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| Cuban American Cubano Americano |
|---|
        |
| Notable Cuban Americans: Cesar Romero · Gloria Estefan · Cameron Diaz · Cathy Areu Andy Garcia · Christina Milian · Carlos Gutierrez · Enrique Murciano |
| Total population |
|
Cuban |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Languages |
| American English and Spanish |
| Religion |
| Predominantly Roman Catholic; minority Protestant, Jewish, Santeria, Atheist, Agnostic |
| Related ethnic groups |
| Spaniards · Italians · Portuguese · Hispanics White Cuban · Afro-Cuban · Jewish Cuban · Chinese Cuban |
A Cuban American (Spanish: Cubano americano) is a United States citizen who traces his or her "national origin" to Cuba. Cuban Americans form the third-largest Hispanic group in the United States and also the third-largest group of White Hispanics.23
Many communities throughout the United States have significant Cuban American populations. However Miami, Florida stands out as the most prominent Cuban American community, in part because of its proximity to Cuba. It is followed by North Jersey, particularly Union City and West New York.
Contents |
Immigration
Prior to the Louisiana Purchase and the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819, all of Florida and Louisiana were provinces of the Captaincy General of Cuba (Captain General being the Spanish title equivalent to the British colonial Governor). Consequently, Cuban immigration to the U.S. has a long history, beginning in the Spanish colonial period in 1565 when St. Augustine, Florida was established by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, and hundreds of Spanish/Cuban soldiers and their families moved from Cuba to St. Augustine to establish a new life. Thousands of Cuban settlers also immigrated to Louisiana between 1778 – 1802 and Texas during the period of Spanish rule.
Many early Cubans migrated to New York City, St. Augustine, Florida, Miami, Key West, and Tampa, Florida. Many Cubans were absorbed into the mainstream of American culture after the United States claimed Florida from Spain in 1821.citation needed
In the late 1800s, a Cuban entrepreneur named Vicente Martinez-Ybor started a cigar making business in Tampa. Soon, other Cuban businessmen {Fuente, Villazon, Garcia, and Vega} followed Ybor's example. Within several years, Tampa had a thriving cigar-making industry. Numerous Cuban families lived and worked in the area known as Ybor City near Tampa, and there are many third and fourth generation Cuban Americans who trace their Cuban heritage directly to this early immigration.
Smaller waves of Cuban emigration to the U.S. occurred in the early 20th century (1900-1959); most settled in Florida and the northeast U.S. The majority of an estimated 100,000 Cubans arrived in that time period usually came for economic reasons {1929 depression, volatile sugar prices}, but included anti-Batista refugees fleeing the military dictatorship, which had pro-U.S. diplomatic ties.
US communities with high percentages of people of Cuban ancestry
The top 25 US communities with the highest percentage of people claiming Cuban ancestry are:4
- Westchester, Florida 65.69%
- Hialeah, Florida 62.12%
- Coral Terrace, Florida 61.87%
- West Miami, Florida 61.61%
- University Park, Florida 59.80%
- Olympia Heights, Florida 57.65%
- Tamiami, Florida 56.63%
- Hialeah Gardens, Florida 54.31%
- Medley, Florida 51.91%
- Sweetwater, Florida 49.92%
- Palm Springs North, Florida 43.59%
- Miami Lakes, Florida 42.28%
- Kendale Lakes, Florida 38.58%
- Fountainbleau, Florida 37.29%
- Miami, Florida 34.14%
- Miami Springs, Florida 31.83%
- Richmond West, Florida 29.30%
- Coral Gables, Florida 28.72%
- Virginia Gardens, Florida 26.11%
- South Miami Heights, Florida 25.70%
- Kendall, Florida 21.31%
- Miami Beach, Florida 20.51%
- Surfside, Florida 20.15%
- Country Club, Florida 19.97%
- West New York, New Jersey 19.64%
U.S. communities with the most residents born in Cuba
Top 101 U.S. communities with the most residents born in Cuba are:5
- Westchester, FL 55.8%
- Hialeah, FL 53.5%
- Coral Terrace, FL 51.9%
- West Miami, FL 50.5%
- South Westside, FL 48.3%
- University Park, FL 48.1%
- Hialeah Gardens, FL 47.5%
