Elián González
Houston Cubans participated in activities supporting Elián Gonzalez, the little Cuban boy who survived a miraculous journey to the United States by way of sea. With much symbolism, Elian was found on Thanksgiving Day floating on an inner tube, after his mom, among others, died at sea.

Elian's story symbolizes everything which all Cuban-Americans have experienced. Cuban parents have sacrificed everything for their children; when given the opportunity to leave Cuba, they have taken the risk and begun a new life abroad. Along the way, many Cubans have also tragically lost loved ones, as Elian did. As you'll find in the experiences of most refugeed Cubans, the parents work harder than ever to regain lost time in Cuba and to support the children and the extended family members (if they are lucky enough to have been exiled with the entire family).

The Cuban-American migration, eventhough still young, has seen the fruits of its labor thrive in a short amount of time. Cuban-Americans have made a tremendous impact in South Florida, New York, New Jersey, among other U.S. cities and in other parts of the world. The Cuban-American contribution is seen through many of the Cuban-American congressmen, CEO's of companies, as well as seen in the everyday, hard-working Cuban-American.

The fact that Elian defied all odds and made it to U.S. waters, alone, in shark-infested waters, dehydrated, scared, and protected by dolphins is none-other than a miracle. Cubans, being traditionaly Roman Catholic, also know and understand the power of the "Guardian Angel" prayer which Elian endlessly repeated during his journey to the U.S.

The Elian incident didn't end as we would have hoped. But, Cuban-Americans did everything in their power, as provided to every American under the U.S. constitution, not only to protect our own Cuban brother, but also to exclaim to the world "we all need to protect our constitutional rights, whether Cuban or not. Your constitutional rights can be at risk, if you don't speak up."

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