Lessons From Cuba

The Sacramento OBSERVER introduces this special series,“Lessons From Cuba” chronicling the visit of Senior Reporter, Genoa Barrow & Staff Photographer Louis Bryant III to Cuba on the invitation of Sacramento community legend and Black maternal health advocate Kathryn Hall-Trujillo.

Lessons From Cuba

Two OBSERVER Staffers Get ‘Eye-Opening’ Cultural Education On Recent Visit

By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer HAVANA, Cuba — This past October, I traveled to Cuba on the invitation of Sacramento community legend and Black maternal health advocate Kathryn Hall-Trujillo. Along for the educational journey was OBSERVER staff photographer Louis Bryant III. We didn’t go as journalists…

Reporter Visits Country Where Her Grandfather Was Stationed In 1950s

By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer I got my passport in June 2022 and it had been burning a hole in my pocket ever since. When the opportunity to travel to Cuba came a few months later, I was excited for a number of reasons, particularly because…

Speaking Her Mind

Translator Shares Love For Home, How She Wants The World To See Her Beloved Country

By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer Traveling to a foreign country when you don’t speak the language and have no access to Google Translate can be tricky. Luckily for us, there was Libies Martinez. While a few members of our group (including OBSERVER photographer Louis Bryant III)…

Icon Reflects On Revolutionary Contributions

Dr. Norma Rita Guillard Limonta Is A Celebrated Cuban Elder

By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer At age 15, Norma Guillard was traversing the countryside of Cuba. Having grown up extremely poor, this wasn’t a simple backpacking trip or excursion with her girlfriends. Today she goes by Dr. Norma Rita Guillard Limonta, or more affectionately “Mama Norma,”…

Group Seeks To Expand Acceptance, Opportunities

By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer With the normalized use of expanded pronouns, the worldwide LGBTQ community continues to fight for their right to live in the skin they’re in. During our recent visit to Cuba, we had the opportunity to meet and talk with members of…

Local Hair Stylist Shares Knowledge, Roots Of Her Approach

By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer Two decades after her first visit to the Latin American island with African roots, local hair stylist and entrepreneur Akilah Hatchett-Fall returned to Cuba looking to share some sacred knowledge. Hatchett-Fall is the owner of Sacred Crowns, located in downtown Sacramento…

Cuba Photo Essay

By Louis Bryant, III | OBSERVER Photojournalist Cars have remained in service for several decades. Many of the reasons they remain functional is due to the resourcefulness and ingenuity of the Cuban people despite lack of resources and limitations on imported goods. Whether you’re a tourist or a traveler,…