This videoconference will be presented by David Toledo, a man who was among those Cubans that came to the United States in one of the waves of the Exodus from Cuba. We feel that the videoconference with Dave Toledo’s personal experiences will make the immigration experience come alive and touch at many areas for your students in which reading about it often is obscure. David will share his experience as an 8-year old immigrant with his parents in 1967 when they immigrated to the United States from Cuba. David will give a historical, a cultural and a political presentation that gives context to the Cuban exodus. (REGISTER online for videoconferences: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/
David’s parents had studied in universities in Nashville, TN before the revolution and returned to Cuba to begin their married lives in 1954. The revolution came along in 1959 and they left Cuba 8 years later. Having friends in the United States to sponsor them, they were able to leave Cuba, but they had to spend 4 months in Spain before coming to the United States by plane. What was it like for an 8-year boy to suddenly arrive as an immigrant in the United States?
Many thousands and thousands of Cubans were not fortunate enough to arrive by plane. These Cubans took to the dangerous waters of the Florida Straits in homemade boats and rafts in a desperate reach for freedom. Through this videoconference, your students can learn the kind of price, the high price, that Cuban people paid trying to reach for freedom. How many people took to the dangerous, shark-infested waters, since Fidel Castro came to power in 1959, is not really known.
The flow of refugees has continued and the Cuban population that settled in America became that much more diverse. Still today, more than fifty years after the 1959 Cuban Revolution and takeover by Fidel Castro, Cubans are entering onto the shores of America. These Cubans have also come out of desperation. After many years living under the communist regime they need to find a place to live that is more economically and socially viable.
The United States government has tried to curb the exodus by instating a “wet foot/dry foot policy, as anyone picked up by the Coast Guard is thus returned to Cuba and anyone who can make the dangerous trek without being caught is considered a new US citizen. It is within this policy however, that "a loophole [has been created] that encourages unsafe and unregulated immigration leaving even fewer Cubans on their native island. As more and more Cubans leave the island in hope of a better life, there is question as to what will eventually become of Cuba, both while Castro is still in power and after he dies or is unlikely ousted.
New York City and Miami have seen the biggest changes as a result of exodus from Cuba. We will talk about the ways in which the exodus has affected the United States economy and the culture in these areas. What is the effect of the Cuban migration and transculturalism? Join us for this videoconference as Cuban immigrant, David Toledo, shares his story and students learn about the importance of the Cuban exodus both on the lives of individual Cuban-Americans, as well as the United States as a whole.
THURSDAY, November 3, 2011 - "EXODUS from CUBA" in the Countries and Culturesseries
Presenter, David Toledo (immigrated with his family from Cuba), a musician with over 40 years of musical experience
TARGET AUDIENCE: Students in grades 5 - 12
TIME: Two sessions: one at 9:00 AM CENTRAL TIME and one at 10:00 AM CENTRAL TIME
Complete LESSON PLANS are available on the Vanderbilt Virtual School website for every videoconference. Just “click” on the title of each videoconference to go to the specific lesson plan. "EXODUS from CUBA" in the Countries and Cultures series
Thanks for participating!
Patsy
Patsy Partin, M.Ed
Director, Virtual School
Vanderbilt University
2007 Terrace Place
Nashville, TN 37203
