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ALINA FERNANDEZ PAPERS

Reports, Educational Materials, Audio Cassettes and Photographs, 1980-1984
Manuscript Collection MC 870
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THE CUBAN REFUGEE CAMP at Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas

The donor, Alina Fernandez, worked for the Cuban Haitian Task Force at Ft. Chaffee during the Cuban refugee influx. On April 20, 1980, Fidel Castro announced that all Cubans wishing to emigrate to the United States could leave from the Cuban port of Mariel by boat. Thus began the "Freedom Flotilla." By May 31, 1980 over 94,000 Cuban refugees had arrived in the United States. Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas was opened as a reception center in May, 1980 in response to the influx. In July 1980, the Cuban Haitian Task Force (C/HTF), an interagency organization which coordinated reception, resettlement and camp operations, assumed responsibilities for Ft. Chaffee refugee operations and that of the other relocation camps; Nicholas Thorne became its first director. By June 1981, 97% of the Cuban refugees in Ft. Chaffee had been resettled and the Cuban Haitian Task Force merged with the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).
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THE COLLECTION

Alina Fernandez of Arlington, Texas, donated papers concerning the Cuban refugees at Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas, in 1988.

The papers refer to the official and unofficial operations of the Cuban refugee camp at Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas as well as the camps at Ft. McCoy, Wisconsin, and Ft. Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. Along with summary reports, of the Cuban Haitian Task Force, the collection contains sample interviews, English lesson plans, taped interviews and anecdotes by the Cuban refugees, and photographs of Ft. Chaffee. Most of the audio material is in Spanish as are some other didactic materials.

For more information, see the Alina Fernandez Addendum (MC 1001)

Processed by Norma Ortiz-Karp, September 1988. Special Collections Division, University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville, Arkansas.

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Series 1. Cuban Refugee Materials, 1980- 1984. Boxes 1-6.

This series includes Cuban Haitian Task Force (C/HTF) reports, Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) summaries, office papers generated from Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas, and other agencies, educational materials, and audio cassettes created for and by the Cuban refugees at Ft. Chaffee.
Subseries 1. C/HTF, ORR, Ft. Chaffee and other agencies, 1980-1984.
This subseries contains daily, weekly and monthly reports, press clippings and newspaper releases of the C/HTF; monthly summaries of the ORR; and statistics, memoranda and working papers generated from Ft. Chaffee and other agencies from 1980-1984.
Box 1
  1. C/HTF reports, Oct 2, 1980-Nov 5, 1980.
  2. C/HTF reports, Nov 6, 1980-Dec 17, 1980.
  3. C/HTF reports, Dec 18, 1980-Feb 4, 1981.
  4. C/HTF reports, Feb 5, 1980-Mar 2, 1981.
  5. C/HTF reports, Mar 3, 1981-Mar 31, 1981.
  6. C/HTF reports, Apr 1, 1981-Apr 21, 1981.
  7. C/HTF reports, Apr 22, 1981- May 29, 1981.
  8. RR reports, June 2, 1981-July 6, 1981.
  9. ORR reports, July 7, 1981-Aug 3, 1981.
Box 2
  1. ORR reports, Aug 4, 1981-Apr 1982.
  2. ORR reports, May 6, 1982-June, 1982.
  3. ORR reports, July 31, 1982.
  4. ORR reports, July 1982-Dec 1982.
  5. C/HTF office papers, May 30, 1980-Oct 9, 1980.
  6. C/HTF office papers, Oct 10, 1980-Nov 24, 1980.
  7. C/HTF office papers, Nov 25, 1980-July 29, 1980.
  8. ORR office papers, Sept 6, 1981-June 17, 1982.
  9. ORR office papers, June 20, 1982-Apr 15, 1983.
  10. ORR office papers, May 25, 1983-June 13, 1984.
  11. C/HTF and ORR statistics, Oct 3, 1980-1982.
  12. C/HTF and ORR office papers, n.d.
Box 3
  1. C/HTF press clippings, Sept 3, 1980-Oct 1, 1980.
  2. C/HTF press clippings, Oct 6, 1980-Oct 10. 1980.
  3. C/HTF press clippings, Oct 14, 1980-Oct 23, 1980.
  4. C/HTF press clippings, Oct 24, 1980-Oct 31, 1980.
  5. C/HTF press clippings, Nov 3, 1980-Nov 13, 1980.
  6. C/HTF press clippings, Nov 14, 1980-Nov 26, 1980.
  7. C/HTF press clippings, Dec 1, 1980-Dec 8, 1980.
  8. C/HTF press clippings, Dec 9, 1980-Dec 18, 1980.
  9. C/HTF press clippings, Dec 19, 1980-Jan 7, 1981.
Box 4
  1. C/HTF press clippings, Jan 12, 1981-Jan 22, 1981.
  2. C/HTF press clippings, Jan 23, 1981-Feb 10, 1981.
  3. C/HTF press clippings, Feb 11, 1981-Feb 25, 1981.
  4. C/HTF press clippings, Feb 26, 1981-Mar 18, 1981.
  5. C/HTF press clippings, Mar 19, 1981-Mar 26, 1981.
  6. C/HTF press clippings, Mar 27, 1981-Apr 5, 1981.
  7. C/HTF press clippings, Apr 8, 1981-May 19, 1981.
  8. C/HTF, Report, 1980; Operating Manual, 1981.
  9. ORR, Cuban Haitian Resettlement Program, Briefing Report, 1983.
Box 5
  1. Ft. Chaffee papers, 1980-1981.
  2. Ft. Indiantown Gap papers and newsletter, July-Aug, 1980.
  3. Ft. Indiantown Gap papers and newsletter, Sept-Oct 1980.
  4. Ft. McCoy papers and newsletter, 1980.
  5. AINL - Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.
  6. Hispanic Human Resources - National Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Forum.
  7. National Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Forum - PIO and ORS.
  8. Fascell - Stone Amendment papers.
  9. Hispanic Inaugural Program and Invitation and Festival De Las Artes material.
  10. Conference material, 1981-1984.
Subseries 2. Educational materials, 1980.
In addition to didactic material used to help the Cuban refugee learn English and prepare for life in the United States, subseries 2 contains materials related to the Cuban refugees and Cuba by Professor Gaston Fernandez, Sr. of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Professor Fernandez was a daily volunteer at Ft. Chaffee during the summer of 1980.
Box 6
  1. Lesson plans, questionnaires and interview sheets.
  2. Articles, and "testimonios" written by Cuban refugees in Ft. Chaffee.
  3. Articles, lectures and working papers of Professor Gaston Fernandez, Sr.
  4. Bibliographic material about Cuba collected by Professor Fernandez.
Subseries 3. Audio Recordings.
This subseries contains mostly informal oral interviews and conversations taped by the Cuban refugees at Ft. Chaffee. Included is a section of popular Cuban anecdotes featuring "Pepito" (the popular folk hero) and a short interview with Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton. [NOTE: These recordings were originally in Box 7 of the collection. They have since been removed to Special Collections Cassette Storage. There is no Box 7.]
Cassette User Boxes
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Series 2. Photographs. Box 8.

This series contains 70 informal photographs; all but two document Cuban refugee life at Ft. Chaffee. The final photographs pertain to the Hispanic Inaugural Reception in Washington, D.C., 1981.
Box 8
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