Members of the “Brigada Antonio Maceo” in Cuba
The Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston, in partnership with Casa de las Americas, Havana, Cuba, is archiving documentation of the “Movement in support of Cuba by members of the Cuban diaspora in the U.S., Puerto Rico & other countries (1960s-1990s).”
Members of the Antonio Maceo Brigade & other Cuban diaspora activists defied Cold War political and family prohibitions to return to Cuba beginning in 1977, changing U.S./Cuba dialogues and their own lives.
On Wednesday, March 23, 2016, participants in the movement in support of Cuba participated in a panel discussion at the Healey Library titled “Cuban American Activists Connecting to Cuba: Enduring Impacts on U.S. Cuba Relations”. Panelists included Miren Uriarte, Mariana Gaston, and Manuel Gomez (members of the Antonio Maceo Brigade), who reflected on their experiences and engaged in lively dialogue with the audience, which consisted of students, faculty, staff and community members. UMass Boston Provost Winston Langley, Dean of Libraries Daniel Ortiz, and University Archivist Joanne Riley, who traveled to Cuba in early 2016 to work out a collaborative agreement with Casa de las Americas, shared news of the archiving project underway at Healey Library.
This event was co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the Joseph P. Healey Library, and the Graduate program in Transnational Cultural & Community Studies (TCCS) at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston collects materials related to the university’s history, as well as materials that reflect the institution’s urban mission and strong support of community service, notably in collections of records of urban planning, social welfare, social action, alternative movements, community organizations, and local history related to neighboring communities.
University Archives & Special Collections welcomes inquiries from individuals, organizations, and businesses interested in donating materials of an archival nature that that fit within our collecting policy. These include manuscripts, documents, organizational archives, collections of photographs, unique publications, and audio and video media. For more information about donating to University Archives & Special Collections, click here or email library.archives@umb.edu.