By Mercedes Olivera
The Dallas Morning News,
September
16
Some Cuban-Americans say they are concerned that Americans may believe change has finally come to Cuba.
Others believe that, with the end of the Soviet regime, change must come to Cuba if it is to survive economically in this hemisphere.
Still others say they believe that any discussion on a modern Cuba by those who favor dialogue with Fidel Castro's government must not go unchallenged.
All views will be discussed at an upcoming conference this month on the state of Cuba, sponsored by The Dallas Morning News. Conference speakers will include a representative from the Cuban Foreign Ministry in Havana.
For Dallas lawyer Jose Hernandez, a 44-year-old Cuban-born exile, Cuba is an issue that stirs deep-seated emotions.
"Most of us suffered gravely at the hands of the Cuban government," said Mr. Hernandez, whose grandfather was a Spanish-American War hero and whose father lost his 500-acre farm under Mr. Castro.
"They called us gusanos [worms], and now they will be here - in our own back yard - spouting their philosophy in front of us," he said. "We don't think they tell the truth."
He said the Cuban-American community today, with its second and third generations, has divided into two camps: those who favor the current U.S. hard-line policy of no dialogue with Cuba and those who don't want Mr. Castro's version of a Cuba in transition to go unchallenged in public.
"There are those who choose to continue opposing Castro and ignore it," he said. "I believe we need to sit at the table and serve as a counterweight."
For Guillermo Vidaud, 69, who left Cuba in the 1960s, Mr. Castro's system has destroyed the economy and now needs U.S. tourists and dollars to stay alive.
"There's no point in discussing change in Cuba," Mr. Vidaud said. "There's no evolution at all. The economic and political climate is exactly the same as when I left it 38 years ago."
The conference will represent all viewpoints, said Ricardo Chavira, The News' assistant managing editor for national and international news.
"Cuba is an issue of crucial importance because of its proximity to our own borders and the very unsettled nature of that country," he said. "This is a way for us to educate the public beyond the pages of The News."
The conference, Cuba in Evolution, will be Sept. 28-29 at the Renaissance Dallas Hotel, 2222 Stemmons Freeway. Registration is $150 per person.
For more information, call Elizabeth Lenart of The News at (214) 977-7185.
© 1998 The Dallas Morning News