more challenging conditions when in poverty. Some statistics show the successes of this approach to anti-racism in Cuba. Some critique the Cuban Revolution for entering the voices of white revolutionaries and not enough Black leaders, even though they acknowledge that they were at the table. Cuba, by 1980, had equal life expectancy rates of Black and White people, a stark contrast from the United States and Brazil who had large inequalities in terms of life expectancies. Special Period With the reintroduction of capitalist practices to the island due to the fall of the Soviet Union and subsequent economic depression in the late 80's and early 90's, Afro-Cubans have found themselves at a disadvantage. Because the majority of those that emigrated from Cuba to the United States were middle class and white, Cubans of color still on the island were far less likely to receive remittances—dollars gifted from relatives in the United States. With a free market came private businesses. The majority of which were from western countries with distinct racial biases of their own. Because of this, less Afro-Cubans were hired to work in the rising tourist sector. Hiring practices favored applicants with buena presencia, or good appearance, that adheres to European standards of beauty and respectability, therefore lighter-skinned or white Cubans were favored by foreign run establishments. Similarly, in housing, despite improvements, racial difference persists due to various causes, such as inequality in house ownership inherited from before the revolution and black people's "lack of resources and connections." The Afro-Cubans interviewed by Sawyer, even when they complained of racism and government policies, expressed their conviction that "things would be worse under the leadership of the Miami exile community or in the United States," and that "[t]he revolution has done so much for us." This "provide[s] Afro-Cubans with a reason to support the current regime." The Debate There is heavy debate today on how the 1959 revolution impacted race relations on the island. Overall, the debate of racism in Cuba typically takes one of two extremes. Either the revolution ended racism, or it exacerbated or even created racial tension on the island. Many scholars of race in Cuba take a far more qualifying position that while the revolution helped Afro-Cubans, it also halted any further racial progress beyond institutionalization. The Revolution Ended Racism Typically the proponents of the elimination of racism position are close to the revolutionary government, supportive of