The Mariel Boatlift: a Cold War-Era Mass Exodus of Cubans to the U.S.

Crowds gather for the The Harlem Cultural Festival on June 29, 1969.

A 1960s-era TV set on legs is shown between a potted plant and red footstool.

How Billie Holiday’s ‘Strange Fruit’ Confronted an Ugly Era of Lynchings

How Hernán Cortés Conquered the Aztec Empire

<p>Karen Juanita Carrillo is a Brooklyn, New York-based writer and photographer. She specializes in covering African American and Afro-Latino history, literature and politics. Visit her author website at <a title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://amazon.com/author/karenjuanitacarrillo__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!CUpwHKVwY_XLJKRF7_pN2pRkbW4pU0vKwdl6yYyeJ6iIlHJ1Ys4-EtU65XW_LGSkxm_gHVw375JoaKF-uvgJe3ItiaU$" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://amazon.com/author/karenjuanitacarrillo__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!CUpwHKVwY_XLJKRF7_pN2pRkbW4pU0vKwdl6yYyeJ6iIlHJ1Ys4-EtU65XW_LGSkxm_gHVw375JoaKF-uvgJe3ItiaU$" target="_blank" rel="noopener">amazon.com/author/karenjuanitacarrillo</a>.</p>


Karen Juanita Carrillo

Karen Juanita Carrillo is a Brooklyn, New York-based writer and photographer. She specializes in covering African American and Afro-Latino history, literature and politics. Visit her author website at amazon.com/author/karenjuanitacarrillo.

Karen Juanita Carrillo Archives | HISTORY

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HISTORY

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<p>In the 15th century, Europeans began to sail west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of new routes to China and the East, but in the process they discovered what they labeled a "New World," although Indigenous people had lived there for centuries. Other explorers have pushed the limits of flight and seafaring, and traversed the frozen Continent of Antarctica.</p>


Exploration

<p>The 1960s was one of the most tumultuous and divisive decades in world history. The era was marked by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and antiwar protests, countercultural movements, political assassinations and the emerging "generation gap."</p>


1960s

<p>In the early 20th century, America was flexing its economic and political muscle on the international stage. The era was defined by the temperance movement, Progressive-era activism, the sinking of the Titanic and World War I.</p>


Early 20th Century U.S.

<p>Hispanic Heritage Month is an annual celebration of the history and culture of the U.S. Latin and Hispanic communities. The event, which spans from September 15 to October 15, commemorates how those communities have influenced and contributed to American society at large.</p>


Hispanic History

<p>The Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union lasted for decades and resulted in anti-communist suspicions and international incidents that led two superpowers to the brink of nuclear disaster.</p>


Cold War

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">African Americans have played a central role in shaping U.S. history. From slavery and its abolition to the Great Migration, the civil rights movement and military, scientific, cultural and political achievements, explore key moments, milestones and figures in Black History.</div>
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Black History

<p>During the 1980s, conservative politics and Reaganomics held sway as the Berlin Wall crumbled, new computer technologies emerged, AIDS ravaged the United States, especially the gay male community, and blockbuster movies and MTV reshaped pop culture.</p>


1980s

<p>Ancient America was home to sophisticated civilizations such as the Maya, Inca, Olmec and Aztec societies, and mysterious ruins like Chichen Itza, Teotihuacan, Serpent Mound, Tikal, Machu Picchu and the Nazca Lines.</p>


Karen Juanita Carrillo ‑ Stories

7 Groundbreaking Inventions by Latino Innovators

Why the Watershed 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival Was Overshadowed for 50 Years

How Hernán Cortés Conquered the Aztec Empire

How Billie Holiday’s ‘Strange Fruit’ Confronted an Ugly Era of Lynchings

The Mariel Boatlift: How Cold War Politics Drove Thousands of Cubans to Florida in 1980

How the Chicano Movement Championed Mexican‑American Identity and Fought for Change