- Medley, FL 46.0%
- Tamiami, FL 45.7%
- Olympia Heights, FL 45.2%
- Sweetwater, FL 45.2%
- Westwood Lakes, FL 44.9%
- Sunset, FL 32.7%
- Fountainbleau, FL 32.3%
- North Westside, FL 30.4%
- Miami, FL 30.3%
- Miami Lakes, FL 30.1%
- Palm Springs North, FL 29.8%
- Kendale Lakes, FL 28.9%
- Kendale Lakes-Lindgren Acres, FL 24.3%
- Stock Island, FL 23.3%
- Miami Springs, FL 22.2%
- Glenvar Heights, FL 21.0%
- Chula Vista, FL 20.9%
- Kendall West, FL 20.4%
- South Miami Heights, FL 20.0%
- Coral Gables, FL 19.2%
- Virginia Gardens, FL 19.0%
- West New York, NJ 18.3%
- Richmond West, FL 17.7%
- Miami Beach, FL 17.5%
- Carol City, FL 15.6%
- Surfside, FL 14.8%
- Leisure City, FL 14.7%
- Egypt Lake-Leto, FL 14.1%
- West Little River, FL 14.0%
- South Miami, FL 13.7%
- Kendall, FL 13.6%
- Union City, NJ 13.2%
- Country Club, FL 12.8%
- Key Biscayne, FL 12.8%
- Rolling Oaks, FL 12.4%
- The Crossings, FL 12.1%
- Country Walk, FL 11.0%
- The Hammocks, FL 10.9%
- Gun Club Estates, FL 10.9%
- Riverland Village, FL 10.8%
- Miami Gardens, FL (Broward County) 10.7%
- Lakes by the Bay, FL 10.7%
- North Bay Village, FL 10.5%
- Tavernier, FL 10.4%
- Princeton, FL 10.2%
- Kendall-Perrine, FL 10.1%
- Broadview Park, FL 10.0%
- Guttenberg, NJ 9.7%
- Doral, FL 9.7%
- Northwest Dade, FL 9.6%
- Three Lakes, FL 9.5%
- Marathon, FL 9.3%
- Cutler Ridge, FL 9.0%
- Sunny Isles Beach, FL 8.5%
- Middle Keys, FL 8.4%
- Clewiston, FL 8.4%
- Bal Harbour, FL 8.3%
- Key Colony Beach, FL 7.5%
- Pinecrest, FL 7.5%
- Country Estates, FL 7.4%
- Bay Harbor Islands, FL 7.2%
- Opa-locka North, FL 7.1%
- Key Largo, FL 7.0%
- East Perrine, FL 6.9%
- Canal Point, FL 6.7%
- Golden Gate, FL 6.6%
- Royal Palm Estates, FL 6.6%
- Gladeview, FL 6.4%
- Palmetto Estates, FL 6.4%
- Utopia, FL 6.3%
- Lake Clarke Shores, FL 6.3%
- Palm Springs, FL 6.3%
- Belle Glade, FL 6.0%
- Cutler, FL 6.0%
- Big Coppitt Key, FL 5.9%
- Naranja, FL 5.9%
- Golden Beach, FL 5.9%
- Loughman, FL 5.9%
- Pine Castle, FL 5.9%
- Miramar, FL 5.7%
- Homestead, FL 5.5%
- Opa-locka, FL 5.3%
- Pinewood, FL 5.3%
- Islamorada, Village of Islands, FL 5.3%
- Upper Keys, FL 5.3%
- Pembroke Pines, FL 5.2%
- Westview, FL 5.2%
- Haverhill, FL 5.0%
- Naples Manor, FL 5.0%
- Ojus, FL 5.0%
- Stacey Street, FL 4.9%
- Sunshine Ranches, FL 4.9%
- Elizabeth, NJ 4.8%
- West Perrine, FL 4.7%
1960 - 1980
Political upheaval in Cuba created new waves of Cuban immigrants to the U.S. In 1959, after the Cuban revolution led by Fidel Castro, a large Cuban exodus began. From 1960 to 1979, hundreds of thousands of Cubans left Cuba and began a new life in America, often forming the backbone of the anti-Castro movement. Most Cuban Americans that arrived in the United States came from Cuba's educated upper and middle classes. Between December 1960 and October 1962 more than 14,000 Cuban children arrived alone in the U.S. Their parents were afraid that their children were going to be sent to some Soviet bloc countries to be educated and they decided to send them to the States as soon as possible. This program was called Operation Pedro Pan (Peter Pan). When the children arrived in Miami they were met by representatives of Catholic Charities and they were sent to live with relatives if they had any or were sent to foster homes, orphanages or boarding schools till their parents could leave Cuba. In order to provide aid to recently arrived Cuban immigrants, the United States Congress passed the Cuban Adjustment Act in 1966. The Cuban Refugee Program provided more than $1.3 billion of direct financial assistance. They also were eligible for public assistance, Medicare, free English courses, scholarships, and low-interest college loans. Some banks even pioneered loans for exiles who did not have collateral or credit but received help in getting a business loan simply because they were of Cuban descent. These loans enabled many Cuban Americans to secure funds and start up their own businesses. With their Cuban-owned businesses and low cost of living, Miami, Florida and Union City, New Jersey (dubbed "Havana-on-the Hudson"citation needed) were the preferred destinations for many immigrants, and soon became the main centers for Cuban American culture. Miami was particularly attractive duecitation needed to its similar climate, geography, and architecture; Union City for the opportunities offered by the embroidery industry. However, Westchester, Florida within Miami-Dade County, stands as the area most populated by Cubans and Cuban Americans in the United States, followed by Hialeah, Florida in second.4
