Cuba | A People-to-People Delegation for the 34th Havana International Book Fair, with Dr. Richard D. Benson II, PhD
Join us in Cuba for the 34th Havana International Book Fair/Feria Internacional del libro de la Habana! This people-to-people journey is facilitated by Dr. Richard Benson II, PhD, and includes two days at the Fair and two days of exchange with scholars at the University of Havana. Additionally, we’ll take an architect-led walking tour of Old Havana, exchange with Cuban artists, activists, educators, filmmakers, and authors, and learn about AfroCuban history and current relations. You’ll also have the opportunity to participate in a classic car ride, enjoy Cuban jazz, and shop the local markets.
For those who wish to extend their stay, you can add on the optional 3-day excursion to Viñales Valley. We’ll depart Havana and head to Las Terrazas, a UNESCO World Heritage site, bio-reserve, and ecological community and education center, and then visit farms in the valley, roll cigars, relax in nature, and participate in additional exchanges with artists.
Dr. Richard D. Benson II 
is the Associate Professor of the Black Radical Tradition in Education within the Department of Educational Foundations, Organizations, and Policy at the University of Pittsburgh. He is a historian of education with expertise in the Black Freedom Movement, the Black Radical Tradition, and transnational social movements. Prior to his current role, Benson served as an Associate Professor in the Education Department at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.
Benson has received numerous grants, fellowships, and awards, including the 2019-2020 Robert A. Corrigan Visiting Professorship in Social Justice at San Francisco State University’s College of Ethnic Studies, as well as the W.E.B. Du Bois Visiting Scholars Fellowship at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for the 2018-2019 and 2022-2023 academic years.
He is the award winning author of Fighting for Our Place in the Sun: Malcolm X and the Radicalization of the Black Student Movement 1960-1973 (Peter Lang Publishing, 2015). This book explores the connections and intergenerational continuity of the Black Freedom Movement, influenced by the social pedagogy and political impact of Malcolm X. In addition to this book, Dr. Benson has written numerous articles, book chapters, and public blogs focused on the global Black experience.
He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Negro Educational Review journal and has guest-edited special issues for journals such as Zanj: The Journal of the Critical Global South Studies and the Journal of Intersectionality. Currently, Dr. Benson is currently completing two book manuscript projects: Funding the Revolution: Black Power, White Church Money, and the Financial Architects of Black Radicalism 1966-1976 (State University of New York Press) and Harold Washington: Black Power Politics and United Front Radicalism in the City of Wind (Polity Press).
Tour Price
Main Journey:
$3120 double occupancy 10-14 travelers
$2940 double occupancy 15-19 travelers
$2840 double occupancy 20-24 travelers
$585 single room supplement
Optional Viñales Excursion Add-On:
$855 double occupancy
$195 single room supplement
Trip Itinerary
View Trip Itinerary Here
