The Cubans of Union City: Immigrants and Exiles in a New Jersey Community

3. Building Community: Economic Growth and the Rise of Local Organizations

3 Building Community Economic Growth and the Rise of Local Organizations When I arrived in Union City in 1968, I found a predominantly European American community. My first job was as a billing machine operator for a textile company, and at the time I was the only Hispanic in the office. I still remember Janet, a very kind German American woman, who helped me learn the ropes during my first months. I also remember Dawn, a young Armenian woman who, like me, had immigrated to the United States very recently. Another co-worker was Mary, an Italian American who did not feel comfortable with my foreign accent, and who often found an opportunity to complain about the Spanish (Cuban) invasion that was afflicting the town.1 I had to work full-time to help my family settle in a new country. While working during the day I attended school at night. After a couple of years, I was able to quit that job, take part-time work, and go to school full-time. There were already some Cuban businesses in the area before the massive migration of the 1960s. The prerevolutionary immigrants had opened at least two bodegas or grocery stores. One was on 26th Street and Bergenline Avenue (the main commercial thoroughfare) and was owned by Guillermo Labrada. The other was located on 48th Street and Hudson Avenue and was owned by a Spaniard who had lived in Cuba for many years before emigrating to the United States. Bodegas are mom-and-pop 40 Chapter Three stores that sell mostly food, but also some home conveniences. In immigrant communities, it is typical to see these establishments emerge as a result of social networks and the human capital that immigrants bring with them. Before the existence of the bodegas, Cubans had to go to New York City to find some of the products they consumed, such as black beans and plantains. In addition, there was a Cuban restaurant, Hernández Restaurant, on Bergenline near 28th Street. And Manuel Pérez started a travel agency, Pérez Travel, at Bergenline and 24th Street. The pre-1960s immigrants formed the first social club, the Liceo Cubano, which was open until the early 1990s. But the Cuban immigrant community was small, and when the exiles started to come en masse in the 1960s, they still found a predominantly ethnic European enclave. Real estate was owned by European Americans or by European immigrants. For example, our landlord and many of our neighbors were Greek. Bergenline Avenue was dominated by white European American commerce. Mainstream stores like Woolworth on 35th Street, Schlezinger’s, an upscale clothing store, and A. Holthausen, were flanked by small enterprises. Most Cuban exiles came without money or possessions. They were allowed by the Cuban government to carry only essential clothing and other basic personal items. As many interviewees shared with me, and as I remember myself, Cubans could only bring a change of clothing for three FIGURE 3.1 Bergenline Avenue at 48th Street facing downtown Union City. (José Hernández) Building Community 41 days. When they arrived in Union City, they needed a lot of support. They received help from three major sources: (1) the Cuban Refugee Program in Jersey City’s Hudson County Department of Social Services, (2) relatives already residing in the area, and (3) existing organizations such as churches that began to serve the needs of Cubans. A full discussion of the benefits under the Cuban Refugee Program can be found in Chapters 1 and 2. The role of religious organizations will be explored in Chapter 5. Here I would like to discuss ways in which the institutional structures of the city responded to the Cuban presence, in particular the commercial and educational structures. As Cubans continued to flow into Union City, many small businesses began to cater to them. One example is Anthony’s Pharmacy, owned by Anthony Inguaggiato, an Italian American who learned Spanish to perfection . This pharmacy is located on Palisade Avenue and 43rd Street. Tony served as half pharmacist, half folk doctor for the community, giving advice on how to treat a range of maladies from simple colds to muscular aches and pains. Waiting lines were long since he provided services in Spanish as well as medicines. There was also a furniture store on New York Avenue and 37th Street. The store was referred to as El Manco, or “The...