Message-Id: <200208301702.g7UFRY9t007622@sitelicense.arizona.edu> Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 13:02:28 -0400 From: "Estorino, Maria" <mailto:mestorino@MIAMI.EDU> Subject: GUIDE TO PAPERS OF CUBAN EX-POLITICAL PRISONER AVAILABLE ONLINE To: mailto:IMAGELIB@listserv.arizona.edu
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August 30, 2002
GUIDE TO PAPERS OF CUBAN EX-POLITICAL PRISONER AVAILABLE ONLINE
Coral Gables, FL - The Cuban Heritage Digital Collection of the Otto G.
Richter Library of the University of Miami (UM) has made available online
photographs and documents from the Polita Grau de Agüero Collection at
http://www.library.miami.edu/chcdigital/chc0356_main.html.
María Leopoldina (Polita) Grau Alsina was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1915 to
Paulina Alsina Fernández and Francisco Grau San Martín. After her father's
death in 1930, Polita and her family was taken in by her uncle Ramón Grau
San Martín, a University of Havana professor who became president of Cuba in
1933 after the ouster of General Gerardo Machado. Teenaged Polita served as
her bachelor uncle's first lady.
Throughout her life, Polita was very active in Cuban politics, being forced
into exile three times for her activities. Her anti-government activities
led to her imprisonment in 1965. Along with her brother Ramón (Mongo) Grau
Alsina, Polita worked with Miami-based priest Monsignor Bryan Walsh to get
over 14,000 unaccompanied children out of Cuba in what is known as Operation
Pedro Pan. Accused of conspiring to overthrow Fidel Castro, Polita and
Mongo were sentenced to 30-year prison sentences.
Polita was released in 1978 and entered her fourth and final exile in Miami.
Mongo Grau Alsina was freed in 1986 and joined his family in South Florida.
From 1978 until her death, Polita focused her activities on raising
awareness and garnering assistance for Cuban political prisoners, especially
women, and on working with the Partido Autentico reorganized in exile. She
passed away on March 21, 2000 at the age of 84.
In 1993, Polita Grau de Agüero donated her personal papers to the Cuban
Heritage Collection of the Otto G. Richter Library of the University of
Miami. This collection consists of her correspondence while in prison and
after her release, newspaper clippings, information about Cuban women
political prisoners, and photographs. Polita's papers also contain
materials related to her uncle, Ramón Grau San Martín, including many
photographs and clippings.
The Cuban Heritage Digital Collection has made available online the guide to
the Polita Grau de Agüero Collection as well as selected digitized images
from this collection, including many of the photographs therewith contained.
To view an online exhibit of highlights from this collection, visit
http://www.library.miami.edu/chcdigital/chc0356_main.html. The guide and
links to images from the Polita Grau de Agüero Collection can be accessed at
http://digital.library.miami.edu/cuban/chc0356/chc0356.html.
The Polita Grau de Agüero Collection is one of several collections being
made available online as part of the Cuban Heritage Digital Collection. To
learn more about this project and view other digitized collections, visit
http://www.library.miami.edu/chcdigital/.
For more information, contact Project Director María R. Estorino at
305-284-5854 or mailto:mestorino@miami.edu.
María R. Estorino
Cuban Heritage Digital Collection
University of Miami
305-284-5854
mailto:mestorino@miami.edu
www.library.miami.edu/chcdigital
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