The second in a series of webinars and virtual programs that address the antecedents, unfolding, and aftermath of the 1980 Mariel boatlift. In this event, panelists offered 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. Detailed accounts of the mass rallies and “acts of repudiation” carried out in Cuba to denounce those choosing to depart were discussed, and how race and racism fed into these practices of internal stigmatization were explored. Ironically, the denigration of Mariel migrants in Cuba would mirror the ways some would see and treat them in the United States. 

THE BOATLIFT UNFOLDS: PERSPECTIVES FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE FLORIDA STRAITS
AUGUST 13, 2020 | 11 A.M. (EST)

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., Associate Professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
Neri Torres, M.F.A., Visiting Professor, The University of Texas at El Paso, and Artistic Director of Miami-based IFE-ILE Afro-Cuban Dance Company
Mike Bustamante, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History 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.

*A portion of this webinar is presented in Spanish.*