Miami in a Different Light
Title
Miami in a Different Light
Creator
Daniel Melayes
Date
10/03/2022
Text
Miami in a Different Light
It was a shock that I witness it. Not once in my life, especially in Miami, I would think my family would say such words and actions to a random person. It confused me; my blood and DNA engaged in an act that I had never seen before done by them. However, this went beyond me, and it was something entrenched into the very bones of Miami and the Cuban-American community that dominated it. Racism, at its very core, finally expressed itself to me, and from there, it is seen to be a part of this community.
You’d never expect it in a diverse city like Miami. Championed as the “Latin Captial of America,” our community goes well into ethnic and cultural diversity beyond the dominant Latin American peoples in the city. Haitians, Dominicans, Middle Easterners, Cubans, Mexicans, and European Americans, among the many other groups, are prevalent in Miami; in essence, the value of Miami was in its people and what they could provide to the very cultural heritage of the city. However, a dark undertone is found amongst Hispanic culture, especially the Cuban-American culture that comes to dominate the city and people, a legacy of slavery and racism. To many, what I claim could be an overstatement, a falsification, or a misinterpretation, but after witnessing it myself, it could not be blown off as something minor; it was entrenched into our culture as a people.
Racism exposed itself to me, in all its gross and terribleness, but most shockingly, from my own family. Do not get it wrong; however, I have witnessed it from within my family. My uncle would always tease my dad, a man of Syrian ancestry, as a terrorist, sand monkey, and amongst the many other slurs you could call a person of Arab origin. I’ve witnessed it before, but within my own family, it was not seen as racism in my eyes in childhood. In my own eyes, my uncle, who’s phenotypically darker than my dad, saying such things to him wasn’t prejudice, merely teasing. However, the racism entrenched in Cuban culture was finally shown to me, committed by my own family against a simply innocent person.
The setup to this paragraph sounds like my family committed a violent crime against this person, but that’s not what happened; it was merely dramatic wordplay. Regardless, what did happen was unexpected and uncalled for. I was around twelve, halfway into my seventh-grade year; it was winter break for me. My uncles, aunts, cousins, and everyone in between, were all out at the Old Lisbon Restaurant near Viscaya (in that general area) to celebrate one of my cousin’s birthdays. An elegant, fancy restaurant with delicious food, I might add, the atmosphere was ripe for arrogance, ignorance, and hate.
The whole colony that is my family, was leaving the table after our meal by waves. The situation that happened occurred before I witnessed it. As I exited the wooden door in front of such a fancy restaurant, all I could hear were my uncles and another voice arguing. Now, I don’t know what happened that such unnecessary escalation of voices was needed, but what was important was after. For the last parts of the argument (something about the random person they were arguing with bothering the swarm that is my family), my family expressed nothing racially provocative towards the man. Still, when we all started to load up into our respective cars, that's where it was seen in all its vile glory.
The slurs that flew in that car, from uncle to my aunts, the violent and disgusting words to describe this man based on his race, baffled me. I never expected my family to fall to such lengths and embrace pure and utter racism. My eyes were wide open in shock at the whole situation; my cousins, on the other hand, seemingly ignored the words being spewed out. Finally, one of my cousins looked at me and said, “don’t worry, this happens sometimes.” My eyes opened further at the supposed acceptance my family embraced upon the racism spewed. It was utterly foreign to me; this side of the family was never seen before by my eyes.
The night was over, and the large swarm that was my family split up and went to our homes. However, I was still utterly shocked at the events that unfolded before me, and it shocked me to the very core that I still remember the events until this day. The truth is this was my first experience of seeing the racism that prevails over Cuban culture and people. From then on, every micro-aggression, every little slur, and every act I witnessed committed by my Cuban family and their friends was stored in my brain. This event wasn’t a one-time thing but a reflection of the racist ideology the culture has upheld.
Miami has long been a haven for Cuban exiles fleeing the Revolution of 1959; usually, the people who left the island as refugees (predominantly of European ancestry) were essential in propping up Miami into the community it is today. The hatred of dark skin, the supposed “lowliness” of being of African ancestry, was there, and it has been there in Cuban culture. Cuba has long had a society based on racism, with active disenfranchisement, suppression of Afro-Cuban culture and political parties, and the legacy of slavery prevailing over the island. The racist ideology has become ingrained into Cuban culture, and the refugees that continue to leave the island bring those ideologies with them.
Miami, a symbol of the strength of the Cuban people, carries the legacy of racism from the island, only to be reinforced by America’s racism. The Cuban-American is a part of the very backbone of the city, a substantial contributor to the cultural heritage that surrounds us all. Still, the sad reality is we continue to ostracize and discriminate against others deemed unworthy solely based on skin color. We are just as a part of Miami as the African-American, Haitian-American, European-American, and many other groups that are a part of our multi-ethnic city. As much as I hate to say it, it was a necessary evil to be witnessed by such actions and words said. I am not the only one who shares this same experience in seeing the racism in our community; it is common to witness. Regardless, it is our duty as the legacy of our culture to change our own culture; in turn, the burden of our people should be to break down this racist chokehold that stains us; at least, that’s how I’ve come to see it.
