On Nov. 25, 2016 the life of a former communist dictator, Fidel Castro, ended due to old age. When his death was broadcasted, many Cuban-Americans cried tears of happiness knowing their history can soon be forgotten with his death. “It’s a day of mixed emotions. We are not celebrating so much Castro’s death. We are celebrating the hope of a new era in Cuba,” expressed Isabella Izquierdo. The regime of Castro was a rocky one, and many people disagreed with almost everything he accomplished.

His political rise happened in a non-traditional fashion. Castro established the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere after he overthrew Fulgencio Batista’s military dictatorship in 1959. Although Castro established higher literacy rates and health care in Cuba, the country had a highly antagonistic relationship with the United States.

In Modern U.S. History, Pleasant Valley students learn all about the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis. These two major events are the reason why there were such high tensions between the United States and Cuba. Recently, the trade embargo was officially lifted after 55 years of tension. Castro was the key reason for these instances, which is why Cubans detested their former dictator.

The death of a leader, who created such a negative impact on a relatively small country, is a date to remember. Thousands of Cuban-Americans rejoiced and celebrated the death of Cuba’s former dictator on the streets of Miami. “This celebration is about my parents’ generation who have hated this man for 50 years,” an emotional Cuban-American man, Manny Duarte, stated. Many lives were at risk during his regime, and his political and economical ideas were harsh on the country of Cuba. His death symbolizes freedom and new beginnings.