Another Cuban-American Blogger

Hello, this is Robert from 26th Parallel (no, this is not a blog takeover). A while back, Songuacassal asked me if I could write a post on this excellent blog, and I was more than honored to oblige.

As is the case with the contributors to Cuban-American Pundits, my interest in Cuban-American issues stems from my upbringing. Although I was born in the U.S., I have always felt a great sense of pride in my Cuban heritage. For several years, I searched for a good place on the web where one could find out and talk intelligently about Cuban culture. Sure, there were a few, but not as many as I would have liked. Also, many sites dealing with Cuban culture seemed to be pro-fidel, or at least anti Cuban-exile.

My internet experience changed on January 31st, 2005 when my wife told me about this article in the Miami Herald. The article was about Val Prieto and his Babalu Blog. I wasn't too familiar with blogs before that day, but after reading the article, I typed www.babalublog.com and the rest is history. Val's posts about Cuba and his stories about his relatives inspired me to join the ranks of Cuban-American bloggers and start my own blog. I wanted to bring my own perspective of Cuban issues to the forefront, while maintaining solidarity with Val and others who have established a solid presence on the web.

Considering my own experience and inspiration for starting 26th Parallel, it's no surprise that others would be motivated to do the same thing I did. I was flattered and honored when Songuacassal mentioned me as one of his inspirations for starting up Cuban-American Pundits back in April. This site has become quite a force, in my opinion, with wonderful contributions from all the collaborators.

Most of all, it's great to see the ranks of Cuban-American bloggers increase. The truth is being spread through different channels now, and that can only be a good thing for Cuba. I think us bloggers CAN make a difference. We're not powerful politicians, but we have this tool which can be seen by anyone, anywhere (except in Cuba) where we can try to influence and educate others.

Before I leave you with a couple of links to some 26th Parallel posts, I'd like to thank Songuacassal for the opportunity to come here and spread my word. Thanks to CB, Conductor, KillCastro, and Juan Paxety for their contributions and support; and, of course, thanks to the blogfather himself...Val Prieto.

Here are links to two of my favorite 26th Parallel posts. I hope you enjoy them.

- What it's like to be a Cuban-American. I wrote this, appropriately enough, on May 20th which also coincided with the start of the Cuba Nostalgia Convention.

- Gracias, Marielitos: 25th Anniversary of the Mariel Exodus. On the first week of my blog's existence, this is the first post that was linked on Babalu and got me some good exposure.