Well gosh, I have to comment, since I am Cuban:

"Cuban whites also felt much more comfortable around Cuban blacks than they did about American blacks, who they felt had to be on the verge of violent revolution because they were so brutally treated."

This is true even when I was growing up in Havana and even when I came to Miami. Fortunately for us we had family in Minnesota and moved up there to be 'yanks'... thank you very much. I'm thankful for that. One of the main reasons was that there was no segregation in MN; no black restaurants vs white, etc.

"In spite of their own genteel and concealed racism towards blacks, the Tampa Cubans were aghast and terrified at the racism of Southern whites, and always feared it would one day be unleashed upon them."

It's not only them, it's every white citizen that lived among African Americans that lived prior to the civil rights movement. It's very sad that there were so many 'whites' fighting for the right as well... the fear was everywhere.

It is wonderful that this man lived when Lincoln lived. (1865 Marti learned of Lincoln's death).

To make a long story short, racism is in the eye of the beholder, be it black, white, Asian, American Indian.... The wonderful thing is, is that racism is dying.

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On the other hand, I'm all for a Star Trek world, but as Marti said (and I know it can and this has been used either and every wihich way, unfortunately):

Socialist ideology, like so many others, has two main dangers. One stems from confused and incomplete readings of foreign texts, and the other from the arogance and hidden rage of those who, in order to climb up in the world, pretend to be frantic defenders of the helpless so as to have shoulders on which to stand.

Peace, Liberty and by all means vote.