'We're not an enemy of the Black community': Cubans rally to support NuLu business
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — More than 100 members of Louisville's Cuban community gathered at La Bodeguita de Mima, 735 E. Market St., Sunday to rally in support of the immigrant-owned restaurant.
The rally came after a controversial letter from Black Lives Matter protesters laid out demands that aim to improve diversity in NuLu, which is known for its locally owned shops and restaurants.
Fernando Martinez, a partner of the Olé Restaurant Group, publicly denounced the letter's demands on Facebook, calling them "mafia tactics" used to intimidate business owners. On Thursday, a small group of protesters gathered outside his restaurant, La Bodeguita de Mima, in protest.
For about 10 minutes on Sunday, Martinez gave a passionate speech to the crowd with his mother and relatives standing alongside him.
Background:Cuban community plans rally at NuLu restaurant in response to Black Lives Matter demands
"La Bodeguita is open to everybody," Martinez said. "If you're gay, this is your home. If you're Black, this is your home. If you're white, this is your home. If you're human, this is your home."
He also condemned the criticism his business had received over diversity concerns.
"How can I be called a bigot and a racist when my family is Black? When my son is gay?" he asked. "I'm the proud father of a gay son, and I'm gonna fight for him against anybody."
Some of the demands requested by Black Lives Matter protesters included that NuLu businesses adequately represent Louisville's Black population by having a minimum of 23% Black staff, purchasing a minimum of 23% inventory from Black retailers or donating 1.5% of net sales to a local Black nonprofit or organization and requiring diversity and inclusion training for all staff members on a bi-annual basis.
During a speech that was interrupted several times by roaring applause and honking car horns, Martinez told his story of coming to the United States on a raft when he was 18 years old in search of a new life and hope. He said he didn't envision getting criticized like this.
"It’s sad that we have to justify who we are as people," he said. "We need to come together as a community. We’re not an enemy of the Black community. We’re all people and we come in all colors."
No police or counterprotesters were present, though Sadiqa Reynolds, president and CEO of the Louisville Urban League, voiced her displeasure on Facebook and announced that she will no longer go to El Taco Luchador and La Bodeguita De Mima, two restaurants that Martinez owns.
"Rather than respond to demands tendered, even in the negative, and affirm that he is aware of the pain our people are in, instead he chooses to highlight what he believes is his superiority," she wrote. "I'm not sure why any human, other than a racist, would choose this time to tell us how little our lives matter."
Several members of the Louisville Revolutionary Black Panther Party attended the rally, with General Ahamara Brewster speaking to the crowd in support of the Cuban community.
Some people sat on the steps of La Bodeguita de Mima and held signs that said, "We left Cuba because of socialism. Be careful what you wish for" and "Justice 4 all."
Luis David Fuentes with El Kentubano, a publication for the Latin community of Kentucky, spoke before Martinez, noting that he and the Cuban community "as a minority group and as immigrants" have "fallen in love with this city and nation" and chose Louisville in which "to pursue the American dream."
"Although our community has achieved great success in this city," Fuentes said, "we continue to miss our homeland, our neighborhoods we grew up in and our families we left behind. We did not want to leave all of those, but we had to. We had to escape the socialist government that took away our grandparents' private businesses in 1959 and continue to restrict our civil and political rights today."
Fuentes went on to say many had risked their lives to pursue "freedom, respect and prosperity," values he said are under attack "because of the diffusion and expansion of Marxist ideas."
The community is against "any kind of discrimination, any kind of violence or any kind of extortion," he said.
Several members drove from Frankfort and Lexington to show support for Martinez.
"Everyone wants justice, but it's not by dividing people," said Lexington resident Mai Diaz said. "It's by uniting people."
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