Tulane University

In this activity-based curriculum, students draw on primary sources, such as autobiographical excerpts, contemporary art, and editorials, to explore how structural racism and resistance shaped the Afro-Cuban communities’ experiences and identities in the nineteenth century and continues to impact Afro-Cubans today. This curriculum was inspired by the Tulane University’s Summer 2017 Cuban Culture & Society K-12 Teacher Institute and created by the curriculum specialists at Primary Source, a non-profit educational organization. Adaptable for high school Spanish, Language Arts, Social Studies, Visual Arts, and Art History.

RELEVANT LITERATURE
The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano by Margarita Engle, art by Sean Qualls – This lyrical biography tells the story of Juan Francisco Manzano, a Cuban slave who escaped to become a celebrated poet. His verses reflect the beauty of his world, but they also expose its hideous cruelty. But even the pain of slavery could not extinguish the capacity for hope. This book is a 2006 Américas Award winner.

UNITS

• Autobiography of Juan Francisco Manzano, a Cuban Slave
• Painting by Afro-Cuban U.S. Artist Lili Bernard: The Sale of Venus (2011)
• Editorial by Roberto Zurbano about the Status of Afro-Cubans