Marta Bianchini knows Cuban food is more than mojo chicken and empanadas.
The flavors her restaurant Cubanitas bring to Milwaukee are rooted in hard work and the entrepreneurial spirit of her people.
Like other Cuban-Americans in the U.S., Bianchini is watching with unease as people in communist-run Cuba protest in the streets for the first time in decades.
The protests on the island come after years of economic distress that have left many without basic needs, such as food, water and power all of which have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Wisconsin is home to approximately 1,000 people of Cuban descent. On Sunday afternoon, several dozen people gathered at Mitchell Park for a rally in solidarity with those protesting in the streets on the island 1,600 miles from Wisconsin.