St. Pete to help organize restoration of MLK/Malcolm X monument in Cuba

Share
Cuban flag in Tampa's Jose Marti Park. by Sean Kinane / WMNF News, May 2011.

The City of St. Petersburg will be part of an effort to restore a fading monument in Havana, Cuba that honors civil rights leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X; Mayor Rick Kriseman recently led a city delegation to Cuba.

During a press conference earlier this month, Deputy Mayor Kanika Tomalin said collaborating with private groups to restore the memorial is one of the “wonderful opportunities” she will lead to build on relationships between the two communities.

“…as a gift from the people of St. Petersburg in recognition of the beauty of the people of Havana. So that’s one of the activities that I look very forward to leading and taking back a delegation that will work in a meaningful way to restore this wall, where Council chair [Charlie] Gerdes is standing [in a photo] actually has the words to Dr. King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech both in English and in Spanish. And it’s a revered wall that means a lot to the people there. Obviously the sentiment means a lot to the people here. And it is through those types of connections that we are confident that we will move forward with progress for the people of Cuba.”

Democratic State Representative Darryl Rouson has visited the monument and supports efforts to restore it.

“King was about civil rights. And so was Malcolm X. The Cuban Council of Churches was about the rights of the people. And we care about the civil rights of the Cuban person over there. So to restore this gives us an opportunity to honor the civil rights of all men and women.”

https://soundcloud.com/wmnf/cuba0914

https://soundcloud.com/wmnf/st-petersburg-could-help-cuba-restore-mlk-memorial-wmnf-news

 

You may also like

Aerial photo of downtown Tallahassee, Florida and the State Capitol
Death of Florida official in the Capitol raises questions, calls for transparency

Listen:   A Florida official was dead or dying in...

Three women in a radio studio, with headphones on, listening to a caller and waiting to respond on two microphones.
Tampa 5 protestors talk about nationwide support, free speech in Florida and more

July selection starts on Dec. 12 in the trial of...

Jason Shawwa’s Glimpse into Gaza’s Reality: Unfiltered Stories from Life Under Israeli Occupation and the Fragile Ceasefire

This week, we delved deep into the heart of Gaza...

The Scoop: WMNF Daily News Digest
The Scoop: Fri., December 1, 2023 Tampa Bay & Florida headlines by WMNF

Florida GOP chair is subject of rape investigation The chair...

Ways to listen

WMNF is listener-supported. That means we don't advertise like a commercial station, and we're not part of a university.

Ways to support

WMNF volunteers have fun providing a variety of needed services to keep your community radio station alive and kickin'.

Follow us on Instagram