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Since fleeing Cuba in 1993, disguised as a Spanish tourist, Alina Fernandez, the exiled daughter of Fidel Castro, has been an outspoken critic of the Communist regime that has ruled her country for more than 50 years. Jak Tichenor talked with Fernandez during her 2008 visit to Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) for Latino Heritage Month. Fernandez shared early memories of her father and provided insight into Cuba's political environment during the 1960s and '70s. She also discussed the politics of Castro's policies and the extraordinary poverty that continues to plague the lives of Cuban citizens. Although her father has passed control to his brother Raoul, who has promised long-anticipated reforms, she is not convinced that the hard-line Marxists who continue to control the Cuban government are ready to embrace democratic policies. Until every Cuban is able to realize their own destiny without fear of persecution, she is reluctant for the United States to ease its long-standing restrictions on trade with her homeland. Fernandez currently hosts her own radio show called Simplemente Alina (Simply Alina) on WQBA in Miami.

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