As Cuba's Interior Minister, Betsy Diaz works tirelessly to protect Cuban families from what she calls "the genocidal designs of the U. S. blockade." And now, for the first time, the Cuban government is allowing Betsy Diaz to beg the UN for help "as whole Cuban families are suffering more than ever as the blockade deprives them from basic food and medicine, meaning that the blockade is now working for the United States better than ever as it assaults Cubans, especially children and women who have lived all their lives under cruel U. S. sanctions." On this first weekend in March of 2024, non-U.S. international news sources, such as the BBC, are sending such startling headlines as this around the world: "CUBA ASKS UN FOR HELP AS FOOD SHORTAGES WORSEN."
As you can see above, the worldwide reach of the BBC is explaining to the world on this first weekend in March of 2024 that Cuba is taking the "unprecedented" step of begging the UN for help as the extreme results of "United States imposed sanctions, which exacerbated shortages on the island." In March of 2024 Cuba is particularly concerned with shortages of vital things such as milk, telling the UN: "...with interior commerce minister Betsy Diaz warning earlier this month that deliveries for children aged six months to two years had been delayed." Since 1959, the year that the Cuban Revolution overthrew the U.S.-backed & Mafia-backed Batista dictatorship, Revolutionary Cuba has prided itself in offering free food for all Cubans and free education thtrough college for all Cubans. But now at the start of March of 2024 Cuba, for the first time, Cuba is begging the UN for help as the vulnerable island blames the tightened U. S. Embargo, which began in 1962, for creating hunger problems -- "shortages" -- as Cuba tries to make sure that its most vulnerable children can have their guarantied food, especially things such as powdered milk for the youngest children.
From 1953 until the first weekend of March of 2024, Cuba has used historic photos as the two shown above to explain why the Cuban Revolution felt it had to overthrow the Batista dictatorship. The photos above were taken in Batista's Cuba in the early 1950s when anti-Batista rebels -- especially outraged young women such as Celia Sanchez, Vilma Espin, and Haydee Santamaria -- believed that everyday Cuban women and children were left with nothing...including no food, no education, and no decent homes...while the Batistianos, the Mafiosi, and rich U. S. businesses were making obscene fortunes in Cuba from wild tourism, gambling, drugs, prostitution, etc., etc.
From the start of the Cuban Revolution in 1953 till its victory in 1959, Cuban women such as Vilma Espin, Celia Sanchez, and Haydee Santamaria were at the forefront of the anti-Batista efforts as prime recruiterss of rebels and supplies, as prime guerrilla fighters and also prime decision-makers. And when victory was theirs starting in 1959, these three particular Cuban women remained prime decision-makers in Revolutionary Cuba.
Above this Bohemia Magazine photo/caption shows Celia Sanchez standing in the doorway of a comannd center to tell rebels in early 1958 that "we will begin capturing and holding towns and cities in the foothills of the Sierra Maestra Mountains and then continue doing that until we drive northwest all across the island all the way to HAVANA!!" In the last three days of 1958 Celia's strategy and prediction came true when the rebels captured Santa Clara, the final major city leading to Havana, a historic victory that made dictator Batista race to his gold-ladened getaway airplane to flee the island on NEW YEARS MORNING on January 1st of 1959.
Yes, women like Haydee Santamaria and Celia Sanchez were prime guerrilla fighters, prime recruiters, and prime decision-maker throughout the entire Cuban Revolution.
Both during the Revolutionary fighting and then as leaders in Revolutionary Cuba, Fidel Castro made sure that the prime decision-makers were Cuban women such as the two sitting beside him above -- Celia Sanchez and Haydee Santamaria. For that reason, starting in January of 1959 the prime new and most everlasting new laws in Cuba were official and prime decisions such as The Block-by-Block Committees to Defend the Revolution, The Federation of Cuban Women, The Guarantees that all Cubans Will Have Free Food and Free Educations Through College, etc., etc.
This historic photo truthfully reflects that Celia Sanchez, with Fidel Castro's permission, was the prime decision-maker during the height of the fighting during the Cuban Revolution. This photo shows Celia holding a candle so Fidel can read a book while she writes down battle plans, which Fidel by daylight that morning would routinely approve. This photo shows the caution deep in the Sierra Maestra Mountains at the secretive rebel camp that Batista's U.S.-supplied spotter airplanes and bombers were trying to locate...and bomb. Campfires were not allowed but this candle was rigged up for Celia and Fidel.
And then in Revolutionary Cuba this definitive photo reveals that Celia Sanchez was still, with Fidel Castro's total permission, the prime decision-maker in Cuba. This photo typically shows Celia busy writing down laws for Cuba that Fidel will later 100% support. Please note that while Celia was writing down those rules, Fidel had his shoes off as he leisurely relaxed in his rocking chair on the front porch.
This montage above shows some images of Celia Sanchez, the prime force in the Cuban Revoiution and in Revolutionary Cuba.
On January 11th of 1980 Celia Sanchez died of cancer at age 59. But till this day in March of 2024 because her Revollution still rules Cuba, she remains the greatest "Flower" of the nation of Cuba and of the Cuban Revolution. For that reason it is appropriate that two Celia Sanchez quotations best define her Revolution, as shown below:
"We rebels...get far too much credit for winning the Revolution. Our enemies deserve most of the credit, for being greedy cowards and idiots."
"Tired old rebels like me, I reckon, are still out-gunned and out-numbered. We can make history but we still don't get to write it." CELIA SANCHEZ MANDULEY
In this first week of March in 2024 a dedicated disciple of Celia Sanchez is Betsy Diaz. Like Celia who fought dictator Batista on behalf of Cuban children in the 1950s, Betsy today is fighting the U. S. Embargo/Blockade to try to make sure that Cuban children don't starve.
It seems that the EMBARGO usually wins!!
But, as you can see above, on March 1st of 2024 this photo/caption in Cuba News shows that Betsy Diaz has just won a battle against the EMBARGO. Thanks to Betsy we know this slice of good news: "The arrival of a ship from Brazil, with 375 tons of powdered milk, guarantees distribution for children zero to six..." And for such reasons on this first weekend in March of 2024 I equate the child-loving Betsy Diaz of today with the legendary child-loving Cuban rebel Celia Sanchez.