FIU to Award Cuban Blogger Yoani Sánchez with the Medallion of Courage

By Lilyvania Mikulski
FIU News

FIU's Cuban Research Institute will host Cuban blogger and independent journalist Yoani Sánchez during her upcoming visit to South Florida.

Image: yoani.jpg

Sánchez's presentation is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on April 1, 2013, at the Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing Arts Center on the Modesto A. Maidique Campus, 11200 SW 8th St., in West Miami-Dade. Admission to the event is free and tickets will be distributed the week of March 18. The event will also be transmitted via live webcast.

"Yoani is an important voice in public discussions about Cuba's present and future," said Cuban Research Institute Director Jorge Duany. "We are pleased to provide a forum for Sánchez to have an open and honest conversation with our faculty, students and members of the South Florida community."

The title of Sánchez's public lecture will be "Can Technologies and Social Media Accelerate Cuba's Democratization?"

During her visit to FIU, Sánchez will receive the FIU Medallion of Courage, an honor created by FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg to recognize individuals who pursue or defend a noble cause at a personal cost. Sánchez, 37, has become known around the world as a vocal critic of the Cuban government. For the last six years she has documented her life on the island through her blog, Generación Y, and her Twitter updates via @yoanisanchez.

Last week, Sánchez was allowed to leave Cuba under travel rules newly instituted by the Cuban government. Brazil was her first stop in a three-month international tour that includes several Latin American and European nations and a few U.S. cities, including Miami.

For more information on Sánchez's visit to FIU, please call 305-348-1991.