“The conscious, deliberate decision to abandon the Geneva Conventions and the entire fiasco that is Guantánamo will undoubtedly be viewed by historians as an even more disgraceful chapter in our history.”  On June 19, 2008, Major David J.R. Frakt spoke these words during his argument for a pre-trial dismissal of a case against a…

For centuries America has used Guántanamo as an uncharted land to execute procedures that would otherwise be illegal in the states. Exploitation of Cuba’s location and resources is not a new idea. In the 1860’s American farmers relocated to Cuba around the time slavery had been abolished in hopes of making a lot of money…

Many Americans know little about the detention camp at Guantánamo and its controversial history of indefinite detainment since the tragedy of September 11, 2001. My education on these matters over the past few months has left me horrified by the blatant abuse of human rights established by the Geneva Convention and civil rights set forth…

“We’re going to be involved in a project about Guantánamo.” Crickets chirped loudly in my mind as I frantically tried to extract any information I had stored on Guantánamo in my mind. “Isn’t there a prison or something there?” This was the only fact I knew about the place, besides it is located in Cuba…

The current focus on Guantánamo as a symbol of American military power makes the relationship between the base and its surroundings mostly political. The early history of Guantánamo Bay, however, demonstrates the role of American economic power in military actions. In the early 20th century, the American move to Cuba was not solely military. The…

While browsing through the Guantánamo Public Memory Project’s archives, I came across a video of Frida Berrigan’s speech in Lafayette Park at the “Ten Years Too Many” Rally. The focus, of course, was about the detainee camp in Guantánamo Bay. As Berrigan discussed the “10 years of shame” that took place at GTMO, a number…

I have found this examination of the history of Guantánamo Bay fascinating. I have studied a fair amount of history throughout high school and college, but I have never studied anything surrounding Guantánamo Bay. I feel that everyone should know at least some history of Guantánamo along with why we still are able to remain…

The most intriguing aspect of Guantánamo Bay’s history is the powerful silencing that post 9/11 circumstances have imposed on the base. Recent events of the past ten years have overshadowed the previous one hundred. Yet, there is a mountain of widely available literature on the history of Guantánamo, from books to articles to an account…

The language of post 9-11 Guantánamo is intrinsically messy. Terminology is designed to be complicated, interwoven with the realities of legality and circumstances. This couldn’t be truer when referring to the group of 300 men, detained at Camp X-Ray between January to March 2002. Camp X-Ray was originally built in 1994 as a detention facility…

My first thought when approaching this project was that the Guantánamo Public Memory Project’s traveling exhibit should tell the powerful stories of detainees held at Guantánamo. However, as I have thought about it more, I concluded that would simply be white noise. These stories are not new. People have told them. The masses haven’t responded.…