Miamian - First Generation Cuban American

26th Parallel is happy to be a part of today's Miami Cross Blogination. You can check out our contribution to this wacky event by visiting Stuck on the Palmetto.

I am privileged to bring you the following post by Gabriel J. Lopez-Bernal of Transit Miami. Please make him feel at home and leave a comment.

As one of the many first generation Cuban-Americans, I am glad to say that I along with many others in my same position, see things differently than our Cuban born Cuban-American relatives. First generation Cuban Americans aren’t in a state of limbo like our older relatives who were born in Cuba but moved to the United States later on in life. We also aren’t filled with the false notions of ever returning to a free Cuba, the Cuba that once existed but is now only left as a relic in our memories by the pictures painted to us by our grandparents and such. The peculiarity behind it is that at the same time, we don’t fully align ourselves as Americans either; this is when my term Miamian comes into play because Miami is with where we best identify ourselves with. Miamians have been able to take full advantage of the hard work and struggles that our elder relatives endured while reestablishing themselves in a new lifestyle, culture, and country. Hence, this is the reason why many Miamians tend to see things so differently; we simply haven’t had to adapt midlife to new social circumstances. In any case, we are grateful for the choices our relatives made and difficulties they have had to overcome when settling abroad.

Miamians long for a drastic change to occur in Cuba, sooner rather than later, much like any other Cuban born Cuban-American does. However, unlike many of our ancestors, we believe that if a change is ever to occur, it will have to come from within; a revolution of sorts must happen to begin to topple the years of tyranny and oppression which have plagued our island nation for so many years. Typically, upon mentioning this to any Cuban bred Cuban-American, they point out how dissent or civil disobedience of any kind isn’t tolerated on the island and is often met with a swift measures or the execution of “guilty” parties. Granted, but there is only so much of this that could occur before the Cuban government creates a crisis for itself economically and within the international community. Revolutions don’t have to be bloody to be successful either. I reference the Velvet Revolution as successful example, as was much of the toppling of the USSR in the 1980’s. The point is that most Cuban Born Cuban-Americans fail to realize that if change is to ever occur, it must be initiated by actual Cubans rather than the dissidents who have fled since.

I digressed. Many Cuban born Cuban-Americans believe that the natural death of Fidel Castro will serve as the tipping point for the end of the communist regime in Cuba. Although this could in fact serve as a catalyst if the right steps are taken by the Cuban people, I fear that the death of an 80 year old man would not be sufficient to cause such a drastic change. The desire for change must be inherently found within the Cuban people. This is why ideas such as Radio Marti, the aerial flyering by the Basulto brothers, or even the latest mirror scheme have proven to be ineffective tools in bringing about change on the island. Most Cuban-Americans still fail to see that Radio Marti is nothing but a mere political tool created by American policy writers to try and appease the Cuban-American voter base. Although, a growing number of people within the Cuban American community are beginning to focus their attention on American public policy rather than the happenings on the island. The post Castro Cuba will likely look much as the communist Cuba we have all grown to know. Sadly, the safeguards of the current false regime are designed to keep power distributed among a dedicated and privileged few in a very un-communist sort of way.

Miamians have a different set of interests than our island born relatives. While many of our elder relatives continue to long for the country they left behind, Miamians have the fortune of being able to look into the future without any of the struggles that our families endured. We understand the kinship our relatives have for their former home, based on their nostalgic recollections of the blue waters of Varadero Beach, the cobblestone streets of Havana, and the green pastures of el campo. And, although we genuinely care about our roots and our culture, we have also begun to create a strong affinity for the city which has raised us; we are the first generation of Miamians…