As a child growing up in a Cuban American home, I heard countless stories of Jose Martí’s courage, read his writings and poetry, and learned of his selfless commitment to freedom in Cuba. I saw many variations of the image above, of José Martí being shot and killed by Spanish troops as he rode his white horse into battle. Legend has it he looked up into the sun right before he died, his last act of defiance against a tyrannical and murderous colonial master.
The day was May 19, in 1895, and more than a century later, his legacy and inspiration to be free of tyranny remains alive among the Cuban people, both on the island and in exile. The 65 years of tyranny under the communist Castro dictatorship is only a fraction of the hundreds of years Cuba was ruled as a colony by Spain, who exploited the island and treated its citizens as human chattel to be used and abused. This is not the first time the Cuban people have fought tyranny.
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