My parents and brother arrived in Miami, Florida on Monday, September 15, 1969, at a center that receives and processes Cuban refugees. Due to their political status, my family was granted immediate residency in the United States. They arrived to warm and breezy weather on that September day. They were carrying one suitcase for all three of them. It was made from wicker, and it contained a couple pairs of pants, some shirts, and a few undergarments. It was only half-full. They left with just the clothes on their back. Catholic Charities provided clothing and shelter for my parents and brother until they were boarded on a plane and sent to Reading, Pennsylvania, which is where my father’s aunt Ofelia lived.
Reading, Pennsylvania was an industrial and blue-collar community specializing in textiles at the time. My parents secured work at a factory that manufactured women’s panty hose. They each made $1.10 per hour. Soon winter arrived and they got to experience and see their first snowfall. Emilio and Carmen would eventually get their own apartment, Tony would enroll in school and begin learning English and in 1971, I was born. My name is Hiran, and I would be the first American born member of my family. In 1973, the family sought milder climes and a move down south to Florida would be on the horizon.
The family would seek to move to Miami, Florida and they packed up the car and drove south. The trip would take several days and one of the overnight stops was in Tampa, Florida. While in Tampa, refueling the car and getting some items at the “bodega”, Emilio struck up a conversation with a stranger. They got to talking and the stranger said his employer was hiring. The prospects looked promising and the trip down to Miami was cut short and what ended up being a temporary stop for rest, ended up being fate. The family would end up staying in Tampa and would make it home. Employment was secured and lodging was found in an apartment in Ybor City, a predominantly Cuban neighborhood in Tampa, especially in the 1970’s. It would turn out to be temporary housing. In the end, Emilio and Carmen were seeking to live out the American dream. The American dream to them was the ability to work for a fair wage, own their home, set goals, and attain them and raise a family of their own without the government interfering in their lives.
In 1973, through hard work and sacrifice, a modest down payment was saved, and an offer was made on a tiny 3-bedroom 1-bath house in a working-class neighborhood near the Tampa airport. Emilio and Carmen would take turns watching their children. They did this by Emilio working the night shift and Carmen working the dayshift. They could not afford a babysitter. It was indeed a sacrifice as the weekends were really the only time that the family could all be together. Eventually, the family settled in this home, and over the years they would make renovations to it and increase the size by construction additions to it and today it is a 6 bedroom, 3-bath home. Through patience and perseverance, Emilio and Carmen stayed the course and made a more comfortable life for themselves and their children.
Work ethic would become one of the cornerstones of the family culture. Emilio worked many long hours and would pick up extra shifts when coworkers would call out sick or not show up for work. Carmen would work up to 3 jobs at one time – her main full-time job during the day, a part-time job at night where she would be a janitor at a business park, and on weekends she worked for a country club maintaining the tennis courts. The family was making their life in Tampa and all they had were each other.
Next week. The Road to Success
This is one part of a multi-part story. To view past installments and other stories, please visit our blog, Learn-Engage-Empower at im4u.world.
This story is among many that inspired us to create im4u.world, an ambitious project to build positive and constructive conversations around the world, share learning experiences to create real change at the local level. It is easy to join us. Simply start by filling out our Global Survey, a short 15 question survey asking you what the most important issues are facing humanity. Your voice matters and we are listening.
Comments