President Obama on March 22, 2016, noted gay rights advances in the USA during his speech at the Alicia Alonso Grand Theater in Havana.
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Howard Ehrman, a retired professor and member of the coalition, said there are many things Obama can do via executive order to help Cuban people, like allowing them to sell their products in the U.S. He also urged a lifting of the economic embargo when it comes to medications.
“In the United States we have a clear monument to what the Cuban people can build – it’s called Miami”, Obama said.
With Cuba’s President Raul Castro and his cabinet looking on, Obama stressed that the United States would not impose change on Cuba, that was up to the Cubans to do.
“We agree with everything he said in the speech”, said Barbara Ugarte, 45, who owns a gift shop. “I believe they’re the rights of the American people, the Cuban people and people around the world”, Mr Obama said.
US President, Barack Obama, concludes today his visit here with a public speech and his attendance to the baseball match between the Cuban national team and the MLB American League representative, Tampa Bay Rays. During his visit to the Embassy, Barack Obama welcomed staff and thanked them for their constant work and effort to bring Cuba and the U.S closer.
Obama’s last day in Cuba was shadowed by the horrific attacks in Brussels, where scores of people were killed in explosions at the airport and a metro station.
The Cuban system, whatever its virtues and defects, and “though a lot of people don’t like it…it has done well by us” because there is equality for all, everyone has a roof over their head and nobody dies of hunger like they do in other countries, he said.
“We can not and should not ignore the very real differences that we have about how we organize our governments”, he said. Obama and Castro left by the third inning.
In a message for President Raúl Castro, Obama directly addressed “fear”. Though Cuba has been criticized for briefly detaining demonstrators thousands of times a year, its practice of handing down long prison sentences has diminished dramatically in recent years. “A policy of isolation designed for the Cold War made little sense in the 21st century”, Obama said. Obama has faced vocal opposition from prominent Republicans including Florida Sen.
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So much so, that when the crowd of 55,000 Cuban and American baseball fans took to their feet for the traditional “wave”, he, his wife Michelle, and their host Raul Castro, all got to their feet and joined in. “…Here’s what the Cuban people need to understand: I welcome this open debate and dialogue”.
