INTROUDCTIONFor hundreds of years, Cuba experienced severe inequality and persistent slavery on the basis of race. Historically, the Spanish who brought slaves from Africa colonized Cuba from which the Cuban race was socially and economically constructed. Spanish rulers belonged to the elite while African servants belonged to the lowest social class (Marcus, 2013). Since these beginnings, Afro-Cubans, that is, Cubans of African descent, have been labeled solely based on their skin color, which defines their position in the social hierarchy. Blackness is associated with slavery (Roland, 2011). So, the lighter the skin, the further away from slavery we are. Dark-skinned Afro-Cubans realize that although they are Cuban, their skin color differentiates them from lighter-skinned Euro-Cubans (Marcus, 2013). However, hope began to emerge for Afro-Cubans when Fidel Castro became the head of government in 1959. Castro embarked on a revolution (Marcus, 2013) that radically changed the social and economic lives of black citizens. Over time, globalization, and revolution, meanings and perceptions of race and race relations in Cuba change, particularly in terms of education, employment opportunities, and social status. BEFORE THE REVOLUTION Before the revolution, Cuba operated under a capitalist system (Marcus, 2013), which led to extreme segregation in education, the labor market, and marriage laws. Racism is evident in all aspects and areas of life and black Cubans are racialized. Education systems consider private schools to be reserved for white citizens only (Marcus, 2013). This suggests that whites are seen not only as more capable of being educated, but also as deserving of education, unlike Afro-Cubans who are left... middle of article ......rcus, 2013, p. 44), through several aspects such as socio-economic status, power and social status. Race remains, but racism and racism have diminished significantly when it comes to the prestige, success, and living conditions of Afro-Cubans. REFERENCES De La Fuente, A. (2008). The new Afro-Cuban cultural movement and the race debate in contemporary Cuba. Journal of Latin American Studies, 40, 697-720.Marcus, A. (2013). Racism as a transnational process. In C. R. Menzies & A. Marcus (Eds.), Anthropology for a small planet (2nd ed.) (pp. 37–56). Vancouver, British Columbia: New proposals released. Roland, L.K. (2011). Cuban color in tourism and lucha: an ethnography of racial meanings. New York: Oxford University Press. Roland, L.K. (2013). T/races belonging to Cuban tourism. Cultural anthropology, 28, 396-419.