The first Torchlight March of university students descended the steps to the Fragua Martiana at midnight on January 27, 1953, to await the centennial of the Apostle's birth. Within the march was a column of 300 men commanded by Fidel Castro.
In the book "Fidel Castro Ruz: Guerrilla of Time," the leader of the Cuban Revolution recounts to journalist and writer Katiuska Blanco that they decided to mobilize 300 men that night from the 1,200 they had recruited, a selection of whom would later be the attackers of the Moncada Barracks and the Bayamo Barracks.
“There we organized them into groups of three, forming a long column that stretched from the first step to the top. We went unarmed, but well-structured in a solid, determined column. It was the only organized force there that night. That day, a necessary demonstration of strength took place, even for our own people, who appreciated their own power,” Fidel recounted.
Seventy-three years have passed since that night, and months later, the Centennial Generation paid the greatest tribute to our José Martí with the actions of July 26, 1953, in Santiago de Cuba and Bayamo, the embryo of what would later become the Granma landing and the Rebel Army.
The centennial of the National Hero's birth coincided with one of the most dramatic periods in Cuban history. The crimes committed by the tyranny and the persecution of young people who were willing to change the political course of the island were becoming increasingly unbearable.
Faced with the injustices of the tyranny, the Federation of University Students (FEU) and other social organizations began to create conditions to pay tribute to a man who gave his life in the Cuban countryside for the freedom of Cuba. It was then that a group of young student leaders, including Flavio Bravo, Léster Rodríguez, Conchita Portela, and Alfredo Guevara, organized their plans for January 28th.
Alfredo Guevara suggested a torchlight procession from the University to the Fragua Martiana (Martí Forge). The idea quickly caught on with the group, they discussed it further, and Alfredo suggested that a woman should make the proposal to give it a more emotional impact. Conchita Portela, vice president of the School of Pedagogy, was chosen to make the suggestion at the FEU Executive Committee meeting, which was chaired at that time by Joaquín Peláez. When the idea was presented, it was unanimously accepted.
Batista's tyranny refused to grant the young people permission to carry out the activity. However, this refusal did not discourage them; instead, they persisted and transformed the torches into weapons of defense, attaching nails in case they were attacked by Batista's henchmen. The parade in honor of the Maestro was not interrupted by the Army soldiers, and all media outlets had to acknowledge the great tribute.
That January 27th, the imposing Torchlight March departed from the steps of the Fragua Martiana, descending San Lázaro to 27th and Hospital Streets. At the head of the parade was a Cuban flag carried by university and secondary school women. Behind the flag was the entire FEU executive committee. The women walked arm in arm at the front of a crowd illuminated by torches. But what was truly striking was the group of 300 perfectly formed young people who marched behind Fidel. Their discipline was impeccable.
When the chants of "Revolution! Revolution!" began, the voices of the group following Fidel stood out like a thunderous torrent that shook the street and impressed the people on both sides, who were also sadly paying tribute on the centennial of the man of the Golden Age.
The President of the FEU (Federation of University Students) summarized the event, referring to the significance of the act that began the celebration of the Martí Centennial, and concluded his address by declaring, "...for this reason, it is logical that the students, all the youth, fight with all their strength against the dictatorship that oppresses us...".
Since then, every year university students have carried out the patriotic ritual that the Historical Generation began more than half a century ago to ensure that the apostle would not die in the year of his centennial. Each anniversary of the March of the Torches serves as a demonstration of the students' support for the Revolution. The birth of José Martí is remembered by all Cubans who, faced with the difficulties increased by the iron blockade imposed by the United States more than six decades ago, and reinforced to extreme levels with the current administration of the White House, continue the battle to make the revolutionary, Martí and Fidelista dreams a reality.