For generations of South Floridians, the Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College is much more than a handsomely restored building. The “Ellis Island of the South” for thousands of Cuban immigrants who came in waves after Fidel Castro took power, it was the threshold to a new life in a land of promise and hope.
This fall, MDC celebrates the Freedom Tower’s prominent role in the community’s development with the creation of the Cuban Exile Experience and the Cuban Diaspora Cultural Legacy Gallery, and, for the first time in the building’s history, the doors will be open for free public tours.
Curated and presented in collaboration with the Miami Herald Media Company, which has covered the Cuban exile community for decades, The Exile Experience: Journey to Freedom brings to light the stories and artifacts of the people who passed through the Freedom Tower upon their arrival in the United States, a milestone in all of their lives. The exhibits also raise and address many questions surrounding the circumstances that drove Cuban refugees to risk their lives and venture forth to create new lives in a new land.
For more information on these exhibits and others at MDC’s Museum of Art + Design, visit the MOAD website.