Tuesday, March 19

Month: January 2023

Essays

Escape from Imaginary Cuba

"No la tope ni con el pétalo de una rosa" Artist: Hector Reynoso, Dominican Republic, Instagram: @ArtReynoso by Pilar Hernandez Growing up, when I would argue with my father about something I found unfair, I would yell “But this is AMERICA!” To which he would retort “not in this house, this is Cuba!”. Neither of my parents are from Cuba nor have ever visited but in our three generational, multi-ethnic household of new American immigrants, Cuba, held the exile of freedom in our imagination.  It was an absurd parenting tactic for a Central American man raising an American born teenage daughter in Rhode Island to employ, or so I thought at the time. Now, looking back I realize Cuba was the perfect example to use when trying to reason with a privileged, educated and passionate L...