History Professor Speaks at Pedro Pan Exhibit
On June 25, CT State Middlesex history professor Victor Andres Triay, Ph.D., who wrote the first book about Operation Pedro Pan in 1998, addressed the opening of a new exhibit at the Victims of Communism Museum in Washington D.C. The exhibit is called Operation Pedro Pan: The Cuban Children's Exodus, covering America’s mission to save Cuban children from communism between 1960–1962.
Professor Triay spoke about situations in 1960 Cuba that led to the largest child refugee movement in the Western Hemisphere. Organizers hope the exhibit raises awareness about the dangers of totalitarian regimes and also showcases the generosity of the American people who welcomed thousands of Cuban children.
Carlos Eire, Ph.D., professor of history and religious studies at Yale University, also spoke at the opening, as did Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
Dr. Triay is a trustee of Operation Pedro Pan Group based in Florida as well as a member of their historical committee.
Click here for further details of the exhibit.
Books by Dr. Triay:
Fleeing Castro: Operation Pedro Pan and the Cuban Children’s Program (1998)
The Mariel Boatlift: A Cuban-American Journey (2019) (Florida Book Awards, Gold Medal for Florida Nonfiction; and the American Association for State and Local History Leadership in History Award in Local History - Honorable Mention)
Bay of Pigs: An Oral History of Brigade 2506 (2020) (Florida Historical Society Samuel Proctor Award.)
Click here for additional books.
Photo below right: Victims of Communism Monument (with a group of former Pedro Pan children).
