In 1980, there was an exodus of Cubans who left their homes for the United States as part of the Mariel Boatlift. This includes almost 15,000 Cuban refugees who were sent to Fort McCoy in Sparta, Wisconsin. In this podcast, Cubans who remained in the area share untold stories about their early lives, moving to Wisconsin, and what life has been like since they’ve been living here in limbo.
Latest Episodes
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More than 40 years ago, these exiles left their lives in Cuba. They’ve since established roots in Wisconsin.
Enrique Moré has roots in La Crosse. He’s been a part of the city’s music scene for decades, most notably playing with Mr. Blink. Wisconsin is his home. But it didn’t feel much like home when he first got here, when he was one of a handful of Cubans to settle in La Crosse after…
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How the Cuban revolution eventually led to 15K refugees in Wisconsin
When Fidel Castro took control of Cuba in 1959, some feared the shift to communism and left almost right away. Decades later, the changes brought on by the revolution would also lead to almost 15,000 Cuban refugees coming to Wisconsin as part of the Mariel Boatlift of 1980.
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The mass exoduses that followed the Cuban Revolution
Episodio 3: traducción al español Rodosvaldo Pozo was only a teenager when he was sent to prison in Camagüey, Cuba, after being accused of burning sugar cane fields. In the last episode of “Uprooted,” he wouldn’t say whether he really did it. One day when Pozo was alone in his prison cell, he was approached…
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Sharks, apples and capitalism: Cubans take refuge in US after Mariel Boatlift journey
People who left Cuba to come to the United States as part of the Mariel Boatlift in 1980 share their experiences of traveling across the sea and their first memories stepping ashore in Florida.
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Cuban refugees stuck in limbo in Wisconsin
Fort McCoy was one of four U.S. military installations that housed Cuban refugees after the Mariel Boatlift in 1980. Almost 15,000 Cubans lived there that summer and fall while waiting to connect with family members or find sponsors.
Bonus Content
- Maureen McCollum Host & Executive Producer
- Omar Granados Host
- Brad Kolberg Technical Director
- Brady Carlson Producer
- Karl Christenson Music Composer
- Hannah Haynes Production Assistance
- Alyssa Allemand Digital Project Manager
- David Hyland Digital Project Manager
- Amanda Starich Web Developer
- Anna Rueden Web Developer
- Jane Jiumaleh Web Developer
- Angela Major Photojournalist
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