1980s
Another large wave (an estimated 120,000 people) of Cuban immigration occurred in the early 1980s with the Mariel boatlifts. Some of the "Marielitos" became prosperous through their own efforts, with government assistance and assistance from earlier immigrants, relatives and charitable organizations.
mid-1990s to 2000s
Since the mid-1990s, after the implementation of the wet feet, dry feet policy immigration patterns changed. Many Cuban immigrants departed from the southern and western coasts of Cuba and arrived at the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico; many landed on Isla Mujeres. From there Cuban immigrants traveled to the Texas-Mexico border and found asylum. Many of the Cubans who did not have family in Miami settled in Houston; this has caused Houston's Cuban American community to increase in size.6 The term "dusty foot" refers to Cubans immigrating to the U.S. through Mexico.7 In 2005 the Department of Homeland Security had abandoned the approach of detaining every dry foot Cuban who crosses through Texas and began a policy allowing most Cubans to obtain immediate parole.8
Jorge Ferragut, a Cuban immigrant who founded Casa Cuba, an agency that assists Cuban immigrants arriving in Texas, said in a 2008 article that many Cuban immigrants of the 2000s left due to economic instead of political issues.9 By October 2008 Mexico and Cuba created an agreement to prevent immigration of Cubans through Mexico.1011
Assimilation
Many Cuban Americans have assimilated themselves into the American culture, which includes Cuban influences.
Since the 1980s, Cuban Americans have moved out of "Little Havana" to the suburbs of Miami, such as Hialeah and Kendall as well as the more affluent Coral Gables and Miami Lakes.
Many new South and Central Americans, along with new Cuban refugees, have replaced the Cuban Americans who have relocated elsewhere in Florida (Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa Bay and West Palm Beach) and dispersed throughout the nation.
Cuban Americans live in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, which received thousands of anti-Castro refugees as well in the 1960s, and Cuban American population growth is found in California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia.
More recently, there has been substantial growth of new Cuban-American communities in places like Hazleton, Pennsylvania; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Palm Desert, California.citation needed
Cuban Americans have been very successful in establishing businesses and developing political clout by transforming Miami from a beach retirement community into a modern city with a distinct Caribbean flavor.
Cuban American culture
Political beliefs
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Cuban Americans tend to be significantly more conservative politically than other Latino groups in the United States and form a major voting block for the Republican Party (GOP) in the state of Florida. Many Cuban Americans are deeply resentful of the Castro regime. As such, they may be more in tune with the strong anti-communist stance of the Republican Party.
The failed Bay of Pigs invasion, and its association with John F. Kennedy, left many Cubans distrustful of the Democratic Party. Ronald Reagan, on the other hand, is particularly popular in the Cuban exile community (there is a street in Miami named for Ronald Reagan). The return of Elián González by the Clinton administration may contribute to some Cuban Americans support of Republican-oriented political views.
Food
- See also: Cuban cuisine
Cuban food is varied, though rice is a staple and commonly served at lunch and dinner. Other common dishes are arroz con pollo (chicken and rice), pan con bistec (steak sandwich), platanos maduros (sweet plantains), lechon asado (pork), yuca (cassava root), flan, batido de mamey (mamey milkshake), papayas, and guava paste.
