On Jan. 28, 1853, José Martí was born in Havana, Cuba. A prominent figure in the history of Cuba’s independence, his legacy is still remembered 173 years later.
To honor the birth of the Cuban national hero, students at MAST Academy at Florida International University’s Biscayne Bay Campus held their second annual José Martí celebration on Wednesday.
The commemorative event focused on the legacy of José Martí, who is predominantly known for launching the war of independence in Cuba after being forced into exile twice in his life by Spanish colonial authorities.
Students, along with special guests like Dr. Raúl Moncarz, founding emeritus vice provost of Florida International University, presented speeches by Martí, sang the Cuban national anthem and much more.
On Tuesday, some MAST academy students held a panel at FIU to examine what José Martí would think about the recent U.S. actions towards Venezuela, including the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
Each student introduced different analytical viewpoints under the impression of José Martí, including anti-tyranny, sovereignty, American and realist beliefs.
Through José Martí’s ideologies, some students agreed that the events from Jan. 3 will help Venezuela transition from dictatorship rule and others rebutted. But, the discussion demonstrated how the martyr’s impact from a century ago can still be felt in today’s current events.
“Something I learned from José Martí was that if I ever see something wrong happening, it is up to me, or anyone else, to stand up and fight for what is right,” said Akisch Bonhomme, a student at MAST Academy who participated in the forum. “You can see [Martí] as a unity-made focus…he wanted to unite his people against other forms of tyranny.”
