In the late 50s my uncle and family had been living in Cuba when the communist revolution began. During the civil war my uncle did not support the communist and following their victory he began to despise them. After getting frustrated and seeing the mistreatment of others first hand by these soldiers he started to help in assisting members of a resistance who wanted to overthrow the communists. Everyday he would help buy smuggling weapons with his car as well as bringing information on what was going on where he lived. One day he found out that his friend had been caught by the military during one of his runs and was not heard from by anyone ever again. Fearing that he had given up everyone he knew being involved my uncle ran home that night packed a couple of things before his grandfather caught him leaving. He told him he knew why he had to leave and helped him to escape with the help of his friends who smuggled him by boat to Florida. Once there he flew to Spain where he had relatives and friends who would help him out. While there he helped to get a lot of his family over to the United States until he left to go to the states as well a couple years later. One of the things he brought with himself when he left Cuba was this small toy car and kept it until passing it on to me on one of my early birthdays when i was young. I have kept it ever since. 

– Marc Vega

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant