Honoring and Remembering My Tia Sonia

Jan 28, 2026

Tia Sonia, a Cuban exile who lived through the Revolution, imprisonment, and life rebuilding in the U.S. shares vivid memories. She recalls leaving Cuba in 1962, the gap between Castro’s promises and daily deprivation, state surveillance and indoctrination, risking imprisonment to resist, and returning with scarce aid for family members.

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ANECDOTE

Escape And Lifelong Aid To Family

Tia Sonia fled Cuba in 1962 after resisting Castro and enduring imprisonment and torture.
She later returned repeatedly carrying medicine, food, and clothing for relatives who had almost nothing.

ANECDOTE

Persecution And Community Surveillance

As a teenager Tia Sonia fought the counter-revolution and faced persecution, detention, and disappearances.
Neighbors were encouraged to spy and children were indoctrinated to report anti‑government sentiment in households.

ANECDOTE

Barred From Basic Freedoms As A Cuban

On return visits Tia Sonia was barred from simple activities like renting a boat because authorities treated Cuban citizens differently.
Even with U.S. passports, Cubans faced restrictions and local officials enforced separation from tourists.

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1. Life in Cuba Before and After the Revolution

At first, many Cubans—including Sonia’s family—believed Fidel Castro would bring hope and equality.
Very quickly, Castro imposed strict control, destroyed economic freedom, and made the entire population equally poor.

2. The Reality of Communist Cuba

Universal poverty: Everyone was paid the same and had almost nothing—food shortages, basic needs unmet.
State surveillance: Every neighborhood had assigned informants who monitored households and reported any anti‑government sentiment.
Restrictions on daily life: Cubans were barred from renting boats, traveling, or accessing certain services, even if they had citizenship elsewhere.

3. Persecution and Indoctrination

Sonia witnessed the regime executing and imprisoning dissenters.
Castro used propaganda to turn children against their families, encouraging them to report relatives critical of the government.
Schools were forced to teach pro‑communist, pro‑Castro ideology.

4. Family Resistance

Sonia’s mother (a teacher) was ordered to teach communist doctrine.
Rather than comply, she pretended to have a mental breakdown so she could be removed from teaching, since quitting was illegal.
Sonia herself resisted the regime and was repeatedly detained, imprisoned for days, and disappeared without her family knowing her whereabouts.

5. Life After Leaving Cuba

Sonia left in 1962 but returned over the years with suitcases of medicine, food, clothing, and household essentials—items extremely scarce in Cuba.
She often left behind even her own clothes because relatives in Cuba lacked basics like underwear and bedsheets.

6. The Illusion Presented to Foreign Visitors

Tourists and foreign politicians were only shown “model” schools, hospitals, and neighborhoods.
This created a false image of prosperity, hiding the suffering of everyday Cubans who lived in extreme poverty.

7. Misconceptions About Socialism and Communism

The conversation highlights how younger Americans often romanticize socialism without understanding its authoritarian outcomes.
It emphasizes that socialist regimes destroy incentive, suppress faith, and strip away basic freedoms.
The leaders of these systems live in luxury while the people remain impoverished.

8. The Human Cost

Sonia stresses that the worst suffering was the inability of families to secure food and basic necessities for their children.
Many Cubans survive by drinking sugar water to feel full.
Average income was described as around $30 per month, making survival nearly impossible.

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