For Cubans in Austin, Castro's death met with more joy than grief
Taylor Goldenstein
tgoldenstein@statesman.com
For some in Austin, news of the death of Fidel Castro on Friday came as a moment to reflect on his legacy; for others, it was a welcome surprise.
Moisés Chiullán, 33, a podcaster from Northeast Austin, immediately took to Twitter to voice his disdain for those praising Castro for his impact on the country's health care and education system without acknowledging the suppression of freedom or of political dissidents under his regime.
"Cuba could've seen worse had Castro not seized power from (former Cuban dictator Fulgencio) Batista, sure. Arguing 'he did some good stuff' is 'Hitler improved efficiency!'" Chiullán tweeted.
Chiullán's father emigrated from Cuba on the 1980 Mariel boatlift after being jailed for counterrevolutionary speech and for having a business that wasn't approved by the government — in other words, he said, for "committing the crime of capitalism."
Chiullán said he was frustrated by Americans who champion Castro and characterize him as a "misunderstood genius." That reaction comes from a place of privilege, he said.
"Because it didn't happen to their people, their family, their ethnic group, they are blind to the real human costs of things," he said.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 59,115 Cubans living in Texas, 4,901 of whom live in Austin.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, the son of a Cuban immigrant, responded Saturday to Castro's death by focusing on the suffering under his rule.
"Fidel Castro's death cannot bring back his thousands of victims, nor can it bring comfort to their families," Cruz said. "Today we remember them and honor the brave souls who fought the lonely fight against the brutal Communist dictatorship he imposed on Cuba."
Jonathan C. Brown, a University of Texas professor who teaches courses on the history of Latin American revolutions, said regardless of where people fall on the issue, Castro's death marked a historic moment.
"I'm not praising him, but he has to be one of the most capable politicians of the 20th Century," Brown said. "He created the socialist economy that dispossessed the United States, and he survived the United States' hostility for all that time. That is a major accomplishment."
But, he said, it came at the price of the country's economic well-being and freedom of speech. That might explain the disparity in opinions regarding his death, he said.
Brown warned those celebrating that Castro's death doesn't necessarily mean the end of communism in Cuba.
"I don't think the Communist Party is going to give up power so easily," he said.
Cubans in Austin on Saturday were hopeful for change, though. At Tropicana Cuban Restaurant in North Austin, owner Enrique Reyes, 54, said his Cuban customers had been coming in with smiles on their faces and their country's flag in their hands. It's all everyone's talking about, he said.
"They are happy. They think something's changing," Reyes said. "Now that he's gone, maybe we're expecting a little change from his brother."
For Reyes, it was a day that he sometimes felt would never come. "All my family died waiting to see this day," he said.
Castro's death gives him hope that the shadow of his regime might soon be lifting and freedom might be on the horizon, he said.
Omar Guzman, 35, manager of CUBA512, a Cuban restaurant in South Austin, immigrated here eight years ago and reacted similarly.
"We're not happy for the death of anyone, but we are happy, we are excited because of whatever changes may come for the good of our people that are still back there and still oppressed and have been oppressed for so many years," said Guzman, who still has many family members in Cuba.
Guzman doesn't bemoan celebratory comments, though. Instead, he appreciates them as a symbol of freedom.
"I'm very grateful to be in place where we all can speak our mind … and nothing will happen," Guzman said. "Nobody will go to jail, no one will disappear suddenly, no journalist will go missing. … That's what we all need to appreciate."