They arrived in a new country with a small child and little more than the clothes they wore. How would they start a new life?
My parents and brother arrived in Miami, Florida, on Monday, September 15, 1969, at a center that receives and processes Cuban refugees. The government granted my family immediate residency in the United States due to the family's political status. They arrived in warm and breezy weather on that September day. Everything they had for the three of them was in one suitcase. The suitcase, made from wicker, contained a couple of pairs of pants, some shirts, and a few undergarments, and it was only half-full. That is how little my family had to start a new life. They left Cuba with little more than just the clothes on their back. Catholic Charities provided clothing and shelter for my parents and brother. From Miami, my parents and brother boarded a plane. They eventually made it to Reading, Pennsylvania, 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 pantyhose, each making $1.10 per hour. Soon winter arrived, and they got to experience and see their first snowfall. Emilio and Carmen would eventually get an apartment. Tony, my brother, would enroll in school and begin learning English; 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 sought 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, my father, spoke with a stranger. They got to talking, and the stranger said his employer was hiring. The prospects looked promising, and what ended up being a temporary stop for rest became fate. The family would end up staying in Tampa and calling it home. My parents secured employment and found lodging in an apartment in Ybor City, a predominantly Cuban neighborhood in Tampa, especially in the 1970s. It would be temporary housing. Ultimately, my parents, Emilio and Carmen, were seeking to live out the American dream. The American dream meant the ability to work for a fair wage, own their home, set goals, attain them and raise a family without the government interfering in their lives.
In 1973, through hard work and sacrifice, my parents saved enough money for a modest down payment on a house. They made an offer on a tiny three-bedroom, one-bath home in a working-class neighborhood near the Tampa airport. Emilio and Carmen would take turns watching their children. They did this with Emilio working the night shift and Carmen working the day shift. They could not afford a babysitter. It was a sacrifice, as the weekends were the only time the family could all be together. We settled into this home, and over the year, my family renovated it, increasing the size by constructing additions to it. Today it is a six-bedroom, three-bath home. Through patience and perseverance, Emilio and Carmen stayed the course. They made a more comfortable life for themselves and their children.
A strong work ethic is one of the cornerstones of my family's culture. Emilio worked many long hours and would pick up extra shifts when coworkers called out sick or did not show up for work. Carmen would work up to three jobs at once – 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 created a new life in Tampa with little to start but each other.
Hiran is a proud first-generation Cuban-American who credits his success in life, in no small part, to the courage of his parents and the sacrifices they made so their family could have a better life. Hiran wrote this story to honor that legacy.
This story was originally published on July 8, 2021.
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