Comments on: AAUW Goes to Cuba—Really!

By: Marianela Peterson

Marianela Peterson — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 20:55:22 +0000

I appreciate, agree, and am encouraged by both Maryfran and Cordy’s comments.
For me, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness first-hand the contemporary role of women in Cuba, not only as a teacher/scholar/writer, but also as one who was only four months old when she was brought to the United States a half-century ago by her Cuban parents. I was raised by strong, hardworking Cuban women who encouraged me to study hard, go to college, and have a career. My grandmother and my mother, who were both widowed, always said that I needed to have a career of my own to rely on. An education was something no one and no circumstance could take away from me.
Both my grandmother and my mother have passed on, and I consider myself an American with a husband and grown sons who were born here in the United States. Still, my memories of the bits of Cuban culture, spirit, and affection I experienced growing up in a bilingual household stirs up more than just an intellectual curiosity in anticipating this wonderful educational opportunity. I look forward to it with both mind and heart. I hope to contribute as best as I can to this delegation for women here, there, and generations to come.

By: Cordy Galligan

Cordy Galligan — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 19:57:22 +0000

I so agree Maryfran. The trip is costly but the opportunties for participants are priceless…to borrow a phrase from a certain credit card commercial. The agenda was developed by our partner, Academic Travel Abroad, and will be based in a large part on two things…where we are allowed to go, given the restrictions that currently face US travelers, and where it makes sense to go given our limited time there. It reminds me of when I went to Paris for 4 days and spent what ended up being the better part of a day in Versailles. Am I glad I saw Versailles? Yes! Did it come at the expense of another day in Paris? Yes!

I can only trust that Academic Travel will do everythign in it’s power to fulfill their requirements to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (who issues the licenses for travel to Cuba) and to see to the needs of the delegation by making the best use of our time there. Thank you for sharing your thoughts…please know they are reciprocated!

By: Maryfran Troha

Maryfran Troha — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 21:05:41 +0000

Although the expedition is extremely expensive, I believe new viewpoints on gender equality for women in the United States can be gained by both those who participate in and those who receive the resulting white paper.

As a former teacher, I have seen first hand how young women in United States public schools receive from society and media the message that, although it is fine to go to college, it is better to consider biological time clocks in their career planning than to actively seek career development opportunities and accept promotions to positions at higher levels of management.

I am particularly interested in the Cuban attitudes to both career messaging to adolescent girls and professional work/life balancing as practiced by Cuban women professionals.

However, I am disappointed that the scope of the tour is limited to Havana and university level women. I hope some flexibility can
allow interested participants to interact with women working outside of the Havana/university culture through side trips to a small community, a rural area, and public schools.

By: Cordy Galligan

Cordy Galligan — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 23:36:49 +0000

In reply to Maxine’s query, we hope to field a delegation of 50 (mas o menos!) to Cuba. Indeed, it is an exciting opportunity since the conversation will be shaped by our mutual interest in women’s issues as Ransom points out in her comment. The travel opportunity aside, it is this intimate glimpse into the lives of Cuban women that is the compelling factor. How fortunate we AAUW members are to have this opportunity to speak with women who’s voices haven’t been heard by American counterparts for many decades!

By: Ransom

Ransom — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 04:34:02 +0000

This is a great opportunity that will help to develop the global perspective of the issues women face in other countries. Educationally, this trip will also help to impact the lives of the people who can take advantage of this trip and turnkey the information with fellow educators. I look forward to the presentation and sharing of ideas.

By: Maxine H. Borom

Maxine H. Borom — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 05:00:50 +0000

For many years I have wanted to visit Cuba, and this trip looks ideal, with its emphasis on women.
I am a retired French and German teacher, pero mi espanol es un poquito debil!
I have not seen anywhere how many people you anticipate participating in this apparently wonderful experience.

By: Barbara Mullin

Barbara Mullin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:59:21 +0000

Sounds like a wonderful exciting trip as well as important
information to bring back. As a retired school nurse/visiting
nurse, past state AAUW president & public policy state chair
and many other pro women’s organizations, I guess I am
professional on women’s issues. However, since I no longer
am employed and older with muy poco Espanol, I am thinking
younger, working professionals who speak the language would
do a better job. I have suggested this to two of my Hispanic
working professional friends who do not belong to AAUW
at present. I don’t think the price is too bad.

By: Patricia Spencer

Patricia Spencer — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 03:24:27 +0000

Hello,
I was SO excited when I received the notice of the Cuba trip. I knew I wanted very much to go before even finishing the note. Then came the facts of a 5 night 4 day trip with a cost to me in CA of well over $4000!! I have to agree with Nancy and Liz that the price is simply too high—at least for a retired teacher with no health benefits.

By: Walter Lippmann

Walter Lippmann — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 17:48:56 +0000

Here’s someone you’ll certainly enjoy meeting if she can be part of your itinerary. She taught at Harvard earliler this year:

Marta Nuñez Sarmiento is a professor in the Department of Sociology and a researcher at the Center for Study of International Migrations (CEMI) at the University of Havana. Her research has concentrated on transition projects for Cuba proposed by Cuban-American and U.S. scholars; women and employment in Cuba; gender studies in Cuba; images of women in Cuban mass media; images of Cuba in Cuban and foreign mass media. At the University of Havana, she teaches courses related to methodology and methods of sociological research, gender studies and contemporary Cuba. She holds a Master’s degree in sociology from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO)in Santiago, Chile and a PhD in economics from the Academy of Sciences in Moscow, Russia and has been a visiting professor at universities in the Dominican Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Spain and Argentina. She has served as a consultant for several agencies of the UN (1988-2009), for the Association of Caribbean States (1999) and for several NGOs. She served as an expert for the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance (CAME), (Moscow, 1978-1983) and a counselor for the Embassy of Cuba in Russia (1993-1997). Currently, she is also a consultant to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) for Cuba. Marta will be in residence at Harvard for four weeks to advance research on proposals for a transition towards democracy in Cuba elaborated by U.S. scholarly institutions (2004-2009).

Learn about more Cuban scholars who have taught at Harvard here:
http://www.drclas.harvard.edu/cuba/visiting_scholars

By: Cordy Galligan

Cordy Galligan — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:53:01 +0000

Thank you to all who have posted comments or written directly to us in response to this incredible opportunity! One thing is evident, members are indeed eager to visit with their counterparts in Cuba and study the issues of gender equity which face all women globally.

It does indeed come with a significant price tag (which we do not foresee decreasing at this point) that will preclude many members from joining; however, there are many members who feel that the cost is worth the experience, particularly given the fact that the itinerary focuses on issues of such importance to AAUW. In short, had we refused the delegation offer based on price, it would have passed to another organization, which we felt would certainly not have best served members.

One way that all will be able to share in this undertaking is through the white paper which, upon completion, will be made available to all states, branches and members. Truly the spirit of AAUW membership at its best…members sharing their knowledge and experiences with others and promoting wider understanding of women’s issues globally along the way.