History | Syracuse | Latino Communities
In 1961, seven Cuban families fled Castro's revolution and relocated in Syracuse with help from Catholic Charities. They originally immigrated to Miami, but could not find employment there, so they loaded all they had on a bus and headed north. Many of the Cubans who escaped Castro's regime in the 1960s were middle class professionals who had left everything behind to flee the repression of a Communist government. Engineers, doctors, lawyers and other professionals were among these Cubans who found their way to Syracuse. The Saladrigas family was among these first Cuban emigres to settle in the city. Carlos A. Saladrigas went on to teach Spanish in the area for thirty years, first in Liverpool Central Schools and then as a professor at Syracuse University.
By 1967, approximately 300 Puerto Ricans lived in the West Side in a poorer socioeconomic neighborhood. This group consisted of newer immigrants who had not yet established themselves. Language posed more of a barrier for them, especially because they had come from very rural areas of Puerto Rico and had not had access to a good education. Their lack of English language skills kept many of them from gainful employment, causing a cycle of poverty. The language barrier was also an obstacle that made it difficult to obtain adequate health care.
Vocabulary
Regime: A very disciplined, authoritative system of government.
Repression: The state of being held down or restrained.
Socioeconomic: Involving factors that are both economic and social.
Gainful: Increasing or improving, profitable.