Cuban versions of pizza contains bread, which is usually soft, and cheese, toppings, and sauce, which is made with spices such as Adobo and Goya onion. Picadillo, ground beef that could be sauteed with tomato, green peppers, green olives, and garlic is another popular Cuban dish. It can be served with black beans and rice, and a side of deep-fried, ripened plantains.
Beverages
Cubans often drink cafe cubano: a small cup of coffee called a cafecito (or a colada), which is traditional espresso coffee, sweetened, with a sugar foam on top called espumita. It is also popular to add milk, which is called a cortadito for a small cup or a cafe con leche for a larger cup.
A common soft drink is Materva, a Cuban soda made of yerba mate. Jupiña, Ironbeer and Cawy lemon-lime are soft drinks which originated in Cuba. Since the Castro era, they are also produced in Miami.
To provide nationalized alternatives to imported soft drinks, bottled water and beers, Cuba offers a line of "Refresco Nacional" which includes cola flavor and "Limon", or lemon-lime. Their bottled water line is Ciego Montero and is a mineral spring water from the Cienfuegos province. The two nationalized beers are Cristal and Bucanero. They are made in partnership with Canadian brewers Labatts. Bucanero comes in two varieties, Bucanero Fuerte and Bucanero Max. Both are stronger than Cristal, with Max being the strongest, though Bucanero Fuerte is most popular with Cubans.citation needed
The rum of choice is Havana Club, which is widely available and comes in light and dark varieties, as well as a large range of years, starting at 3.
Demographics
| Year of Immigration |
White | Black | Other | Asian | Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-64 | 93.3 | 1.2 | 5.3 | 0.2 | 144,732 |
| 1965-74 | 87.7 | 2.0 | 9.1 | 0.2 | 247,726 |
| 1975-79 | 82.6 | 4.0 | 13.3 | 0.1 | 29,508 |
| 1980 | 80.9 | 5.3 | 13.7 | 0.1 | 94,095 |
| 1981-89 | 85.7 | 3.1 | 10.9 | 0.3 | 77,835 |
| 1990-93 | 84.7 | 3.2 | 11.9 | 0.2 | 60,244 |
| 1994-2000 | 85.8 | 3.7 | 10.4 | 0.7 | 174,437 |
| Total | 87.2 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 828,577 |
| Race by Cuban national Origin, 2000 2 | |||||
| Country of Origin | White | Black | Other | ||
 Cuba |
85.0% | 3.6% | 7.1% | ||
| Total: 1,241,685 | 1,055,432 | 44,700 | 88,159 | ||
The ancestry of Cuban Americans comes primarily from Spain, with many others being of French, Portuguese, Italian, Irish, Lebanese (Arab), north African, Chinese and Russian descent, with a sizable population of sub-Saharan African or mixed African Mulatto ancestry.1415
During the 18th, 19th and early part of the 20th century, large waves of Canarian, Catalan, Andalusian and Galician emigrated to Cuba. Much of Haiti's white population migrated to Cuba after the Haitian War of Independence in the early 18th century. Also, minor but significant ethnic influx is derived from diverse peoples from Middle East places such as Lebanon and Palestine. There was also a significant influx of Jews, especially between the World Wars, from many countries, including Sephardic Jews from Turkey and Ashkenazic Jews from Poland, Germany and Russia. Other Europeans that have contributed slightly include Italians, Germans, Swedes, and Hungarians. Many Chinese also settled Cuba as contract laborers and they formerly boast the largest Chinatown in Western Hemisphere as most Chinese Cubans left for Florida. In the most recent census in 2000 there were 1,241,685 Cuban Americans, both native and foreign born and represented 3.5% of all Hispanics in the US. About 85% of Cuban Americans identify themselves as being White, mostly Spanish, which is the highest proportion of all other major Hispanic groups. In Florida, Cuban Americans have cultural ties with the state's large Spanish American or European Spanish community.
Economics
The median household income for Cuban Americans is $36,671, a figure higher than other Hispanic groups, but lower than for non-Hispanic whites.
