Miami’s Battle over Bilingual

In Confianza

When more Latin Americans became residents of Miami in the 1970s, the city seemed to calmly welcome the influx of Spanish-speaking newcomers — prompting a city ordinance to create bilingual options throughout the municipality. But following the massive influx of Cuban citizens, via the Mariela Boatlift in 1980, an English-only antagonism grew, setting off a decade-long struggle to acknowledge the multilingual identity of the city. We revisit this fight and how it speaks to ongoing tensions to accept Latino identity in cities throughout the United States.

This episode was produced and written by Charlie Garcia. Editing by Mark Págan.. Audio engineering and scoring by Charlie Garcia. It was hosted by Liz Rebecca Alarcón.

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