Yoani Sanchez

Yoani Sanchez has been writing from Cuba about the problems of Cuba as a Cuban resident.... activism unheard of and, yet, made possible via the internet. While I am not pro-US intervention in Cuba (the US is largely responsible for poverty, corruption, and governmental mismanagement since the late 19th century -- starting in 1898), I do not support the revolution. I believe that Cubans suffer in their current conditions and I do believe in cooperation between Cubans on the island and Cubans in the US.... I have no suggestions on how to create better relationships between these two groups, except to ignore what the US government offers as plans for a normalized relationship-- the US has actively separated the two groups and used their growing hostilities towards each other to serve anti-Cuba policies created by US politicians to fuel political debate (which enables them to channel support towards specific government official and state politicians).

Yoani Sanchez might be one of my biggest heroes. She writes her beliefs about conditions in Cuba despite daily threats of violence and growing governmental pressure to stop. President Obama has recognized Yoani as a visionary and revolutionary, but has not gone beyond that recognition to move towards better relations between the US and Cuba. I do not believe Obama will affect conditions in Cuba any further than he has already done (allowing more family visits, extending what is considered family, and allowing money to be sent to Cuba in a less restricted manner). While promises were made, Helms-Burton limits the ability of the US government and its politicians to engage with Cuba.

Here is a link to learn more about Yoani Sanchez:

http://www.desdecuba.com/generaciony/?p=137&cp=1

There is both an English and Spanish version of the site. Just look for flags on the side of the page if you do not speak/read Spanish.