In contrast, US-born Cuban Americans have a higher median income than even non-Hispanic whites, $50,000 as compared to $48,000 for non-Hispanic whites.citation needed
Education
25% of Cuban Americans have a college education, about twice the average of all other Hispanic groups, and lower than that of non-Hispanic whites, of which 30% are college graduates.citation needed
However, 39% of US-born Cuban Americans have a college degree or higher, as compared to only 30% of non-Hispanic whites, and 12% for all other Hispanic groups.citation needed
Religion
Being of primarily Spanish extraction, most Cuban Americans are Roman Catholic, but some Cubans practice the African Traditional Religions (such as Santeria or Ifá), which evolved from mixing the catholic religion with the traditional African religion. However, there are many Protestant (primarily Pentecostal), syncretism nonreligious, and Jewish Cuban Americans.
Immigration policy
Before the 1980s, all refugees from Cuba were welcomed into the United States as political refugees. This changed in the 1990s so that only Cubans who reach U.S. soil are granted refuge under the "wet feet, dry feet policy". Cuban immigration also continues with an allotted number of Cubans (20,000 per year) provided legal U.S. visas.
According to a U.S. Census 1970 report, Cuban Americans as well as Latinos lived in all 50 states. But as later Census reports demonstrated, the majority of Cuban immigrants settled in south Florida. A new trend in the late 1990s showed that fewer immigrants arrived from Cuba than previously. While U.S. born Cuban Americans moved out of their enclaves, other nationalities settled there.
In late 1999, U.S. news media focused on the case of Elián González, the 6-year-old Cuban boy caught in a custody battle between his relatives in Miami and his father in Cuba. The fiasco ended on April 22, 2000, when INS agents took Elián González to the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C. From there, his father took him back to Cuba.
Political representation
There are now four Cuban American members of the United States House of Representatives and two Senators (Mel Martinez of Florida, and Bob Menendez of New Jersey) in the United States Senate, as well as the Cuban American Secretary of Commerce, Carlos M. Gutierrez
In 2006 Marco Rubio became Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. Eduardo Aguirre served as Vice Chairman of the Export-Import Bank of the United States in the George W. Bush administration and later named Director of Immigration and Naturalization Services under the Department of Homeland Security. In 2006, Eduardo Aguirre was named US ambassador to Spain. Cuban Americans have also served other high profile government jobs including White House Chief of Staff, John H. Sununu.
Cuban Americans also serve in high ranking judicial positions as well. Danny Boggs is the current chief judge of United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and Raoul G. Cantero, III, served as a Florida Supreme Court justice until stepping down in 2008.
See also
- White Hispanic
- White Latin American
- Afro Latin American
- Cuba-United States relations
- Cuban British
- Cuban exile
- Cubans
- Diaspora politics in the United States
- Hispanos
- Hyphenated American
- List of Cuban Americans
- Spanish American
- U.S. embargo against Cuba
- White Cuban
References
- ^ HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY SPECIFIC ORIGIN
- ^ a b Tafoya, Sonya (2004-12-06). "Shades of Belonging" (PDF). Pew Hispanic Center. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ Microsoft Word - SomeOtherRace-Final 12-04.doc
- ^ a b "Ancestry Map of Cuban Communities". Epodunk.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
- ^ "Top 101 cities with the most residents born in Cuba (population 500+)". city-data.com. Retrieved on 2008-07-14.
- ^ "Immigration: Cubans Enter U.S. at Texas-Mexico Border." Houston Press. 1.
- ^ "Immigration: Cubans Enter U.S. at Texas-Mexico Border." Houston Press. 2.
- ^ "Immigration: Cubans Enter U.S. at Texas-Mexico Border." Houston Press. 5.
- ^ "Immigration: Cubans Enter U.S. at Texas-Mexico Border." Houston Press. 3.
- ^ "Cuba, Mexico Look To Block The Texas Entrance To The U.S.." "Hair Balls." Houston Press. October 20, 2008.
- ^ Olsen, Alexandra. "Cuba: Mexico to fight illegal migration to US." Associated Press via The Monitor. October 20, 2008.
- ^ Cuba 1953 UN Statistics; Ethnic composition. Page: 260.May take time to load page
- ^ Cuba Statistics Demographic and Immigrants to the USA. Page 156.
- ^ Etat des propriétés rurales appartenant à des Français dans l'île de Cuba from http://www.cubagenweb.org
- ^ CIA - The World Factbook - Cuba
External links
- Immigration Law and the Racialization of Latina/Latino
- http://pewhispanic.org/files/factsheets/23.pdf
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