Albor Ruiz Salazar, prominent Cuban journalist in the United States, dies

January 10, 2021

On the night of January 8th, at Homestead Hospital in Florida, Albor Ruiz Salazar passed away due to severe pneumonia.

He left Cuba when he was barely 20 years old, on November 20, 1961. He studied Political Science and Philosophy in Florida. He was a columnist at the Daily News and El Diario La Prensa in New York, writing about topics related to the Latino community in the United States while he lived in that city, and, more recently, at AL DÍA News Media.

He is a member of the Hall of Fame of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists in the U.S. But his most prolific work was in defense of the land that gave him birth and his people. Albor Ruiz, who had turned 80 on November 27th, had, according to the editorial Progreso Semanal, "a life rich with many adventures and deep commitments" to the Homeland.

He played a prominent role in organizing the movement of young Cubans who gathered around Areito. He was one of those who worked hard from the United States to achieve the Dialogue of '78, a space that marked the beginning of an irreversible process of rapprochement between Cuba and its diaspora.

In this regard, Albor himself stated: "Returning to Cuba was taking off an enormous, gigantic weight that had been crushing me the whole time. It was a brutal change. Especially when, without realizing it, the kind of propaganda they do in the United States about Cuba seeps into you, even though you know it's a lie, and you don't agree with it. But when I arrived and saw that, despite the tremendous problems, people went to the movies, ate ice cream, had parties on the streets with children, elderly people, Chinese people, Black people, etc. For me it was tremendous relief, I don't know quite how to explain it. I felt that was my people."

As a result of that love and deep commitment to Cuba, he published his poetry collection "Por Si Muero Mañana."

"Return to the soil, Cuban earth
A foreigner am I and she calls me
Let all know that Cuba claims me
In case I die tomorrow" (excerpt from the poem "Por Si Muero Mañana" by Albor Ruiz)

Our deepest condolences to his family and friends.