IV.

Cuban Americans

Cuban Americans, numbering 1.2 million, constitute the third largest Hispanic American group. The Cuban American community is concentrated in Florida, especially in the Miami area. Most Cuban Americans arrived in the United States as political refugees following the Cuban Revolution of 1959, which brought Communist dictator Fidel Castro to power. These Cuban immigrants were mostly well-educated members of the middle and upper-middle classes, with a partial knowledge of English and a clear sense of national identity.

Within the Hispanic community, Cuban Americans are considered intellectually sophisticated, politically committed, and obsessed with the fate of their homeland. As political refugees, many Cuban Americans received government assistance in the United States. Partly because of these advantages, the Cuban American community has been economically successful and politically influential. Cuban Americans also exert considerable political and financial influence in Cuba. With its delicate diplomatic ties to the United States, the Communist government of Cuba pays close attention to the voice of the Cuban exile community in Florida.