MIAMI — Like many Cuban exiles, the Freedom Tower holds special meaning for Jorge and Rita Fernandez, or as I call them, “mom and dad.”
“The Freedom Tower for all of us is hope. It’s freedom. And hope for the future,” said Rita Fernandez.
Growing up, I heard stories of Cuba and what life was like there. Both my parents were born on the island. My mom is from Holguin, and my dad is from the small town of Fomento, where he lived on a farm.
“I had never seen a traffic light until I got here. It was completely different,” he recalled when he arrived in Miami for the first time.
When things started to change in Cuba, they had no choice but to leave.
“Back in the 60s, there were many countries that were embedded with the communist ideology,” said Jorge Fernandez. “So that created an exodus of political asylum, or exiles, that otherwise would have never left their country.”
My dad arrived on one of the many freedom flights. He already had family members in Miami, but it took four years for him and his parents to be approved to leave Cuba.
“When we landed, we landed at a place called Casa de la Libertad, which is the House of Freedom. This is where families would reunite. I remember looking out the window, and I could see my family,” he said.
Then it was at the Freedom Tower where life would truly “restart.”
The Cubans called it El Refugio, which means The Refuge. There you would process all the paperwork, you’d get some food like cheese and peanut butter,” he said. He added that he had never had peanut butter until arriving in the United States.
My mom’s story was a little different. She actually arrived with my grandma before the Freedom Flights because my grandpa’s life was in danger.
“She was fleeing because your grandfather was a high-ranking officer and they wanted his head,” she told me.
There weren’t any family members waiting for her.
“I remember her saying that he hardest thing was that there was no Cuban coffee anywhere,” she recalls with a smile
The Freedom Tower wasn’t even used as a processing center just yet, but a few years later, it became a frequent place that she and her family visited.
Her dad would often look for jobs on the bulletin board, and they would receive assistance in whichever way they could.
“I remember the stairs going down the basement, the columns, the checkered floor, the box with the cheese,” she said.
I jokingly asked how the cheese and spam tasted. She and my dad laughed and said it tasted good, but that you would take anything you could get at that point.
My family story is by no means unique, but it is a part of my story. Stories my family had been adamant about passing down, making sure I understood exactly what it took to be here today. I asked my parents if they had ever asked my grandparents how hard it was for them.
“Very hard,” said my mom. “They left their homes, possessions, everything.”
The history is now on full display at the Freedom Tower, something my parents believe is necessary to learn about what makes the tower so distinct. But it also shows how Miami became a thriving multicultural city.
“People have to learn about their origins. It’s important to know history, so when you learn history, you learn of past mistakes,” said my dad.
Learning my origins, but also understanding what it means to be an American. Specifically, an American born to Cuban exiles
“Had Cubans gone to another country, I don’t think the success rate would have been the way it’s been. Because in America, if you have a dream and you work hard, there is the opportunity to prosper,” said my dad. “Thank God we came to such a great country that welcomed us. And that’s what Freedom Tower was. We felt welcomed. We felt wanted. We have to be thankful,” he added.
With the tower standing tall in downtown, it continues to symbolize new beginnings, leading the way to a better life.
“It is the Ellis Island of the South. The light,” said my mom.
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