Why Only Miami Celebrates Cuba’s “Independence Day”
May 20, 2026
May 20 is celebrated in Miami as Cuba’s “Independence Day.” In Cuba, people don’t care about the date because it wasn’t really about Cuban independence. It was about U.S. control over Cuba.
On May 20, 1902, a four-year U.S. military occupation ended and Cuba officially became a republic. But Cuba was still controlled by the United States. For example, Cuba’s Constitution allowed the U.S. to invade militarily whenever it wanted. It’s no surprise then that the Trump administration chose May 20 to announce an indictment against Cuba’s former President Raúl Castro, which could be used as a pretext to try to take control of Cuba, just as it did more than a century ago.
Belly of the Beast journalist Liz Oliva Fernández breaks it down.
Related Stories
Share this Report
-
"May 20 is Cuba's Independence Day! In Miami. But here in Cuba, the date means nothing," said Liz Oliva Fernández, journalist with Belly of the Beast.
"Does May 20 mean anything to you?" asked Maria Karla, Belly of the Beast reporter, in a vox pop.
"I don't know what that is," said one passerby.
"I don't know what to tell you," said another.
"I'm not really sure," a third added.
"People in Cuba don't care about May 20 because it wasn't really about Cuban independence. It was about U.S. control over Cuba. So let me tell you the story," Oliva Fernández said.
"In 1898, Cubans had fought for three decades to free themselves from Spain. Victory was almost assured. Only to be ripped away by the U.S. government. Cuba passed from one master to another. The island was militarily occupied by the U.S.," she continued.
"Even after Washington's troops left the island and Cuba was proclaimed a Republic for the first time, on May 20, 1902, the truth is we were controlled by the U.S.," Oliva Fernández said.
"For the Cuban people, May 20 is a terrible date. It marked the beginning of Cuba's neocolonial republic and U.S. exploitation in our country," said a Cuban citizen during the vox pop sequence.
"So yes, May 20 is about independence. About making sure Cuba didn't really have it," Oliva Fernández said.
"Let me give you an idea. Our 1901 constitution basically said the U.S. military could invade whenever it wanted! But U.S. control didn't stop there," she continued.
"The U.S. forced Cuba to give them Guantanamo Bay to set up a military base," the journalist said.
"What if other countries wanted to trade or have relations with Cuba? Only if the U.S. said so," Oliva Fernández added.
"Ever heard the expression: History repeats itself?" she asked.
"I do believe I'll be the honor of having the honor of taking Cuba. That'd be good. That's a big honor. Having the honor of taking Cuba," said Donald Trump, President of the United States.
"Taking Cuba?" a reporter asked.
"Taking Cuba in some form, yeah. Taking Cuba," Trump said.
"What Trump's saying now, isn't just a threat of a military attack. This is about what the United States has always wanted: Being the absolute owners of Cuba, dominating the island," Oliva Fernández said.
"What they intend to do with our country is what they're doing across Latin America. They've always treated us as their backyard," said another Cuban citizen in the vox pop sequence.
"Basically, Trump wants to turn the clock back to May 20, 1902, when our flag went up, but we lost our sovereignty. They may glorify colonial history in Miami. But Cuba has nothing to celebrate," Oliva Fernández concluded.
Support Independent Journalism from Cuba
