Cuban Americans
Where Did They Come From: Cuban immigration to the United States can be described as having four distinct waves. The first, from 1959-62, began with the departure of Cubans following the rise of Fidel Castro. The initial exodus primarily consisted of upper and upper-middle class families in professional and managerial occupations. The second wave, from about 1965 to 1974, featured orderly departure programs administered by the U.S and Cuban governments. The so-called “freedom flights” brought middle and working class Cubans to the United States.
Cuban arriving after the 1959 revolution have been labeled exiles or political refugees because their emigration was a response to the profound changes instituted by a new government.
When: Cubans, for the most part, have come to the United States relatively recently, only in the 1970s.
What region of the US did they settle: The 1970 census found Cubans living in every state except Wyoming and Vermont. 99 percent were urban dwellers in 1970. Metropolitan Miami (Dade County, Fla.) is the undisputed center; in 1970 more than 72 percent of all Cuban in the United States lived there. Most of the rest are in New York City, Jersey City and Newark, N.J., Los Angeles, and Chicago.
What occupations did they take part in: There are numerous Cubans-owned neighborhood grocery stores in Miami, specializing in traditional foods that are usually not found in supermarkets. A modest but flourishing Cuban-owned industry imports, produces, processes, and distributes many of the staples of the Cuban diet.
What are the family patterns: The Cuban household in the United States is likely to include at least one relative, most often a widowed and dependent grandparent, in addition to the nuclear family. Cubans still place great value on family ties; the family is usually viewed as stable and strong.
Are they a group that appreciates schooling: The U.S. Cubans are fairly well educated. More than 51 percent of those over 25 have completed four years of high school or more, and nearly 15 percent are college graduates.
A growing number of Cubans now teach in U.S. colleges and universities.
The Cuban community of Miami also has its own private elementary and secondary schools.
What are the basic demographics today? Compared with the rest of the Hispanic population in the United States, Cubans are older, have a higher level of education, higher median household income and higher rate of home ownership. While there are important differences among Cubans, particularly between those who arrived before 1980 and those who arrived in subsequent years, as a group Cubans in the United States are distinct in many ways from the rest of the Hispanic population.
Fun facts: Cuba is a country situated in the northern Caribbean, at the point where the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean converge. The country comprises of the island of Cuba, Isla de la Juventud and several adjacent small islands. It lies to the south of the eastern United States and The Bahamas, west of the Turks and Caicos Islands and Haiti, and east of Mexico. The Cayman Islands and Jamaica lie to the south of Cuba. One of the unique features of the country is that it has no plants or animals that are lethal to humans. In case you want to know more about Cuba, make use of the information provided below.
Fun & Interesting Facts about Cuba
- The official name of Cuba is the ‘Republic of Cuba’.
- The capital city of Cuba is Havana.
- Cuba comprises of more than 4,000 islands and cays.
- Cuba gained independence from Spain in 1902.
- The official language of Cuba is Spanish, but English is also widely spoken there.
- The main religions of Cuba are Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jehovah's Witness, Jewish and Santeria.
- The national flower of Cuba is is Hedychium coronarium J. Koenig, commonly known as "flor de mariposa" (Butterfly Flower.
- The national bird of Cuba is "Tocororo" or Cuban Trogon, from the family of Trogonidae.
- The island of Cuba is the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles.
- Cuba is the most populous insular nation in the Caribbean.
- It was Christopher Columbus who sighted the island of Cuba in October 1492, during his first voyage of discovery. However, it was Diego Velasquez who colonized the island for Spain.
- The official currency of Cuba is the Cuban Peso (CUP), divided into 100 centavos. However, the 'tourist' currency is the Peso Convertible (CUC).
- Cuba is known throughout the world for its cigars, such as Monte Cristo, Romeo y Julietta and Cohiba.
- Carlos Acosta, the world famous ballet dancer, was trained through the Cuban state ballet system.
- Around 22 percent of Cuban territory is made up of protected natural areas.
For Further Reading:
http://books.simonandschuster.com/Telex-from-Cuba/Rachel-Kushner/9781416561033/reading_group_guide
http://www.solwayscuba.com/index.php?module=en/cuba-guide/cuba-info-detail/cuba-culture
http://www.whereaboutspress.com/html/concuba.html
Maria Cristina Gracia
http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/6649.php