Little Havana

By Roberto Hernandez

     Miami’s Little Havana community is defined by Cuban immigrant culture and has established itself as a central location for political and cultural events in Miami.[i] Before 1960, the population of Cuban-Americans living in Miami was relatively small. However, with Fidel Castro in power, Cubans started to move to Miami. The Cuban population rapidly came to define Miami, with over half of Miami’s population consisting of Cuban immigrants by 1980, after the Mariel Boatlift.

     Soon after Fidel Castro took over Cuba in January 1959, thousands and then hundreds of thousands of Cubans came to Miami and settled in this area, so that it became a sort of “Plymouth Rock” for the new arrivals. By 1962, more than 28 businesses between Southwest 5^th and 15^th avenues had already switched ownership from Anglo to Cuban. By 1966, the Cuban transformation was, for the most, part complete. From this Little Havana launching pad, Miami’s Cubans not only transformed a neighborhood, they transformed an entire city.[ii]

     Today, the Little Havana community is all about music, cafecito, salsa, and Hispanic culture, but what really defines it is how cultures collide; creating a unique neighborhood that in many ways delineates Miami’s sense of place.  

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[i] American History USA website: https://www.americanhistoryusa.com/little-havana-cuban-culture-in-miami-since-castro/

[ii] Greater Miami and the Beaches website: http://www.miamiandbeaches.com/things-to-do/history-and-heritage/historic-little-havana

Miami Dade College

InterAmerican Campus

By Mark Perez

      The InterAmerican Campus is located in the colorful and diverse neighborhood of Little Havana. The roots of this campus go back as far as 1972. InterAmerican Campus (IAC) started off with only two night courses at the Belen Jesuit Prep School. Sixty students enrolled. By the 1979, the program had blossomed into the Wolfson Campus’ Division of Bilingual Studies, enrolling 2,000 students. Rapid growth came in the early 1980s, with an influx of students from Latin America and the Caribbean, which led to the addition of day classes and full-time faculty. Today, IAC offers students over 200 degree and certificate programs, including an A.S. in translation and interpretation studies, certificate programs in early childhood education, and a B.A.S. in Supervision and Management. It is also home to the dual-language Honors College and Miami Dade College's School of Education, which offers bachelor's degree programs in early childhood education, secondary mathematics education, exceptional student education, and secondary science education in the areas of biology, chemistry, physics and earth/space science.

     We are proud to say IAC is the campus with a personal touch; our faculty and staff go the extra mile every day to help students succeed.  To learn more about IAC, please visit http://www.mdc.edu/iac.