From childhood, his writings have made us experience the emotions of unforgettable characters, poems, and letters that undoubtedly embody the best of humanity.
"The Golden Age," with its fables and anecdotes, is a universal book that, in the 19th century, opened up to the world as a children's classic and still teaches us lessons today. How can we forget it?
But beyond the tenderness and passion with which he left each word, for children, José Martí was above all a writer capable of transforming his sharp pen and refined words into a liberating cause against colonialism, anti-imperialism, and national sovereignty, the latter with masterpieces that still show us the way.
How can we fail to remember, then, The Vindication of Cuba, a text dated March 21, 1889, to the editor of The Evening Post, in front of a reproduction of a publication from The Manufacturer of Philadelphia, in which he defended the Cubans' right to independence without interventionist rule.
His letter refutes the false accusations attributed to Cubans as miserable vagabonds, and the country of useless and incapable of action that it portrayed itself to the world.
It was this defense of the nation that led him to found the Cuban Revolutionary Party in 1892, to ignite the flame to liberate Cuba from foreign domination, and to bequeath a path of resistance, loyalty, and commitment, even in difficult conditions.
That is why, 130 years after his physical departure, Martí continues to show the way to face the battles of these times with the same dignity, pride, and love with which he so often raised his pen. Continuing this legacy is the best tribute to the most universal of Cubans.
