Ithaca College

Alex Paredes-Ruiz, a senior who is majoring in history and theater arts management, has published on the response to the pandemic in Florida as a part of a special issue of the CUSLAR Newsletter (Committee on U.S.-Latin American Relations).  The special issue is on "Covid-19 in the Americas: Inequalities, Response, and Impact."

Alex's report is "A State in Crisis: the Pandemic's Effects on Florida."  He finds that while the wealthy are somewhat insulated from Covid's effects, the poor and working class are not.  The state government's choices in terms of mask mandates (few of them) put workers at risk, and the impact of the pandemic on Florida's important tourism industry is particularly harsh.  Covid has affected immigrants in Florida not only in terms of their health and their incomes, but also in their ability to send remittances back to family in their former home countries.

A link to the newsletter can be found here.

Alex is writing a history honors thesis on the waves of immigration to Miami and how these varied waves have interpreted "the American Dream."