PBS News Hour

>>

Sreenivasan

LAST MONTH, THOUSANDS TOOK TO THE STREETS ACROSS CUBA TO PROTEST A FAILING ECONOMY, FOOD SHORTAGES AND A GROWING NUMBER OF COVID-19 CASES. DRAWING SUPPORT THROUGH THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA, IT WAS ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S BIGGEST ANTI-GOVERNMENT DEMONSTRATIONS IN DECADES. IN MIAMI, FLORIDA, YOUNG PEOPLE CONTINUE TO GATHER IN THE STREETS TO DEMAND CHANGE FOR THE CUBAN PEOPLE. STUDENT REPORTING LAB'S DELTA FLORES, A GWEN IFILL FELLOW, HAS THE STORY. >>

Reporter

THE YOUTH OF CUBA ARE LEADING THE CALL, AND THE PEOPLE OF MIAMI ARE NOW RESPONDING. >> WHAT'S RIGHT? WE IN THE UNITED STATES VALUE OUR HUMAN RIGHTS, OUR FREEDOM OF SPEECH, OUR FREEDOM OF PRESS, EVERY FREEDOM THAT WE HAVE THAT'S NONEXISTENT IN CUBA. IT DOES NOT EXIST. >> I'M JUST SO INSPIRED BY WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE ISLAND, ESPECIALLY ALL THE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE TAKING A STAND AND I JUST WANT TO BE PART OF THAT AS MUCH AS I CAN, HERE TO SHOW MY SUPPORT. >> SINCE THE JULY 11 PROTESTS ERUPTED IN CUBA, YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE BEEN COMING TO THE STREETS IN MIAMI'S LITTLE HAVANA TO SHOW THEIR SUPPORT. >> IN PRISON CELLS, POLITICAL PRISONERS DIE EVERY SINGLE-- >> SEBASTIAN ARCOS, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE CUBAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE AT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY, SAYS THAT YOUNG CUBANS ON THE ISLAND ARE DRIVING THE PUSH FOR CHANGE. >> THEY ARE FED UP WITH THE FACT THAT THEY CANNOT ACT INDEPENDENTLY AND, AND IMPROVE THEIR LIVES INDEPENDENTLY FROM THE GOVERNMENT. THAT IS THE NATURE OF, THE VERY NATURE OF A TOTALITARIAN SOCIETY. AND IN MIAMI IS AN ECHO OF THAT. >> TECHNOLOGY HAS GIVEN THIS GENERATION OF CUBANS A TOOL THEIR OLDER RELATIVES DIDN'T HAVE. >> ALL THEIR INTERNET IS DOWN, THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT, THEY DON'T WANT OTHER PEOPLE TO KNOW HOW THEY'RE TREATING THEIR PEOPLE. SO, WE STAND HERE NOT ONLY AS HISPANIC REPRESENTATIVE, CUBAN REPRESENTATIVES, BUT YOUTH AS WELL, PASSING ON THE TORCH TO YOUNG CUBAN PEOPLE, YOUNG HISPANICS OR JUST YOUNG PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT CUBA. >> THE NUMBER OF YOUNG PROTESTERS IN BOTH CUBA AND MIAMI IS GIVING HOPE TO THE OLDER GENERATION. >> WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THE PASSING OF THE TORCH FROM THAT GENERATION TO THE NEXT. AND THIS IS FUNDAMENTALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE OLDER CUBANS IN MIAMI AND IN THE ISLAND CAN NOW REST ASSURED THAT THIS FIGHT FOR FREEDOM WILL CONTINUE, AND IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT SIGN OF HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF CUBA. >> AND THE PROTESTERS TODAY ON KAYOKO ECHO THAT SENTIMENT. ( SPEAKING SPANISH ) >> MIAMI, WE'RE GONNA BE, WE'RE WITH YOU, ALWAYS 100%, AND WE'RE NOT GONNA STOP UNTIL YOU GUYS ARE FREE. ( CROWD CHANTING )