The 14 Who Dared

Ed Johnson (MA 86, BA 85) is the former mayor of Asbury Park, New Jersey and a 2014 recipient of ENMU’s Outstanding Alumni Award. He holds the distinction as the first elected two-term student-body president (1983-1984) at ENMU. Like world famous science fiction author Jack Williamson (MA 57, BA 57), who was a Portales native and one of the first Americans to travel to China in the wake of President Nixon’s historic 1972 trip aimed at normalizing US- Chinese relations, Ed’s trip to Cuba holds the same historical ilk.

By Ed Johnson

Last December, I organized and participated in a ‘Jersey Shore’ 14-member delegation of musicians, citizens, and educators. We all shared a sense of enthusiasm, adventure and a willingness to engage the unknown, a combination I also understand well when I reflect on my inaugural trip to Portales in 1980. Now, as then, I was embarking on a life-changing journey.

Ed Johnson

Our arrival in Cuba marked one year since President Obama announced the plan to restore diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba, and anticipated the first American president’s visiting this past March since 1928. Our cultural exchange program centered on the 31st Festival Internacional Jazz Plaza La Habana. The four-day festival, brought together musicians from around the world to perform and interact at venues across Havana. Traveling with us was Jazz musician Karen Schwartz, who performed at The Pabellón Cuba, “one of Havana’s longstanding and respected contemporary art institutions” and Club Café Miramar, “one of the city’s jazz hot spots.”

One of the most exciting experiences was attending a performance at the Casa De La Cultura De Plaza. Five artists performed that night, but it was the final act by Lazarito Valdes y Bamboleo which caught our attention. We were quick to make contact with the band backstage, who invited us back to Valdes Jazz Club via Lazaro’s private car.

We learned that the Valdes family– grandfather, father and Lazaro himself—were well-respected Cuban Jazz and music legends. We left that evening with an invitation to join Lazaro for a private brunch on Sunday afternoon, which he cooked for us himself. The food proved to be as magnificent as his music.

In addition to cultural enrichment through musical exchange, our visit also afforded us the opportunity to be typical tourists. We toured Havana, the Old City and other historic and cultural sites including the Tabacuba Cigar Factory, Plaza de la Catedral, Plaza de la Revolución and the Harbor of Havana.

I have always believed that the difference between controversy and history is courage. After months of planning, the trials and tribulations, and the evermounting challenges, our trip to Cuba itself was just that: a courageous, successful step from the past and into the future.