On Thanksgiving 1999, five-year-old Elián González was rescued at sea near the Florida coast after his mother and others drowned on a make-shift boat, fleeing from Cuba. His miraculous survival would make global headlines, but Elián would be put in the middle of a dramatic familial feud and two enemy nations — highlighting the very Cuban experience of family separation.
Episodes drop every Wednesday, starting 9/25/24.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode Transcript
On Thanksgiving Day in nineteen ninety nine, a five year
old boy floated alone in the ocean. He had lost
his mother trying to reach Florida from Cuba.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Looked like a little angel. I mean, he looks so fresh.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Soon, that angelic face will be seen across the world
and his name, Elian Gonzalez will make headlines everywhere.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
It happens at the same time that we have the
modern media machine being created, the twenty four hour news cycle.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
Gonzales Alianzalas.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
At the heart of the story is a young boy
and the question of who he belongs with his father
in Cuba.
Speaker 5 (00:50):
Mister Gonzales wanted to go home, and he wanted.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
To take your son with or his relatives in Miami.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
This was not just any custody battle. It was also
a battle between two enim nations.
Speaker 5 (01:08):
Elean Coomes. Fidel hasn't gone down. Everybody's not happy about that.
And by God, Fidel's not going to get this trophy.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
And there was a front page picture of Jennerino and
she took her sewing scissors and tore out the eyes
of Generino.
Speaker 6 (01:24):
He was cut in the crossfire between two governments, and
not just him, all Cubans are caught in that crossfire.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
At the heart of it all is still this painful family.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Separation, something that as a Cuban I know all too well.
It was before a Lean and after Alian. Listen to
chees Peace, the Lean Gonzalez Story from Futura Studios on
the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Host
Peniley Ramírez
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Ridiculous History
History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.