I interviewed Derik Alonso, a 20-year-old Cuban-American whose parents immigrated to the United States from Cuba almost 40 years ago. His Cuban background is still prevalent in his family life today.
Do you consider yourself more Cuban or more American?
"I consider myself Cuban. Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud to be American, but I like my Cuban roots. I guess I’m just glad to be Cuban, to speak two languages, to know two cultures and just about the way I was raised. Cuban people are just nice in general."
Is there any situation in which you noticed that you are Cuban-Cuban?
"Definitely! When the whole family just shows up at my house because it’s a birthday or just because someone made extra plates of arroz con frijoles. Then there’s Christmas, when my family cooks a whole pork in an underground box and my non-Cuban friends are just so confused by it."
Do you think being Cuban-American has helped or hindered you?
"It has definitely helped me! I get to see things around me in two different ways. It builds character and gives you diversity. On top of that, it lets you speak two languages fluently without education; most people can’t do that."
Has it made you more tolerant towards diversity/other minorities?
"Yeah, I would think so. I don’t really feel good judging people while being a 'minority' myself. Plus, Cubans are so diverse within themselves! There are white and black ones and then some in-between."
Do you have any interest in your Cuban roots?
"I mean, I have always wanted to go to Cuba. Of course, I wouldn’t want to live there ... but just to experience what my people have gone through. Plus, I just want to have my entire family together because so many are still over there, and I want to see how big it really is."
How do you feel about the current situation in Cuba?
"I think it has improved. It makes me angry but it’s so hard to change it; it has been like that for so long. I don’t see change right around the corner or anything, but it can only get better from here."
Have you ever experienced any form of racism yourself?
"That’s hard to find in Miami because there’s so much diversity, but when I have been outside of Miami I’ve encountered not racism but hesitation. I’ve just felt like an outsider, like they didn’t understand what I was. For example, sometimes non-Hispanics are confused because, yeah, I’m white, but then I have a strong accent and I talk with my hands and Spanish words slip into my everyday conversations."
How important are minorities?
"Yeah, minorities are barely minorities anymore. They create such a wide range of perspectives and diversity. Even though minorities sometimes get a bad reputation, and some people use the 'minority excuse,' so there are still challenges."
Can you explain the "minority excuse?"
"When people just don’t try as hard because 'they don’t have the same opportunities,' but now-a-days, the playing field is pretty even. As a matter of fact, sometimes minorities have an advantage. Like in some schools, minority students have special programs or scholarships that non-minorities don’t. I’ve seen my parents do it and my aunts, uncles, even my grandparents, so there’s no such thing as a 'minority excuse'!"
Can anything be done to improve relationships between whites and minorities?
"I mean, I don’t know. You can’t force people to get along or whatnot. People should definitely learn more about different cultures. That means whites learning about minorities, minorities learning about whites or minorities learning about other minorities. I’m just tired of being called Mexican. There is nothing wrong with being Mexican, but every Hispanic is NOT a Mexican! Every Xbox Live game that I get called a Mexican, I lose it a little."
Posts in Uncovering Immigration appear on Wednesdays.
Derik Alonso jokingly "pretends to be Cuban" with a fedora hat and Twix "cigar."
