Join us for The Boatlift Unfolds: Perspectives from Both Sides of the Florida Straits, the second in our series of webinars and virtual programs addressing the antecedents, unfolding, and aftermath of the 1980 Mariel boatlift. In this event, panelists will offer unique perspectives on the unfolding of the Mariel crisis itself—from its beginnings at the Peruvian embassy in Havana, to the arrival and detention of many Mariel migrants on far flung military bases across the United States. We will also hear detailed accounts of the mass rallies and “acts of repudiation” carried out in Cuba to denounce those choosing to depart, and we will explore how race and racism fed into these practices of internal stigmatization. Ironically, the denigration of Mariel migrants in Cuba would mirror the ways some would see and treat them in the United States.
PANELISTS:
Ambassador Ernesto Pinto Bazurco Rittler, Writer, lawyer in International Politics, and former Head of the Diplomatic Mission at the Peruvian Embassy in Cuba.
Abel Sierra Madero, Ph.D., Independent Scholar.
Omar Granados, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Global Cultures & Languages, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Neri Torres, MFA, Visiting Professor, The University of Texas at El Paso, and Artistic Director of Miami-based IFE-ILE Afro-Cuban Dance Company.
Jorge Duany, Ph.D., Director, Cuban Research Institute and Professor of Anthropology, Department of Global & Sociocultural Studies at Florida International University. (Moderator)
Introductory remarks by Elizabeth Cerejido, Ph.D., Chair, Cuban Heritage Collection and Alejandro de la Fuente, Ph.D., Chair, Cuba Studies Program, DRCLAS, Harvard University.
Register here to receive webinar link. Free and open to the public.
Please note that registration will close on August 13th at 9 a.m. (EST). This event will also be streamed via Facebook live.
*A portion of this webinar will be presented in Spanish.
In partnership with the University of Miami. Co-hosted by Harvard University’s Cuba Studies Program.
