José Martí embodies wisdom, justice, and virtue…

Born on January 28, 1853, in colonial Havana, José Julián Martí y Pérez —descendant of Canary Islanders and Valencians— remains, more than 160 years later, an undeniable icon for Cubans.

He became a man of extraordinary enlightenment. The most advanced thought of his time converged upon him, particularly through his mentor Rafael María de Mendive. This intellectual lineage can be traced back to Félix Varela and connects Martí to Bishop Juan José Díaz de Espada, a key advocate for the renewal of thought and education on the island. Additionally, Martí's studies in Europe and his experiences in the United States contributed to shaping the man who would become the most universal of Cubans.

Martí was the architect of unity around common interests. Although he did not participate in the Ten Years' War, he became involved in preparations to resume the fight for independence soon after it ended. During the period of the Guerra Chiquita (the Little War) between 1879 and 1880, the National Hero gained prominence within conspiratorial circles. It was at this time that he transitioned from being a member of a club in Havana to becoming an essential political figure in the anticolonial movement.

From then on, the prominent intellectual from Havana would be inextricably tied to the revolutionary history of Cuba. Even after his death, future generations would invoke his doctrines in their struggles for national sovereignty and social justice.

During what Martí himself referred to as his “turbulent repose,” the only son of Mariano Martí and Leonor Pérez found no rest. He focused on earning the trust of the first generation of mambises (Cuban independence fighters) and significantly helped bridge the divisions, resentments, frustrations, and mistrust that had accumulated since the early years of Cuba’s independence wars. He could not conceive of a victory for the national cause without a solid unity among patriots.

With the determination of an unyielding preacher, Martí designed a new independence project that was launched in Cuba on February 24, 1895. As the century drew to a close, the last mambi war —what Martí called the Necessary War— began. Demonstrating the political brilliance and ethical integrity of its principal architect, the war was waged against colonialism, not against Spaniards themselves.

The author of La Edad de Oro was a 19th-century visionary who foresaw the endless greed and unchecked advance of emerging U.S. imperialism. Accordingly, he sought to combat it. His final lines to Mexican jurist Manuel Mercado, a friend from his later years, convey an enduring lesson: anyone interested in preserving the true sovereignty of this nation must be anti-imperialist.

Following his untimely death at Dos Ríos on May 19, 1895, a symbol was born. Popular leaders like Julio Antonio Mella and Rubén Martínez Villena reclaimed Martí’s ideology in the following century, even though his vision for the nation could not be fully realized during those years. In the 1950s, the Centennial Generation rose up in rebellion, carrying Martí’s ideals and shaking Cuba free from imperial domination, just as the Apostle had sought to prevent decades earlier.

Time has not created a barrier between Martí and the generations of compatriots who followed him. His contributions to the nation are recognized by almost everyone, regardless of other differences. He embodies wisdom, justice, and virtue…

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff