1. Jose Rafael Simon Agapito Serra y Montalvo was an Afro-Cuban intellectual who played a large role in supporting the Cuban War of Independence.
11 Facts About Rafael Serra
1. 2.
Rafael Serra worked as a writer and editor for Spanish-language newspapers in the United States.
3.
Rafael Serra was a key figure in New York City, contributing to a larger movement for Cuban Independence happening across the United States.
4.
Rafael Serra was born Jose Rafael Simon Agapito in the Monserrate neighborhood of Havana, Cuba on March 24,1858.
5.
Rafael Serra later married Maria Gertrudis Heredia in 1878, and they had four children, including a daughter, Consuelo.
6.
Rafael Serra played a prominent role in raising awareness and support for the efforts that led to the Cuban War of Independence during the 1880s and 1890s.
7.
Rafael Serra served on the Board of Trustees along with pro-independence and pro-labor revolutionaries Justo Lanigua, Martin Morua Delgado, and Vicente Diascosmas.
8.
Racial inequality persisted while Rafael Serra lived in New York City.
9.
La Liga de Instruccion was an educational institution founded by Rafael Serra, designed to "elevate the character of men of color born in Cuba and Puerto Rico".
10.
Rafael Serra's goal was to provide black Cuban men with the proper tools to defend themselves.
11.
Rafael Serra founded La Doctrina de Marti, inspired by his friend Jose Marti.