Why is Guantnamo so hard to close? Because it's been an integral part of American politics and policy for over a century. Gitmo's legal black hole" opened in 1903 with a peculiar lease that affirmed Cuba's total sovereignty over Guantnamo Bay, but gave the US "complete jurisdiction and control", creat[ing] a space where neither nation's laws clearly applied. Gitmo's generations of detainees have been inextricable, if often invisible, parts of America's deepest conflicts: over immigration, public health, human rights, and national security. The Guantnamo Public Memory Project involves historians, archivists, activists, military personnel, and over a dozen universities in raising public awareness of Gitmo's long history and foster dialogue on the future of this place, its people, and its policies. Gitmo will be with us for years to come. The lease with Cuba is perpetual. Today, even as 166 men remain detained, the base is readying itself for its next opening. Facilities to house 25,000 potential refugees were recently completed. Our responsibility is to remember Guantnamo: to learn from its past, listen to the stories of all of its people, and always keep it in our sights.
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