FIRST U.S. GRADUATE OF ELAM

‘As an African-American, I feel free here’

BY ROSE ANA DUEÑAS—Special for Granma International—
HOW does it feel to be the first person from the United States to get a medical degree in Cuba?
The answer comes easily to Cedric Edwards, a thoughtful 34-year-old African-American from New Orleans, Louisiana, who received his diploma along with 1,600 other graduates of the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) in Cuba on August 20.
"It’s a little scary, but I’m very happy. I want to do my best to be a good example."
Like his classmates from Latin America and the Caribbean, Edwards’ studies were completely free; his modest room-and-board, textbooks and tuition were all paid for by Cuba as part of the Revolution’s efforts to bring medical care to those who need it all over the world.
But unlike his classmates, Edwards comes from a country that has unleashed an economic, political and clandestine war against Cuba in its attempts to overthrow the Revolution since its triumph in 1959.
When President George W. Bush’s administration intensified its aggression against Cuba in 2004, it made an exception – under grassroots pressure – to the economic blockade and travel ban so that more than 80 young people from the United States studying medicine at ELAM could continue to do so, as could future students.
It would have been politically costly for them to deny young Black, Latino and other minority youth, from working-class families, the opportunity to become doctors and serve their communities.
It was in 2000 that Cuba opened ELAM’s doors to qualified U.S. students from such backgrounds whom otherwise would not be able to attend medical school because of the high cost. The students, in turn, pledge to work in needy and underserved communities after graduating.
The program is administered by the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization(IFCO)/Pastors for Peace, led by the Reverend Lucius Walker of New York. The students come from 19 states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico; 85% of them are from minority groups and 73% are women. Fifteen more students arrived in August to begin their studies.
Edwards, who wants to specialize in internal medicine, talks about how getting his degree was no easy task, even for a "hard-core science person," as he describes himself.
"I didn’t speak any Spanish when I first came," he recalls. "I got a lot of help from my classmates and professors. I realized I was fluent when I didn’t have to carry the dictionary around anymore."
To be a doctor has been a dream for years. "In my first year at college, one of my younger brothers, a high school senior, was injured playing football and was left paralyzed from the neck down. I began to do research on spinal-cord injuries, and became interested in neuroscience. I wanted to help."
After graduating as a scholarship student from Middlebury College with a degree in molecular biology and biochemistry, Edwards took out loans to attend medical school. He finished two years, but then "made a rash decision" after becoming frustrated with how his grades were not reflecting his efforts, and decided to go to law school. "I regretted it. By sheer luck, I found out about the ELAM program from a friend of a friend – I knew it was my chance to get a medical degree."
Edwards’ parents – his mother is a high school teacher and his father a telephone repairman – and friends were against him coming to Cuba.
"There’s a lot of propaganda against Cuba. My parents were scared. They thought it was dangerous. I was scared to death, but I wanted to get my medical degree no matter what, and I also thought it would be a good opportunity to learn about another country, since I had never traveled outside of the States."
Cuba turned out not to be so scary. "I was shocked in a good way. Everybody was friendly. You see people hitchhiking, which you never see in the U.S. It’s a different environment.
"As an African-American, I don’t feel the racial tension that I feel in the States. That feeling is completely new to me. I feel like I’m free, like I can do whatever I want without fear. This place is very safe. You have a lot more young African-American men dying violently in the States than other races; also, there is a huge drug problem. Here in Cuba, though, that is not the case. For example, I would feel safer raising a family here."
His parents are "very grateful. Now they’re a lot more interested in getting to know Cuba." Because they are not legally permitted to travel to Cuba, even for their son’s graduation, his parents could not be part of that special moment. But they have plans to celebrate when Edwards returns.
The young doctor says he’s not involved in politics; however, he affirms, "I don’t agree with the blockade. I think it should be dropped."
Together with his degree, he is taking with him a deep appreciation of Cuba’s medical system.
"I love the fact that regardless of a person’s economic situation, he or she can see a doctor and get preventive care, free of charge." This is quite different from the situation of millions of U.S. people who don’t have medical insurance and therefore only see a doctor when the illness has become severe or when it’s too late.
After celebrating and taking a well-deserved break, Edwards plans to study for his U.S. medical licensing exam and apply for a required residency. He’s not picky about where, as long as he is needed. He believes that the ELAM experience – living, studying and working together with students from dozens of countries, many from indigenous and rural communities – has prepared him to deal with people from any background.
Meanwhile, he needs to look for a job, preferably in the medical field, to be able to start paying back the more than $100,000 in loans plus interest used to pay for his initial years of medical school in the United States.
Critics of the ELAM program say that it will be difficult for someone with a Cuban medical degree to practice medicine in the United States, but Edwards is optimistic.
His brother, now an attorney despite his paralysis, "is part of my motivation. I keep things in perspective," he says. "I try to treat my patients as if they were part of my family. I want to use what I’ve learned to help people."