Union City High School Spanish Club hosts Cuban poet and playwright Jorge Valls
By Rafael Román Martel
Photos: José Mustafa
On Thursday June 9, 2011 Union City High School Spanish Club hosted Cuban poet and philosopher Jorge Valls. Valls, one of the most significant figures of a long list of Cuban political prisoners spent 20 years and 40 days in Cuba’s Communist prisons for expressing his democratic principles. In prison he conducted philosophy classes to his political inmates, and earned the love and respect of great men like his cellmate Tony Pons. It was Pons who passed on the stories of Valls’ courage under captivity which others corroborated. In his 20 years of encarcelation by the Castro family he was a “plantado”, maintaining a firm stand against oppresion and human rights abuses and refusing to obey the imposition of his Communist jailers at all risks. He has been consistent with his political convictions all of his life, and his teachings influenced Cuban-American leaders like Orlando Gutierrez, leader of Directorio Democrático Cubano. Valls spoke to Union City High school students and closed his presentation with a QA session. Since his exit from his native Cuba he has been a human rights activist. His books have been published in several languages, and he is an active voice in human rights as well as political issues.
Members of the UCHS Spanish Club, Spanish AP and SNL students listen to Jorge Valls speak at the magnificent UCHS theater. Among many other topics Valls touched on the need for unity and understanding from the three islands in the Caribbean: Cuba. Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. “We must remember and underlined that we are the same, with our own distinctive national characteristics we share the same culture, the same language, the same values”, he said.
Mr. Valls has been a strong advocate of Latin American and Caribbean unity as well as a world wide promoter of Christian values and understanding. He impresses anyone who meets him with his cultural depth and his dignity, backed by a lifelong passion for reading, and 20 years of prison for his democratic convictions. The Spanish Club thanks the valuable assistance and human kindness shown to our guest from Vice Principal Edward Marines and Mr. Velasco, World Languages Supervisor Luisa Mendez, UCPO Paul Jauregui, Ms. Lugo, Ms. Cruz, Ms. Dominguez, Ms. Hernandez, Ms. Tinoco, and UCHS Security Staff Luis Francisco. Since his arrival early morning at UCHS Valls exchanged ideas with them until he left.
Mr. Marines. UCPO Paul Jauregui, and Mr. Francisco escorted him to the car that pick him up under a heatwave of 100 degrees.
I met Jorge Valls in 1985, and he not only has an intellectual effect on people but he touches a human chord. Clearly these are great people, also clearly Valls moved them with his sincerity and wisdom as he did with students who stayed after his two hour presentation to ask him questions.
A consumate debater, Valls exchanged ideas and shared his vast knowledge not only with students but faculty and administrators. In the photo above he engaged Union City Police Officer Paul Jauregui and UCHS Assistant Administrator Estela De Armas.
Jorge Valls answers questions from UCHS Spanish Literature students after his presentation on June 9, 2011.
After a long voyage from his years in the anti-Batista revolution to the anti-Castro mission and his human rights crusade around the world Jorge Valls is surrounded by Union City High School students and teachers after his presentation on June 9, 2011, where he answered multiple questions and debated ideas.
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