The Proclamation Against Discrimination was a retroactively-titled speech given by Fidel Castro on March 23, 1959, that outlined the need for a "battle against racial discrimination" in Cuban society. The following campaign resulted in a series of laws drafted in 1959 and 1960, outlawing the remaining legal forms of racial segregation in Cuba. This was done by desegregating beaches, parks, and abolishing private social clubs, and private schools.

The campaign came to an end with the public mourning of black literacy workers killed during the 1961 Cuban literacy campaign. Cuban officials began to allude that racism had been eradicated from Cuban society, as evidenced by the equal participation of black literacy workers in the literacy campaign, and the national mourning of black martyrs.

Since the independence of Cuba in 1902, the Cuban constitution outlawed racial discrimination in public facilities and in businesses. From 1902 to 1933, there were various Afro-Cubans who served as president of the country, chief of the armed forces, and president of the senate. Despite wide-ranging participation in society, it was common for Cuban social clubs to openly restrict their membership by race. During the first presidency of Fulgencio Batista (1940-1944), Batista himself was rejected from membership in the Havana Yacht Club for being mixed-race.

During the Batistato government (1952-1958), informal racial segregation was common in Cuban society. Black and white Cubans often lived in different neighborhoods, and black and white Cubans often walked in different sections of public parks. During his rule, Batista donated $500,000 to black social clubs so they could build their own recreational facilities, and purchase their own private beaches; rather than outright outlaw segregated recreational clubs.

Racism was a common element within discourse opposing Fulgencio Batista. President Batista was himself mixed-race, and for this reason, disparaging caricatures developed of Batista as el mono ("the monkey"), or el negro ("the black"). Within the 26th of July Movement fighting against Batista, there were few discussions about the politics of race in Cuba, and there were no declarations made about ending discrimination after the overthrow of Batista.

Historian Samuel Farber contends that evidence for mass black support for Batista is sparse, and is doubtful especially considering the suppression of labor unions by Batista which lost him general working class support. However, Farber claims white predominance in the opposition movement is well evidenced.

On March 23, at a Havana labor rally, Fidel Castro gave a speech detailing his thoughts on the direction of Cuba after the Triumph of the Revolution. In the speech he lamented on the major goals of the new government; he declared:

If the people want to see a correct course for themselves they must accept the postulates I was talking about. I told that battles must be won by us and in that order they must be won; the battle against unemployment; the battle to raise the standards of the lowest paid workers; the battle to bring down the cost of living; and one of the most just battles that must be fought, a battle that must be emphasized more and more, which I might call the fourth battle--the battle to end racial discrimination at work centers.