Celia Cruz

You can read it here: Celia got her start with the communist party back in the 30's! Course, she's strayed a little from her roots since then...

"The Partido Socialista de Cuba, founded in 1925, was closely related to the labor movement and had a focus in its political program in favor of the masses of African descent. The Partido Socialista de Cuba, a forerunner of the present day Communist Party of Cuba, was their platform for expression and action against the discriminating institutions and called for a profound change of the neocolonial, racist pre-revolutionary Cuban society. As that political party owned a radio station called "Mil Diez" (1010), opportunities were offered to Cubans of African descent to express themselves in socio-political and cultural programs. In the field of popular dance music, important musicians of the fifties, like Celia Cruz, Sonora Matancera, and others, made their initial appearances on the airwaves of that radio station. This occurred in a period when other commercial radio stations excluded the participation of Cubans of African descent from their programs." -- Eugene Godfried, 6/00