Activism Through Art in an Afro-Cuban Community
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ACTIVISM THROUGH ART IN AN AFRO-CUBAN COMMUNITY: CENTERING VOICES AT THE INTERSECTIONS by Skyller D. Walkes, B.A, M.A A dissertation submitted to the Graduate College of Texas State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Adult, Professional, and Community Education May, 2018 Committee Members: Ann K. Brooks, Chair Jovita M. Ross-Gordon Michael P. O’Malley Christopher Busey COPYRIGHT by Skyller D. Walkes 2018 FAIR USE AND AUTHOR’S PERMISSION STATEMENT Fair Use This work is protected y the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553), section 107). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of this material for financial gain without the author’s express written permission is not allowed. Duplication Permission As the copyright holder of this work I, Skyller Walkes, authorize duplication of this work, in whole or in part, for educational or scholarly purposes only. DEDICATION “There is no better subject for Black artists than Black people.” Maulana Karenga This dissertation is dedicated first and foremost to the Most High, Al- mighty God and to the tribe of warriors who inspired and encouraged me through prayers and messages of uplift as I sojourned through this process. It is because of them, with my mother Grace’s prayerful encouragement at the helm, alongside my father and my stepfather’s championing reminders of my resilience and grit, that I perservered. It is also because of my mentoring warriors- Dr. Christopher Busey and Dr. Sherri Benn whose belief in my passion and capabilities never once waivered. They reminded me that my pursuit and subsequent completion of this feat was greater than the conferment of a degree, for it would one day repre- sent what they represented for me, the possibility of having a seat at the table to potentially affect change. Finally, this is dedicated to my beloved elders who transitioned to become my ancestors along the way, each of whom contributed and continue to contribute in spirit so very much to this work and what I aim to accomplish through it. Ubuntu: I am because you are. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to each of my incredibly supportive committee members who guided me with hours of wise counsel, ushering me toward ac- complishing this goal. I have had the pleasure of learning from each of them while re- maining inspired by them. Their brilliance and accessibility made me a curious learner and an impassioned scholar. Specifically, I wish to recognize my Chair Dr. Ann Brooks, who from my first semester in her class, has always encouraged my vision while chal- lenging me to push myself. Dr. Brooks has helped to cultivate my love of research and reminded me that my voice could find a place in the academy. I will remain eternally grateful for her gifted mind, creative spirit, unique insight, mentorship and steadfast en- couragement. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Geleana Alston, who as a doctoral student in the program, insisted that the APCE Program at Texas State was where I needed to be, and her recommendation has proven to be right on time! Finally, I would like to recognize the outstanding faculty in the Department of Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education & School Psychology. I have grown so much as a consequence of learning from and growing because of each of them. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ v TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1 Como Sangre, Blackness Flows… Throughout the Diaspora .................... 1 I Arrived Here by Traveling a Plethora of Caminos ....................... 6 Problem Statement and Theoretical Perspective ....................................... 12 My Positionality Cannot Be Denied and It Dare Not Beg Pardon ........... 19 Study Rationale ......................................................................................... 21 Purpose Statement ..................................................................................... 23 Research Questions ................................................................................... 23 Methodology: Stirring the Pot .................................................................. 25 CRT Paves the Way for Intersectionality: Identity at a Cross Roads ....... 31 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................. 35 Historiography of Race in Cuba ............................................................... 46 Cuba and the Curious Case of Colorblindness ............................. 52 Racism Against Afro-Cubans – A Hushed Subjugation ............... 60 The Black Experience Prior to the Cuban Revolution .................. 66 Black Cubans after the Revolutionary Victory ............................. 68 The Intersectional Triple Dagger: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Cuba .......................................................................... 71 African-American and Afro-Cuban Parallels ........................................... 73 Pan-African Art, Identity and Social Movements..................................... 80 The Art and Identity Connection .................................................. 86 Critical Race Theory, LatCrit and Racial Identity .................................. 102 III. RESEARCH DESIGN .................................................................................. 110 Sample Selection and Participants .......................................................... 115 Second Round of Data Collection in Cuba ............................................. 117 Human Subjects Protection ..................................................................... 125 vi Researcher Self-Reflection ..................................................................... 126 Data Analysis Simplified: How It Came Together ................................ 128 IV. PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS AND REFLECTIONS ...................... 139 V. RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DATA ANALYSIS..................................... 152 The Stories That Spaces Tell When You Listen ..................................... 155 Taking the Message to the Streets: Social Movements as Quiet Riots .................................................................................. 156 Disseminating Truth through Alternative Means ................................... 163 Blurring the Defining Lines .................................................................... 181 Hope: A Fight Against Disillusionment ................................................. 193 Location and Place .................................................................................. 195 Hair There, Their Hair, Everywhere! ...................................................... 210 Findings, Limitations, and Implications for Further Research ............... 213 VI. CONCLUSION............................................................................................. 221 And Here Lies Our Truths- Laid Bare For Your Interpretation .............. 221 Where Do We Go from Here? ................................................................ 227 APPENDIX SECTION ....................................................................................... 230 REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 241 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page I. Wall of murals in Callejón de Hamel ························································ 120 II. Wall of Afrocentric designs in Callejón de Hamel ······································· 121 III. Wall of Afrocentric design with researcher in Callejón de Hamel ···················· 121 IV. Painting of Black Woman in Callejón de Hamel ········································ 122 V. A child resident walking through the neighborhood street ······························ 123 VI. Archway to entrance of Callejón de Hamel··············································· 124 VII. Brightly painted repurposed bathtub halves as benches ······························ 132 VIII Sculpture with repurposed scraps and signage translated from José Martí’s poem, Versos Sencillos as, “I am art among the arts, and I am wilderness among wilderness.” ······································································ 133 IX. Afrocentric wood sculpture on restaurant wall in Callejón de Hamel ················ 134 X. A Santeria religion shrine in Callejón de Hamel ·········································· 135 XI. Resident playing music from his homefront shop with a sign translated from Spanish as, “The Song of the Congo” ··········································· 136 XII. Hanging bathtub with wheels in Callejón de Hamel translated as, “The ship of the forgotten.” ···························································· 137 XIII. Artists paint on the street while a spoken word performance occurs ··············· 165 XIV. Artist simultaneously painting with installation and concert in background ······ 166 XV. Attendees/ passerbys document the spontaneous art and performances ············ 168 XVI. Hip-hop