Women continue playing leading roles in the reestablishment of relations between Cuba and the United States. Jill Biden, wife of U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden, has now joined the relevant role carried out by Josefina Vidal and Roberta Jackson since the first bilateral meetings, and Michelle Obama’s independent activities while accompanying President Obama on his visit to the island.
The “Second Lady” of the United States arrived on the afternoon of this Thursday to the island on an official visit that will last until next Sunday. According to what Jill Biden said on the Medium network, the trip’s aim is to try to promote the importance of education and economic empowerment, in Cuba as well as in the Dominican Republic, where she will travel to from the largest of the Caribbean islands.
Doctor in Pedagogy and a professor with a long experience, Jill Biden pointed out that her goals include getting to know firsthand the educational experiences of both countries. For this she plans to visit schools, talk with students and teachers, and exchange ideas with the latter about the role they play in the life of their students and communities.
Moreover, she said she had followed the impact of Hurricane Matthew on Cuba and the entire Caribbean and confessed having been amazed by the way citizens and leaders in the region are working jointly to minimize the consequences and guarantee a fast recovery. In this sense, and although it has not been expressly stated, it isn’t pointless to suppose that talks can be established to make viable the delivery of aid to the affected zones.
Jill Biden was received at Havana’s José Martí International Airport by Cuban Foreign Ministry General Director for the United States Josefina Vidal. The visitor is accompanied by Catherine Russell, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, and Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Evan Ryan.
This Friday, her program included the visit to the Enrique José Varona University of Pedagogic Sciences in Havana and a lunch with women leaders of Cuban society. A tour of Old Havana was also previewed to visit educational and cultural institutions, as well as attending the historic friendly soccer match between the Cuban and U.S. teams in Havana’s Pedro Marrero Stadium.
On Saturday, Dr. Biden will meet with Cuban entrepreneurs and will attend a performance of the Havana Compas Dance Company, after which she will leave with her delegation for the province of Camagüey. There she will meet with artists and will visit sites of historical and cultural value before departing for the Dominican Republic on Sunday.
It is expected that Jill Biden’s visit, six months after that of President Barack Obama together with his family and an extensive representation of the U.S. government, will have a positive influence on the process of normalization of Cuba-U.S. relations. It was seen as such by the Cuban authorities themselves, according to what Gustavo Machín, assistant general director for the United States of the island’s Foreign Ministry, said to the Cuban News Agency (ACN).
The wife of U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden is collaborating with the first lady, Michelle Obama, in diverse social, cultural and educational activities. As part of this endeavor, last June she made a tour of several Latin American countries, of which the present visit to Cuba and the Dominican Republic is a continuation.
