US Occupation of Cuba Imposes Jim Crow on Black Cuban Soldiers and Citizens

During the US military occupations of Cuba (1898-1902, 1906-1909), American forces imposed Jim Crow racial hierarchies on a society where Afro-Cuban soldiers had fought alongside white Cubans in the independence wars and held significant social standing. US officers segregated facilities, refused to salute Black Cuban officers, and promoted white Cubans over Black Cubans in reconstruction governance. The occupation exported American racial hierarchy to a country that had different — though still unequal — racial arrangements, and contributed to Afro-Cuban political radicalization.