May 2017 – Cuba Trip Retreat
Sharon Green led the group through team-building activities. We reviewed travel guide proposals and formed working groups for the coming year.
November 2017 – Henry Heredia Lecture
Bacca-funded lecture by Henry Heredia, Director of International Relations at the Juan Marinello Cultural Research Institute in Havana. Heredia’s lecture focused on Afro-Cuban religions, and he met separately with the Cuba trip group after the event.
December 2017 – Documentary Viewing
As a group we watched the documentary, Havana – The New Art of Making Ruins, which peeks into the crumbling buildings of Havana and into the lives of the residents living there.
February 2018 – Cuba History and Travel Discussion with Devyn Spence Benson
Devyn Spence Benson, Davidson professor of Africana Studies and Latin American Studies and author of the book Anti-Racism in Cuba: The Unfinished Revolution, gave the Cuba trip group an overview of the history of Cuba and tips for travel in the country.
March 2018 – Guadalupe García Lecture
Bacca-funded lecture by Guadalupe García, Associate Professor of History and Director of Graduate Studies at Tulane University. García discussed the walls that used to encircle Havana and her research on the layout of the city, its social interactions, and racial exclusion.
May 2018 – Book Collections for Donation and Gift Purchases
The group collected books to donate to La Casa de las Américas and purchased gifts to donate to the professors, hosts, guides, and others we would meet while in Cuba.
