Sarah McNamara, "Ybor City: Crucible of the Latina South" (UNC Press, 2023)

About this episode

Sarah McNamara discusses her book on the history of Ybor City and the role of Latina/o communities in shaping social and political movements in Florida.

Decades before Miami became Havana USA, a wave of leftist, radical, working-class women and men from prerevolutionary Cuba crossed the Florida Straits, made Ybor City the global capital of the Cuban cigar industry, and established the foundation of latinidad in the Sunshine State. Located on the eastern edge of Tampa, Ybor City was a neighborhood of cigar workers and Caribbean revolutionaries who sought refuge against the shifting tides of international political turmoil during the early half of the twentieth century.In Ybor City: Crucible of the Latina South (University of North Carolina Press, 2023), Historian Sarah McNamara tells the story of immigrant and U.S.-born Latinas/os who organized strikes, marched against fascism, and criticized U.S. foreign policy. While many members of the immigrant generation maintained their dedication to progressive ideals for years to come, those who came of age in the wake of World War II distanced themselves from leftist politics amidst the Red Scare and the wrecking ball of urban renewal. This portrait of the political shifts that defined Ybor City highlights the underexplored role of women’s leadership within movements for social and…

People in this episode

Host: Marshall Poe

Guest: Sarah McNamara

Topics covered

• Latina history
• immigration
• labor movements
• women's leadership
• political activism
• cultural identity

Keywords

• Ybor City
• Latina South
• cigar industry
• social justice
• immigrant activism
• Florida history
• women's leadership

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of North Carolina Press

Places: Ybor City, Florida, Cuba

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