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Beyond El Ajiaco: Eviction from el Exilio (1959–1979) and Miami’s (White) Cuban Wall

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Miami’s Forgotten Cubans

Part of the book series: Afro-Latin@ Diasporas ((ALD))

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Abstract

This chapter focuses on the racially democratic myth of Cuban identity and community, documenting the socioeconomic differences and experiences Afro-Cuban exiles faced as some attempted to settle in Miami among other Cubans during early stages of ethnic enclave formation. I position my findings in the “ethnic enclave” and immigrant-adaptation literature, further questioning not only the Cuban success myth, but place the local Afro-Cuban condition as central to the “reclaimed whiteness” local Cubans repossessed. I also question the literature that posits that “culture” or “behavior” serves as an impediment to economic mobility, and began explaining how extending from Cuba (or newly formulating) a black American identity was crucial in local Afro-Cuban adaptation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brooklyn College, CUNY, Brooklyn, New York, USA

    Alan A. Aja

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  1. Alan A. Aja
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Aja, A.A. (2016). Beyond El Ajiaco: Eviction from el Exilio (1959–1979) and Miami’s (White) Cuban Wall. In: Miami’s Forgotten Cubans. Afro-Latin@ Diasporas. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57045-1_3

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