWhen the weekly chicken ration arrived at the market, you could smell chicken cooking in every kitchen in the neighborhood–fried chicken, soups, stews. As a nutritionist who had worked with starving children in Africa, I delighted in the knowledge that every family would be enjoying a good dinner. Sure, Cubans complained that they often couldn’t get the onion, garlic or tomatoes to cook the food to their taste, but the basics were always there.

Not today. The ration booklet has been shrinking over the decades. This would be fine if it reflected abundance, but it doesn’t. The worst period was right after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, when Cuba’s ability to import food dropped by 75%. During the terrible next decade, which the government dubbed the “Special Period” and people called “el tiempo de los flacos” (the skinny period), the rations fell by half, the average Cuban lost 20 pounds, and persistent hunger—something not seen since before the revolution—became a daily reality.

The Cuban economy has improved considerably since then, thanks in part to the rise in tourism dollars and to Venezuela’s subsidized oil. Still, the monthly ration is just enough to keep people from starving but not enough for a good diet, much less a satisfying one.

Each Cuban receives a monthly ration of seven pounds of rice, a pound of beans, half a bottle of cooking oil, one bread roll per day, plus small quantities of eggs, chicken or fish, spaghetti, and sugar. There are items for special occasions — cakes for birthdays, rum and beer for weddings—and “vulnerable people” get extra rations. Children get a liter of milk and some yogurt. People with health problems, like diabetics, get extra rations.

Ninety-year-old Aleida Fernandez told me that when she developed high blood pressure, her doctor gave her a note that added three fish a month to her ration. “This way the government guarantees I get enough protein,” said a grateful Fernandez, who lives on a pension of $15 a month but has free healthcare and like most Cubans, pays no rent.

Cubans pay less than $2 for their monthly rations, which is an estimated 12 percent of the food’s real value. It’s a lifesaver for the poor but it leaves the government subsidizing every man, woman and child, regardless of income. With a price tag of over $1 billion annually, it’s clear why reform-minded President Raul Castro would like to see la libreta disappear.

In 2011 Castro said the ration system distributes food at “laughable prices” and that a system introduced in a time of shortages has turned into “an unbearable burden for the economy and a disincentive to work.”

But his proposal to eliminate the ration was scrapped when met with fierce opposition, particularly from low-wage state workers and retirees struggling to get by on $15 a month. “I can’t imagine how I’d survive if I had to buy my food on the open market,” complained retiree Ophelia Muñoz. “The market prices are so high that I can barely afford potatoes and boniato, much less beans or chicken.”

It’s a different story for Cubans who work in the tourist sector or receive remittances from their families abroad. With access to hard currency, they can afford market prices and they can supplement their diets with restaurant meals.

But the best food is reserved for tourists. Gourmet meals are offered in private restaurants called paladares that have cropped up all over the island. Poor Cubans can now see the sumptuous fare offered to tourists—lobster, shrimp, pork, steak—and they are left wondering why they are stuck with rice and chickpeas. “We’re not starving like people in Haiti,” said Berta Fernandez, a clerk who lives on a salary of $20 a month. “But we smell the pork roasting in the restaurant down the block and we’re left with this craving.”

The unequal access to food is just one reflection of what is becoming more and more of a two-tiered economy, with one group scraping by on national pesos and the other benefitting from access to hard currency. The revolution wasn’t supposed to turn out this way.

At an elementary school we visited in Havana, teacher Olivia Gonzalez said they don’t allow students to bring their lunches from home. Why? Because some students would bring coveted items like meat and soda while poorer students would have simpler fare. “We want the children to all have the same opportunities and not grow up with a sense of inferiority,” Gonzalez explained. “So it’s better for them all to eat the same.” To cut down on costs and provide healthy meals, many schools are trying to grow as much of their own food as they can.

Raul Castro is trying to find a middle way, stimulating the economy while preserving revolutionary gains like free healthcare and education. His market-oriented reforms include cutting back on subsidies, slashing bloated state payrolls and encouraging more private enterprise—especially for farmers.

The historic opening with the US has ignited hopes that the US will stop sabotaging Cuba, and that greater tourism and trade will help the economy grow. Even before the opening, Cuba was buying $500 million worth of agricultural goods from the United States. Food sales were an exception to the embargo but sales had to be made in cash. The new rules that allow Cuba to use US banks and obtain loans will lead to more imports—a win for both countries.

Many worry that the US opening, accompanied by a flood of tourists and US corporate investments, will be a recipe for an even greater gap between the haves and have-nots. Certainly the days are gone when Cubans eat the same meals at the same time, and perhaps the universal libreta will be replaced by a food stamp system based on need. But in Cuba, food is still considered a basic human right. As the economy expands, the hope is that Cubans across the island will have access to a more varied diet. In a world where so many people still go hungry, Cuba could become a model of how to grow the pie—and make sure that everyone gets a piece.