America's inaugural poet visits Cuba amid warming with US

[Judi Lynn]

America's inaugural poet visits Cuba amid warming with US
By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN, Associated Press | June 18, 2015 | Updated: June 19, 2015 12:16pm

EL ESPARTACO, Cuba (AP) — The old woman looked suspiciously from her window as American poet Richard Blanco and a writer friend clambered out of a battered Soviet-era sedan and walked up to her front porch.

"I'm looking for my grandparents' house," Blanco explained, reciting the names of relatives who lived in what used to be this sugar boom town before the Cuban Revolution.

"Ah, you're Carlito's son!" 83-year-old Moraima Gonzalez declared. She rushed out her door to embrace the visitor, her face blooming into a smile. "Those people are family to me! I'm so happy to see you!"

Blanco made his first trip to Cuba after President Bill Clinton loosened travel restrictions in the 1990s. In 2012, he became a symbol of modern America when he was selected to be the inaugural poet at President Barack Obama's swearing-in — the first Latino, the first openly gay person and the first immigrant to hold the title.

More:
http://www.chron.com/news/world/article/America-s-inaugural-poet-visits-Cuba-amid-warming-6336760.php

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[Daniel537]

1. He was actually on the same flight as me to Havana a few weeks back.

I hope more younger Cuban-Americans become politically active so we can finally put these far-right knuckle draggers like Ros-Lehtinen and Diaz-Balart behind us and move towards a normal and peaceful future with Cuba and its people.