Cuban-Americans seem to be always reminding us that they and their parents
escape Cuba with nothing on their backs,had to work very hard,took menial
jobs,sacrificed alot in order to achieve the comfortable
economic,political,educational, and community status.
Although the same may hold for other immigrant
groups,what the Cuban-Americans like Ricky Sanchez,Soledad O'Brien,Miguel
Roig,Marco Rubio and others fail to tell us that when they and their parents
escaped Cuba,the U.S government gave them all types of assistance from housing,
financial help,and immigrant status within two to three years.As a matter of
fact,a program called Pedro Pan,which brought thousands of young people
on airlifts to Miami,placed those kids in orphanages,homes throughout the U.S,
and in various schools (mostly Catholic) where they got good education and a
chance at upward mobility. In some sense,Cubans fleeing Castro's Cuba,were the
recipients of all types of assistance unprecedented in immigration history.
Cuban Americans were also helped politically because of anti-Castro sentiment
and found strong political allies with the Republican party.They never forgave
the withdrawal of support for the Bay of Pigs by JFK and the democrats.
Although immigrant enterpreneurs gett support from their associated
groups,the Cubans gave support to virtually all businesses owned and operated
by Cubans.Their strategic acculturation was successful because they could not
return to Cuba so they had to learn good English.In contrast to other latino
groups such as Colombians and Mexicans,Cuban-Americans had to asimmilate.
quickly in this U.S culture,Colombians do not lose ties with Joe Arroyo and
Shakira.Cuban-Anericans
may be more into Rock music and not much into Celia Cruz.(I personally feel
that the Cubans have the best of latin music especially the charanga).
Cubans may also gain from the "affinity" variable-they look more European
than other mestizos cultures of the Americas except for Argentina,Uruguay, and
Chile.
Last but not least,the fundamental attribution error,can be viewed in
those Cubans who can play the race card.I call this the "mulatto escape
hatch". Simply this means that a Cuban of mixed heritage can exploit both the
latin and African aspects of the heritage to some advantage.
My famous example of this is Soledad O' Brian. She has received many awards as
both a black and a latin.The truth seems to be that in the Americas mixed
heritage people emphasize more their European roots and downplay their
indigenous and African roots.Soledad plays a good and economic profitable game.
Michael "omnicentric" Sylvester,PhD
Daytona Beach,Florida
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