Miami’s Statue of Liberty lives on — and it should | Opinion
For many Miamians, the Freedom Tower is a striking landmark on Biscayne Boulevard. But for thousands of Cuban families like mine, it is sacred ground.
This building welcomed us during the most vulnerable moments of our lives. It offered hope, help and the first step toward a new beginning.
I came to Miami in 1960 as a young boy, just before the Cuban Refugee Center opened. Like many others, my family believed our stay in the U.S. would be brief.
As we slowly realized the truth of our circumstances, the Freedom Tower, which became our processing center, came to symbolize everything we left behind and everything we hoped to find in our new home.
I had another significant connection to the building. As a 12-year-old on my bike — rain or shine — I delivered the Miami News, which was housed in the Freedom Tower before it welcomed Cuban exiles.
I had to pay for the newspapers, rubber bands and wax paper bags for rainy days. I prided myself on good service, “porching” the paper by the front door and collecting payments from more than 30 customers. That early responsibility gave me valuable experience that would later help me launch three businesses, serve my community and pursue the American dream.
Over the years, my life has intersected with the Freedom Tower in unexpected ways, from those early deliveries to helping promote its partial renovation decades later. I’ve watched it fall into disrepair. I’ve watched it be revived. And I’ve had the privilege of playing a small role in advocating for its preservation.
To me, the Freedom Tower is more than a landmark — it’s a symbol of opportunity, resilience and the power of community.
When Miami Dade College acquired the Freedom Tower, I knew it had found the right home. MDC is where countless immigrants, including many Cuban exiles, found their educational footing and began to build their American dream. Who better to steward a place so rich in immigrant history?
What has mattered most to me, and to so many others, is the college’s commitment not just to restore the building but to reimagine it.
To transform it from an empty shell into a living, breathing museum. A place alive with stories, art, history and renewed purpose.
Today, the Freedom Tower stands renewed, not as a monument to the past but as a dynamic space for learning and celebration.
It honors those who came before us and invites future generations to understand the sacrifices that shaped this city. As a Cuban exile, a former MDC board member and a lifelong Miamian, I am proud to have witnessed its journey.
Let us continue to preserve it, not just as a building but as the beacon it is for our city. It is, quite simply, Miami’s Statue of Liberty.
Leslie Pantín is a former Miami Dade College member of the Board of Trustees, a Cuban refugee who came to Miami on Aug. 21, 1960, and a proud Miamian.