Fidel Castro’s Daughter to Speak at ECC This Month

Alina Fernandez will share tales of her native Cuba, including life as former Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s daughter, during Elgin Community College’s celebration of Latino Heritage Month. The free presentation will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20, in the college’s Advanced Technology Center Auditorium, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.

Fernandez is politically and personally estranged from her famous father, who has neither confirmed nor denied his paternity. Born out of wedlock to Castro and a married Havana socialite who sympathized with the revolutionary, Fernandez was a toddler during Castro’s rise to power in 1959.

Although her earliest memories included nights of Castro playing with her as a child, Fernandez spent her later years rebelling against her father and denouncing his politics. Seeking to leave Cuba for years, Fernandez successfully defected to the United States in 1993 by secretly obtaining a Spanish passport, gaining weight and donning a disguise to match the passport photo, and boarding a plane when her request for political asylum was granted. She published her story, Castro's Daughter: An Exile's Memoir of Cuba, in 1998.

For additional information about this event or other Latino Heritage Month events, contact the Student Life Office at 847-214-7370.

-Submitted by Elgin Community College