It was a shock that I witness it. Not once in my life, especially in Miami, I would think my family would say such words and actions to a random person. It confused me; my blood and DNA engaged in an act that I had never seen before done by them. However, this went beyond me, and it was something entrenched into the very bones of Miami and the Cuban-American community that dominated it. Racism, at its very core, finally expressed itself to me, and from there, it is seen to be a part of this community.
You’d never expect it in a diverse city like Miami. Championed as the “Latin Captial of America,” our community goes well into ethnic and cultural diversity beyond the dominant Latin American peoples in the city. Haitians, Dominicans, Middle Easterners, Cubans, Mexicans, and European Americans, among the many other groups, are prevalent in Miami; in essence, the value of Miami was in its people and what they could provide to the very cultural heritage of the city. However, a dark undertone is found amongst Hispanic culture, especially the Cuban-American culture that comes to dominate the city and people, a legacy of slavery and racism. To many, what I claim could be an overstatement, a falsification, or a misinterpretation, but after witnessing it myself, it could not be blown off as something minor; it was entrenched into our culture as a people.
Racism exposed itself to me, in all its gross and terribleness, but most shockingly, from my own family. Do not get it wrong; however, I have witnessed it from within my family. My uncle would always tease my dad, a man of Syrian ancestry, as a terrorist, sand monkey, and amongst the many other slurs you could call a person of Arab origin. I’ve witnessed it before, but within my own family, it was not seen as racism in my eyes in childhood. In my own eyes, my uncle, who’s phenotypically darker than my dad, saying such things to him wasn’t prejudice, merely teasing. However, the racism entrenched in Cuban culture was finally shown to me, committed by my own family against a simply innocent person.
The setup to this paragraph sounds like my family committed a violent crime against this person, but that’s not what happened; it was merely dramatic wordplay. Regardless, what did happen was unexpected and uncalled for. I was around twelve, halfway into my seventh-grade year; it was winter break for me. My uncles, aunts, cousins, and everyone in between, were all out at the Old Lisbon Restaurant near Viscaya (in that general area) to celebrate one of my cousin’s birthdays. An elegant, fancy restaurant with delicious food, I might add, the atmosphere was ripe for arrogance, ignorance, and hate.
The whole colony that is my family, was leaving the table after our meal by waves. The situation that happened occurred before I witnessed it. As I exited the wooden door in front of such a fancy restaurant, all I could hear were my uncles and another voice arguing. Now, I don’t know what happened that such unnecessary escalation of voices was needed, but what was important was after. For the last parts of the argument (something about the random person they were arguing with bothering the swarm that is my family), my family expressed nothing racially provocative towards the man. Still, when we all started to load up into our respective cars, that's where it was seen in all its vile glory.
The slurs that flew in that car, from uncle to my aunts, the violent and disgusting words to describe this man based on his race, baffled me. I never expected my family to fall to such lengths and embrace pure and utter racism. My eyes were wide open in shock at the whole situation; my cousins, on the other hand, seemingly ignored the words being spewed out. Finally, one of my cousins looked at me and said, “don’t worry, this happens sometimes.” My eyes opened further at the supposed acceptance my family embraced upon the racism spewed. It was utterly foreign to me; this side of the family was never seen before by my eyes.
The night was over, and the large swarm that was my family split up and went to our homes. However, I was still utterly shocked at the events that unfolded before me, and it shocked me to the very core that I still remember the events until this day. The truth is this was my first experience of seeing the racism that prevails over Cuban culture and people. From then on, every micro-aggression, every little slur, and every act I witnessed committed by my Cuban family and their friends was stored in my brain. This event wasn’t a one-time thing but a reflection of the racist ideology the culture has upheld.
Miami has long been a haven for Cuban exiles fleeing the Revolution of 1959; usually, the people who left the island as refugees (predominantly of European ancestry) were essential in propping up Miami into the community it is today. The hatred of dark skin, the supposed “lowliness” of being of African ancestry, was there, and it has been there in Cuban culture. Cuba has long had a society based on racism, with active disenfranchisement, suppression of Afro-Cuban culture and political parties, and the legacy of slavery prevailing over the island. The racist ideology has become ingrained into Cuban culture, and the refugees that continue to leave the island bring those ideologies with them.
Miami, a symbol of the strength of the Cuban people, carries the legacy of racism from the island, only to be reinforced by America’s racism. The Cuban-American is a part of the very backbone of the city, a substantial contributor to the cultural heritage that surrounds us all. Still, the sad reality is we continue to ostracize and discriminate against others deemed unworthy solely based on skin color. We are just as a part of Miami as the African-American, Haitian-American, European-American, and many other groups that are a part of our multi-ethnic city. As much as I hate to say it, it was a necessary evil to be witnessed by such actions and words said. I am not the only one who shares this same experience in seeing the racism in our community; it is common to witness. Regardless, it is our duty as the legacy of our culture to change our own culture; in turn, the burden of our people should be to break down this racist chokehold that stains us; at least, that’s how I’ve come to see it.
Citation
Anonymous, “Miami in a Different Light,” Everything Speaks To Me , accessed September 18, 2026, https://everythingspeakstome.com/items/show/130.