Historian Teofilo Ruiz joins us to talk about his political engagement in Cuba. As a teenager in San Francisco de Paula, a town outside Havana, Ruiz joined the uprising against Fulgencio Batista. He then broke with the Castro government that replaced him, and in the run-up to the Bay of Pigs he found himself in jail.

He left for Miami in 1961 with three changes of clothing, forty-five dollars, a box of Cuban cigars to sell, and a Spanish translation of Jacob Burckhardt’s A History of Greek Civilization, and went on to become one of the most celebrated historians and teachers in the country.

Ruiz joins us to look back on the risks and disillusionments of his political life, and on the roots of the continuing tension between the U.S. and Cuba.

A complimentary reception follows the program.

About Teofilo Ruiz
Teofilo F. Ruiz is Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus at UCLA, where he held appointments in both the Department of History and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. A scholar of medieval and early modern Spain, he has published thirteen books, among them Crisis and Continuity: Land and Town in Late Medieval Castile and Spanish Society, 1400–1600. He received the National Humanities Medal from President Obama in 2012 and has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He also serves on the Wende’s Board of Directors.

As this event takes place during museum open hours, guests may check in at the front of the museum. The garden side gate will open 15 minutes before the start time and is available for ADA access and alternative check-in. Theater doors open 15 minutes before the start time. Seating is first come, first served. An RSVP does not guarantee admission once capacity is reached. No late entry.