Economic turmoil and government repression fueled the largest mass emigration in Cuban history. In just two years, over 1 million Cubans (10% of the population) fled, more than the entire city of Austin, TX. Most sought refuge in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

When Miami resident Janet Diaz-Bonilla began interviewing family members about her family roots in Cuba for a screenplay she was penning, she never thought it would take her down the road to crafting rum.

Diaz, who is Cuban American, grew up in Miami with “a lot of salsa music playing in the house,” she said. She found her musical outlet in dance, studying a range of techniques at the Roxy Theater Group and New World School of the Arts, performing in Miami City Ballet’s “Nutcracker” and participating in jazz dance competitions.

The best new artist of 2022 is a Cuban American grandmother living out her dream of being a professional musician at the age of 95. 

For years, abandoned Cuban refugee boats were considered trash. Now the Park Service and others are preserving the chugs and their stories.

César Pizarro arribó con 16 años a Miami en 1961. Procedía de una familia de clase media, en la que nunca faltó un plato de comida. Cuba hasta antes del fallido sistema de gobierno implantado en 1959 era un país próspero, cuya moneda en algún momento alcanzó un valor superior al del dólar.

A feature on Tastecooking.com by Ashley Rodriguez. "My grandparents buy extra bread if they know I’m coming to visit, usually stashing the extra loaf on top of their fridge, a throwback to childhood when they’d have to hide bread to keep me from polishing off the entire loaf in one sitting."

UM News – Cuban-Jewish poet Jose Kozer composes a poem in his native language, Spanish.  His prolific body of work now includes 14,150 poems and more than 103 books of poetry that have been translated into multiple languages. He is revered in Latin America and Spain where his work has been produced by the top publishing houses and where he is admired and touted as a neo-baroque poet.

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – “The Freedom Tower became that symbol of America as a welcoming place where you as a refuge flee communism, political persecution, you could find a path forward,” said Natalia Crujeiras, Executive Director of Cultural Affairs at Miami Dade College.

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora opened its doors in 2016 in Miami, and shares the history and culture of the Cuban people who have left the country.

Shedding Light on a Little-Known Era of Cuban History.  A living, breathing paradox, Antonio may look Chinese; but he speaks Spanish exactly like my abuelo — in addition to English and Cantonese. But how did Antonio and the Cuban-Chinese people come to be?

It was a romance steeped in international intrigue, and it landed Alina López Miyares in a Cuban prison. How much did she know about the web that entangled her?

Julio Cabrera's Café La Trova is a bastion of the island's bartending tradition. 

Jorge Plasencia, FACE Board member, wrote this article on Latin music for Muse by Clio

FIU is building La Ventanita at the major entrance to the busiest building on campus to show how deep they are willing to go at FIU "to capture the unique experience that is our community and our Miami! "

Key Facts Prepared by Aida Levitan, Ph.D., Chair of FACE.  FACE (Facts About Cuban Exiles) and other organizations have protested Duke University Nasher Museum Exhibition in which a Che Guevara portrait is entitled “Day of Heroic Guerrilla.” click here to get the facts

ICCAS serves as the center of academic work, research and discussion on Cuban and Cuban-American topics.

A project of the Institute for Cuban & Cuban American Studies. 

An organization headed by our Chairwoman, Dr. Aida Levitan Ph.d., creating greater understanding of Hispanic culture by familiarizing local residents and visitors with artists, organizations and activities that are representative of Hispanic art and culture.

Keeping track of everything Cuban was the mission established by UM Cuban-American librarian Rosa M. Abella, who together with fellow librarians Ana Rosa Núñez, Esperanza Bravo de Varona, Lesbia Orta Varona and Gómez-Rossie, were the visionaries who created what is now the Cuban Heritage Collection, which was formally established in 1998. Abella and Núñez are both deceased.

NACAE organizes educational programs, conferences, exhibitions, concerts, etc., which take place monthly to highlight our historical roots and promote the ethical, artistic and cultural values ​​of Cubans and Cuban-Americans.