Que pasa, Cuba?!? Chaos, or Opportunity?

This personal account - from an African-American who revels in Cuba’s Black culture and pride, and whose writings can be found on Substack - offers vibrant photos and a story of complexity, hardship, resilience, and possibility for the Cuban experiment to remain a global beacon of hope and people power.

With live music by Dilson Hernandez.

About the Speaker
Mitty Owens has witnessed life in much of the Global South, and lived in Zimbabwe in 1990. He first traveled to Cuba in 1997 (with Global Exchange), brought his daughter there twice under Obama, and for the past 5 years, has returned 2-3 times a year, loving the annual jazz fest and facilitating some support for local artists. With a 35 year background in community development and a social justice spectrum via jobs and boards that have spanned the Ford Foundation, NYC government, racial and economic justice nonprofits, NYU and the New School, Mitty's current analysis transcends “isms” of economic systems, seeking instead solid evidence of quality of life and people power for the global majority.

About the Musician
Dilson is a Dominican-American performing artist from the Bronx, NY. His talents include creative writing, playing various instruments, spoken-word poetry, singing, and digital production. Dilson is in the process of revising his one man show, Bachatú, and is looking to release his first music project, The Bachatú EP, on all streaming services. In 2019, Dilson was named the Resident Artist for the Inspired Word, an open mic series in New York City. As the Resident Artist, he made his Off-Broadway debut at the Triad Theatre, where he performed the blueprint to his one-man show Bachatú. In addition to performing, Dilson has composed for a variety of Off-Broadway productions such as, Guadalís del Carmen's Bees and Honey (MCC Theatre) and Julissa Calderon's Vámonos! (Intar Theatre).

Dilson wishes to change the world with his art and community work, aiming to strive for a more progressive and creative future. Some of his work abroad includes teaching English in Haiti and building dorm spaces for underprivileged children in rural India. In New York City, facilitated music-related workshops and advocated at courtrooms for incarcerated youth, via Youth Justice Network. Dilson received a Bachelor's of Arts in both English and Music from the University at Albany in 2015. He also received an engineering certification from the Institute of Audio Research in 2017.

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Host or Publisher Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture