Convenings

Between July 23 and 29, 2019 the Cuba Platform hosted a Cuba convening with john a. powell, Atlantic Fellows, colleagues of Berkeley’s Haas Institute, and neuroscientist Tania Singer. During these days, participants learned from john about the framework of othering and belonging, engaged with Dr. Singer on research to expand circles of compassion, and engaged with Cuban academics, community organizers, farmers, and musicians to learn more about successes, challenges, and tools for building equitable societies.

In the first week of April 2019, the Cuba Platform hosted four Cubans for a week of “Cuban Visionaries in DC.” At a time when little attention was being paid to US-Cuba relations, and when the so-called “sonic attacks” against US Embassy personnel dominated any and all Cuba-related news that did permeate Washington, we proposed that it was more important than ever to remind policymakers that Cuba is not a static or monolithic place. In a series of public, private, and academic spaces, we presented three Cuban innovators – an organic farmer, a hip hop musician, and a neuroscientist. A fourth participant – bike shop owner Nayvis Diaz – was slated to participate but was not granted a visa.

From November 10 to November 17 the Cuba Platform travelled with ten representatives of four Atlantic Fellows Programs to Havana, Cuba. Trip participants included the executive director and two South African staff from Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity; the executive director, deputy director, and a senior fellow from Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity; two senior fellows from Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity in Southeast Asia; and a senior fellow and one faculty member from Global Brain Health Institute. During six days of programmatic activity, participants visited community centers; exchanged with neighborhood residents in small groups; heard presentations from social scientists and doctors; provided commentary on panels and group discussions; and engaged intensively with the successes and contradictions of the Cuban model. During the week in Havana the group received presentations by health officials provided by the Ministry of Public Health; enjoyed access to scholars, community organizers, and Cuban NGOs; and reflected on Cuba’s remarkable decades long journey pursuing equity in the face of economic hardship, and the tremendous knowledge this offers to others doing similar work around the globe.

Watch Videos - Conversations in Cuba:
- Sparking New Ideas in Racial Equity
- New Ideas in Health Equity

Between May 28 and June 2, 2018, a cohort of Equity Initiative fellows for health equity came to Cuba for a week to study the social determinants of health and compare the health systems in Cuba and their respective countries. In the midst of a tropical storm, the group visited a community center, non-governmental organization, and farm, and listened to presentations on the Cuban health care system and social context. Participants reflected on health as a social system and on the economic challenges and opportunities of providing healthcare to all.

From May 5 to May 12, 2018, the Cuba Platform hosted 12 representatives of the four Atlantic Fellows Programs in Havana, Cuba. Participants included senior fellows from the Equity Initiative for Southeast Asia and China and the Global Brain Health Institute, and staff and faculty from Tekano for Health Equity in South Africa, Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity (Australia), and the Global Brain Health Institute. During six days of activity, participants listened to presentations from Cuban social scientists and visited the sites of non-governmental organizations, small businesses, and artists. Participants report that key learnings from the trip centered on the ideas of revolution as a process and leadership as a collective endeavor.