Elpidio de la Trinidad Molina, Jorge Molina, and Egipcia Perez

In addition to fighting sexism, the revolution also sought to do away with racism, and for the same reasons. Racism is incompatible with basic socialist ideals, and there was too much work to be done to deny anyone the opportunity to do some of it simply because of the color of their skin. To this end, the revolution made education more accessible to AfroCubans, and encouraged them to get involved in revolutionary groups in order to build socialism on the island.

In practice, racial equality was no easier to achieve than gender equality. Although Afro-Cubans made real strides as a result of the revolution, racial stereotypes that had prevailed for years before the revolution refused to die. When Cuba began to promote tourism and entrepreneurialism during the Special Period, the aftermath of the...