Exhibit: With Open Heart and Open Arms: LGBTQ+ Cuban Refugees and the LGBTQ+ Community's Response to the Mariel Boat Lift of 1980 In-Person
This traveling exhibit was created by The John J. Wilcox Archives of the William Way LGBT Community Center in Philadelphia, and it comes to Etown via the support of the LGBT Center of Harrisburg and Etown’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging, in celebration of LGBTQ+ History Month.
From April through October 1980 approximately 125,000 refugees fled their homes in Cuba and traveled by American ships and boats to Key West in the United States. Among those who left from the Cuban port of Mariel (and thus have become known as Marielitos) were a sizable number of LGBTQ Cubans.
These new residents of the United States were assisted in their resettlement by dedicated members of the LGBTQ community, including many from Pennsylvania who assisted at the resettlement camp in Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, or helped those who settled in Pennsylvania. This exhibit explores the circumstances surrounding the exodus and resettlement, focusing on the personal stories of LGBTQ Cuban immigrants who have since made their lives in this country.
The exhibition is free and open to the public and will be on display in the High Library from October 5 - 31. Contact Josh Cohen, cohenjp@etown.edu with any questions.
- Date:
- Tuesday, October 5, 2021 Show more dates
- Time:
- All Day Event
- Time Zone:
- Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- High Library
- Categories:
- High Library Exhibit